Household Hazardous Waste

Santa Clara County Household Hazardous Waste

Household hazardous waste includes unwanted household products labeled as flammable, toxic, corrosive, or reactive. Common examples include automotive fluids, batteries, paint, garden chemicals, household cleaners, electronics, and certain lightbulbs. These products require disposal procedures that address their potential harm to people and the environment.

The County of Santa Clara’s Household Hazardous Waste Program, often called HHW, operates permanent collection facilities in East San Jose and San Martin, along with temporary collection events in other cities. Residents must make an appointment before bringing waste to a County collection location. The official Household Hazardous Waste website provides access to the program’s residential services, appointment system, and disposal information.

The residential program and the business waste program serve different users. A resident disposing of household products uses the free household service. Waste generated by a business belongs under the separate business process, even when the material resembles something commonly used at home.

Who Uses the Residential Program?

The free household drop-off service is for Santa Clara County residents. Proof of residency is required at the appointment. The County’s household waste drop-off instructions explain the residential service and the preparations required before arrival.

Palo Alto residents must use the City of Palo Alto’s Household Hazardous Waste Program rather than make an appointment with the County program. Confirm which residential program applies to you before reserving a collection time.

Accepted Household Products and Materials

The County groups accepted hazardous materials into several categories. Product labels can help identify the hazard, but the program’s material-specific instructions are more useful when deciding how to dispose of an item. For example, paint, used oil, and sharps all have disposal options, but their preparation requirements differ.

Chemicals, Cleaners, and Automotive Products

Accepted flammable products include wet or dry paint, petroleum-based products, polishes, gasoline, fuels, and certain solvents. The classifications also include automotive fluids such as antifreeze and used motor oil, used oil filters, and various other automotive chemicals. Do not mix automotive products together.

Corrosive materials include acids, bases, vehicle batteries, household alkaline and rechargeable batteries, and drain clog remover. Household chemicals, degreasers, and photographic chemicals also appear in the County’s classifications. A product’s everyday use does not determine its disposal route: a cleaner used in a kitchen or garage may still belong in the hazardous waste program.

Toxic materials include pesticides, fertilizers, gardening chemicals, ammonia, and solvents. Oxidizers include pool chemicals, hydrogen peroxide, iodine, and perchlorates. Review the County’s household hazardous waste classifications before scheduling, especially when you have an unusual product or several different materials.

Electronics, Batteries, Bulbs, and Detectors

The program accepts electronic waste, including computers, televisions, and cell phones. Its household drop-off information also identifies fluorescent and LED lightbulbs as common accepted products. Fluorescent tubes, spiral bulbs, and compact fluorescent bulbs are specifically included in the classifications.

Other accepted items include household and vehicle batteries, propane tanks, helium tanks, and smoke or carbon monoxide detectors. These items should be considered individually when preparing your load rather than treated as ordinary household trash. Container size restrictions still apply where relevant.

Paint Containers and Painting Supplies

Wet and dry paint can be brought to an HHW event. The County provides a separate distinction for empty paint containers: they may go in the garbage when the residue is dry and the lids are removed. Paint brushes and rollers may go in the garbage after drying, while brushes or rollers that remain wet or pliable can be brought to an HHW event.

This distinction helps when clearing out painting supplies. A can containing leftover paint is different from an empty can with dry residue. Review each item instead of assuming that all painting materials require the same disposal method.

Appointments and Collection Locations

Appointments are required for all County HHW facility drop-offs. The program uses scheduled visits to ensure trained staff are available to unload vehicles, reduce waiting, and prevent congestion. A permanent facility is not an unrestricted drop-off location, and a temporary event also requires an appointment.

In the household hazardous waste appointment system, select the available date, time, and city for your visit. Review the accepted materials before booking so the appointment matches the waste you intend to bring. The online system requires JavaScript for full functionality; residents can also arrange an appointment through the HHW hotline.

Why the Address Comes After Booking

The County provides the exact collection address after an appointment has been made. The appointment email contains the drop-off location. Addresses are withheld from the public website to discourage illegal dumping when collection sites are closed.

Use the address supplied for your appointment rather than relying on the city name alone. The program operates both permanent facilities and temporary events, so knowing that your appointment is in San Jose, San Martin, or another participating city is not enough to identify the correct destination.

