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Household Hazardous Waste
Did you know that used motor oil never wears out? It just gets dirty and can be recycled, cleaned, and used again. Recycling used motor oil conserves a natural resource (oil) and is good for the environment too! Motor oil poured onto the ground or into storm drains, or tossed into trash cans (even in a sealed container) can contaminate and pollute the soil, groundwater, streams, and rivers. Recycling your used motor oil reduces this pollution threat. When you take your used oil to a certified center for recycling, you are protecting the environment, conserving a valuable resource, and getting paid for it. That's a winning combination!
How Can You Help?
You can participate in oil recycling by following these tips:
- Drain your used oil into a clean container.
- Do not mix any other materials, including water, with used oil.
- Take your used oil to a household hazardous waste collection facility or a used oil collection site.
You can pick up your free used oil recycling kit at the City of Lynwood Public Works Yard, call 310-603-0220, ext. 827 for more information
Used Oil Collection Centers
CalRecycle encourages the recycling of used motor oil by certifying used oil recycling collection centers throughout the state. Certified Used Oil Collection Centers will take used motor oil from the public and will pay you $0.40 a gallon. Most centers will take up to 5 gallons at a time.
There is one catch: certified center managers will not accept used motor oil that has been contaminated with other fluids such as antifreeze, solvents, gasoline, or water. So please, don't mix your used oil with anything. However, if your used oil accidentally gets contaminated, call the Los Angeles County Sanitation Hotline at 800-238-0173.
Access a list of Certified Used Oil Collection Centers in Lynwood.
What Is Household Hazardous Waste (HHW)?
HHW is any product labeled: toxic, poison, combustible, corrosive, flammable or irritant that is disposed of. A typical home can contain many household hazardous products for cleaning, painting, beautifying, lubricating and disinfecting the house, yard, and garage. The health and safety of our families and neighborhoods and environmental is threatened when household hazardous waste is stored or disposed of improperly.
To learn more about HHW please visit the County of Los Angeles Public Works website.
Temporary Collection Events
The County Sanitation and Los Angeles County Household Hazardous Waste Collection Program gives county residents a legal and cost-free way to dispose of unwanted household chemicals that cannot be disposed of in the regular trash. Lynwood residents can come to the county HHW collection events.
Some examples of what you can bring to a HHW collection:
- Motor oil, oil filters, brake fluid
- Used antifreeze
- Paint, paint thinner, turpentine
- Cleaners with acid or lye
- Pesticides or herbicides
- Household batteries or car batteries
- Pool chemicals
- CRTs, old TVs, miscellaneous electronics
- Mercury thermometers or thermostats
- Used Needles or Sharps (In a Sharps container or sturdy box labeled "SHARPS")
- Unwanted or expired prescriptions
What you cannot bring to a HHW collection:
- Explosives
- Ammunition
- Radioactive Materials
- Trash
- Tires
- Business Waste
- White Goods (stoves, fridges, etc.)
- Controlled Substances
- Biohazardous Waste (blood, urine, etc.)
How to Prepare
- Bring the items you wish to dispose of in a sturdy box preferably in their original, labeled containers
- Do not ever mix products together
- It is illegal to transport more than 15 gallons or 125 pounds of hazardous waste in your personal vehicle
- Be prepared to leave your containers; because of permitting requirements, and the volume of people that utilize the program, items such as gasoline cans will not be returned
Collection Centers near Lynwood & Temporary Locations & Schedule
For location of permanent HHW centers and schedule and locations of Temporary HHW Collection Events visit the Sanitation of Los Angeles County website.