Kern County hosting monthly hazardous waste drop off

Kern County — The Kern County Public Works Department hosts monthly Household Hazardous Waste ( HHW) Collection Events throughout the County of Kern. Residents can drive up and drop off their hazardous waste free of charge at any of these one-day collection events. HHW collection events are for residential hazardous waste only. Commercial or business waste will not be accepted. The schedule for these one-day collection events for the month of December, are as follows:

• Dec. 5: Tehachapi Recycling & Sanitary Landfill, 12001 Tehachapi Blvd., from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Additionally, residential HHW can always be dropped off at these permanent Kern County Special Waste Facilities (SWF):

• Metro-Bakersfield SWF, located at 4951 Standard St., is open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., every Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday.

• Mojave SWF, located at 17035 Finnin St., is open the first Saturday every other month, from 9 a.m. to noon (January, March, May, July, September, and November).

• Ridgecrest SWF, located at 3301 Bowman Road, is open the second and fourth Saturday of each month, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

When traveling with HHW to any event or facility, it’s important to practice safe transportation procedures. Please follow these safety guidelines:

Transport no more than 15 gallons or 125 pounds of waste

per trip and no more than five gallons per single container.

Make sure containers are not leaking and are properly labeled.

Do not mix materials. Keep materials separated and away from passengers.

What is household hazardous waste? Residential hazardous wastes are products, purchased for use in or around the home, that when improperly discarded, may threaten human health or the environment. These products include: household cleaners, deodorizers, personal hygiene products, pesticides, herbicides, insecticides, pet care products, paint products, photographic chemicals, swimming pool chemicals and automotive products and fluids. Even though a product can be easily purchased at the local store, it can still be harmful to you, your family and the environment.

For more information on household hazardous waste, collection events and guidelines, visit www.kernpublicworks.com/hazardous-waste/ and follow on Facebook @KernCountyPublicWorks