Operating Days and Arrival Times

The Household Hazardous Waste Operating Schedule identifies collection days, locations, event types, and holiday interruptions. Facility access is available only when staff are on site. Use the schedule to understand the collection calendar and the appointment system to select an available visit.

Arrive at your scheduled time. The County states that it may be unable to accommodate residents who arrive more than 15 minutes late. A reservation for a particular time should not be treated as permission to arrive at any point during the operating day.

Quantity Limits and Container Sizes

The County’s appointment instructions identify California transportation limits of 15 liquid gallons or 125 solid pounds of hazardous waste in a single vehicle. Consider the total load before transporting it. Dividing material among more containers does not increase the amount allowed in the vehicle.

Containers larger than 5 gallons are not accepted. If you have more than 5 gallons of one material, the County instructs you to divide it among multiple containers holding 5 gallons or less. Both restrictions matter: each container must meet the size requirement, and the vehicle’s total load must remain within the applicable transportation limit.

For example, a single oversized container is not acceptable simply because the amount inside is below the vehicle limit. Similarly, several acceptable-size containers can collectively exceed the permitted load. Review container capacity and total quantity as separate parts of your preparation.

Materials With Additional Restrictions

Some accepted materials have their own limits or handling instructions. Solar panel drop-off is limited to 20 panels. Contaminated dirt and contaminated sand are accepted in quantities up to 5 gallons under the County’s classifications.

Asbestos must be double bagged, with each bag weighing no more than 50 pounds. The County warns residents not to remove or break asbestos themselves because particles can become airborne. Treat this as a material-specific instruction rather than applying ordinary household cleanup methods.

Treated wood waste, including railroad ties, is not accepted by the HHW program. Ammunition and fireworks have a different government contact route: the County classifications direct residents to the County of Santa Clara Sheriff’s Department or their local police department. Do not add these items to a household collection load based on the assumption that every hazardous material belongs at an HHW event.

Preparing Your Vehicle for Drop-Off

Bring proof of residency and place the hazardous waste in the designated rear area of your vehicle. County instructions specify the trunk for regular vehicles, the bed for trucks, and the rear of SUVs and hatchbacks.

Remove non-waste items from the area holding your hazardous waste. Staff unload vehicles, and personal belongings mixed into the collection area could be mistaken for materials you intend to discard. Clearing that space also makes the intended load easier to identify.

Bring proof of residency.
Keep containers within the accepted size limits.
Keep the total load within the applicable liquid or solid transportation limit.
Place waste in the trunk, truck bed, or rear cargo area, as appropriate.
Remove belongings you want to keep from that area.
Do not bring pets to the drop-off.

The County cannot return containers brought in with your waste. Choose containers with that restriction in mind rather than expecting staff to empty them and hand them back. Sharps require approved containers and should be prepared according to their separate instructions.

Sharps Require Approved Disposal Containers

Home-generated sharps include disposable hypodermic needles, syringes, lancets, and other medical devices used for self-injection or blood testing. The County also identifies EpiPens in its sharps disposal information. Sharps must not be placed in household trash or recycling containers.

The HHW program accepts sharps, but all sharps must be enclosed in an approved sharps container. The County’s home-generated sharps disposal instructions explain container requirements and provide access to drop-off and mail-back information.

What Makes a Container Acceptable?

An approved container must be rigid, puncture-resistant, unbreakable, and leak-resistant, with a tightly sealed lid. It must be labeled “Sharps Waste” or display the International Biohazard label. Glass jars, soda bottles, and milk jugs do not meet the County’s container requirements.

The County’s sharps page also provides information about ordering three free sharps containers at a time. Prepare the approved container before bringing sharps to a collection appointment; an ordinary household container does not become acceptable simply because it has a lid.

Medication Disposal Uses a Separate Route

Beginning January 16, 2025, medications are no longer accepted at the San Jose and San Martin permanent HHW facilities. Do not include unwanted medicine in a load intended for those facilities. The County’s medication disposal page provides access to medication drop-off and mail-back options.

The County instructs residents not to flush prescription or over-the-counter drugs down the toilet or throw them in the trash. Use the medication disposal information to identify the appropriate collection method before traveling with unwanted medicines.

