Meet our hotline team, Amanda and Barbara! If you have every called our recycling hotline (1-800-237-BLUE) or visited our online database, www.WasteFreeSD.org, you can thank them for keeping recycling and household hazardous waste information up-to-date. They often recommend the Ramona HHW Collection Facility but recently realized that they had never actually been to the site themselves! Today, they’re giving us a behind the scenes look at how Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) is collected and disposed of.
On a cool Saturday morning in December, we visited the Ramona Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) Collection Facility for a behind the scenes tour. The HHW facility is available to residents in the unincorporated areas, and it is 1 of 10 facilities that operate in San Diego County. Properly disposing of household hazardous waste is one of the best and easiest things you can do to protect our environment from toxins. We’ll take you through the whole drop-off process step-by-step!
Keep in mind the details on the drop-off process can vary from location to location, but should be generally the same countywide.
Common household hazardous waste items include: paint, automotive fluids, fluorescent tubes, cleaning products, batteries and gardening chemicals – all of which can be disposed of at this facility! If you’re looking to dispose of any of these items, give us a call at 1-877-R1-EARTH to make an appointment.
After you’ve called us to schedule an appointment, head “up the hill”, as they say, to Ramona on your scheduled day and time.
When you arrive to 324 Maple Street, you’ll see Ramona Disposal. Enter the main driveway, head left and go past the half circle driveway where you can drop off regular recyclable items.The driveway will head around the building to the right, and it will take you straight into the line to drop off your hazardous items! Next you simply wait in line (if there even is one!), pull up to the proper spot, turn off your vehicle, and the helpful employees will unload your hazardous items. You don’t even have to get out of your vehicle!
After you are on your way to a relaxing Saturday with your hazardous items safely left behind, here is a little more info as to what happens to your hazardous waste:
– All of the hazardous items are stored nearby, and picked up as space is needed, typically about once a month.
– There is a chemist on site to ensure that all hazardous items are moved and stored safely. If you have an odd item, you may always call us on our recycling hotline and we can work with you to find a solution to safely dispose of your item.
– As much as possible is recycled (like paint and motor oil), although some items do need to be disposed of at a hazardous waste landfill.
This seems like as good a time as any to give a friendly reminder to avoid toxic products as much a possible! Check out our Pinterest board that gives recipes to make your own natural products, or head to your local natural foods store to buy environmentally friendly cleaning products. There are also helpful guides available online to ensure you only buy the amount of paint needed for your home projects. Only buying what you need will help you avoid waste and save you a trip to the HHW Collection Facility.
Keep any eye out this spring for a blog post highlighting how to “green” your home!