Medication and sharps disposal should be planned separately. The HHW program accepts home-generated sharps in approved containers, while the permanent facilities have stopped accepting medications. A needle and an unwanted prescription bottle should therefore not be treated as one disposal category.

Used Motor Oil and Oil Filters

Used motor oil and used oil filters are accepted through the HHW program. The County warns against dumping used oil into gutters, storm drains, garbage cans, creeks, rivers, or the bay. Oil filters also require attention because they retain used oil after removal from a vehicle.

The County’s motor oil and oil filter disposal instructions distinguish used motor oil from contaminated oil and other automotive fluids. Its collection-center guidance states that contaminated used oil, antifreeze, transmission fluid, and brake fluid are not accepted through that used-oil collection route; residents with those products are directed to arrange an HHW disposal appointment.

Do not mix automotive fluids together. Keeping products separate preserves the distinction between used motor oil and other materials that require HHW handling. When your load includes several automotive products, identify each one before deciding which disposal procedure applies.

Business Waste Has Separate Eligibility Rules

The Very Small Quantity Generator program, or VSQG program, provides hazardous waste disposal for qualifying businesses, nonprofit organizations, and government agencies in Santa Clara County. The free residential appointment process is separate from this service.

The VSQG business waste program states that qualifying generators must produce less than 220 pounds or 27 gallons of hazardous waste per month, or less than 2.2 pounds of extremely hazardous waste per month. These monthly generation thresholds determine program eligibility; they are different from the residential instructions governing a vehicle’s load.

Nonprofits, landlords, apartment managers, and businesses generating hazardous waste are considered small businesses for this program and are not exempt from disposal fees. The County notes that disposal costs increased beginning July 1, 2026. A small quantity of business waste does not qualify for free residential disposal merely because it fits in a household vehicle.

Common materials accepted through the business program include paint and paint-related materials, automotive fluids, landscaping chemicals, acids, bases, pool chemicals, solvents, fluorescent lamps, batteries, propane and helium tanks, aerosol cans, and electronic waste. Businesses use the dedicated VSQG contact to arrange their appointment.

Questions About Materials and Appointments

The HHW hotline handles questions about hazardous waste and can help residents arrange a household appointment. For an item that needs clarification, describe the material and the disposal question so the program can address the issue before you transport it.

The Household Hazardous Waste contact form includes fields for your name, email address, contact type, and detailed comments or feedback. It requires JavaScript. Use the contact route for a service question rather than relying on a general webpage feedback submission to arrange a drop-off.

Relevant Departments and Program Offices

Household Hazardous Waste (HHW)
Phone: (408) 299-7300
Household Hazardous Waste (VSQG)
Phone: (800) 207-8222
County of Santa Clara Sheriff’s Department
Phone: (408) 299-2622

Household Hazardous Waste FAQs

Can I put empty aerosol cans in the trash?

The County’s disposal guidance allows empty aerosol cans in the trash and directs cans with remaining contents to a household hazardous waste event. Check whether the can is actually empty before choosing a disposal method. A spray can you no longer want is not necessarily an empty container. The County’s material-specific disposal guidance lists aerosol cans separately from other household products.

Where should I take oily rags?

The County distinguishes between wet and dry oily rags or paper. Wet materials belong at a household hazardous waste event; dry materials may go in the garbage. Check the condition of the rags themselves rather than assuming that disposing of the used oil also takes care of the cleanup materials. Rags or paper that remain wet with oil follow the hazardous waste disposal route.

Does leftover cooking oil belong at a hazardous waste event?

The County lists cooking oil as acceptable at a household hazardous waste event. Its classifications also allow up to one quart in the garbage. If you have more than one quart, use the event disposal option rather than applying that small-quantity allowance to the entire amount. Cooking oil has its own listing, so use that guidance when disposing of kitchen oil.

Can I bring an old mercury thermometer?

Yes. The County lists mercury among materials accepted at household hazardous waste events. Its mercury category also includes thermostats, button batteries, and relays. When checking an older household item, look for the material-specific listing rather than relying only on the item’s general category. Mercury-containing products have an identified disposal route through the County program.

Does the County accept unwanted fire extinguishers?

Yes. Fire extinguishers are specifically listed for disposal at a household hazardous waste event. Include the extinguisher when reviewing your planned load against the County’s accepted-materials list. Use the County household hazardous waste appointment page to arrange the drop-off.