On June 1, 2008, the City of Cypress began offering residents a Free Universal Waste Recycling Program. You might be wondering what Universal Waste or U-Waste is, well U-Waste consists of things like batteries, fluorescent light bulbs, compact fluorescents (CFL's), and any item containing mercury. These items were banned from the waste stream in 2006 and are considered hazardous to the environment if placed in a trash container.

Residents will be able to pick-up small green recycling bags for their household batteries and fluorescents at the following locations:

• Cypress Civic Center
• Cypress Community Center
• Cypress Senior Center
  

These locations listed above will also accept batteries.
Residents will be able to drop off their fluorescents and CFL's at the following locations in Cypress, Los Alamitos, La Palma, and Stanton:

• Ganahl's Lumber in Los Alamitos - 10742 Los Alamitos Blvd.
• True-Value in Stanton - 7612 Katella Ave.

In 2005, California began assessing an Electronic Waste Recycling Fee ($6 to $10 per item) on all products, including televisions, covered by the SB 20 system, which establishes this fee. The funds collected through this fee are dedicated to providing reduced or fee e-scrap recycling services by authorized collectors and processors.

Consumers with eligible electronic products can then use the California Integrated Waste Management Board’s eRecycle Web site, www.erecycle.org/search.asp, to search a database of authorized e-scrap collectors and processors. The user simply selects the material to be recycled (televisions, computers, etc.), a specific county, and optionally a facility name. The database return a list of sites that meet the search criteria, along with contact information and a link to the location of Google Maps.

Many common products that we use in our daily lives contain potentially hazardous ingredients and require special care when disposed of. It is illegal to dispose of hazardous waste in the garbage, down storm drains, or onto the ground. Chemicals in illegally disposed hazardous waste can be released into the environment and contaminate our air, water, and possibly the food we eat. And by throwing hazardous waste in the garbage, you can cause additional hazards to your garbage handler.

The bottom line is that we must keep hazardous materials out of the trash by bringing them somewhere to be recycled or safely disposed such as a household hazardous waste collection facility. www.ciwmb.ca.gov/HHW/Info/or call (714) 229-6747

Should you have any questions, please contact the Cypress Public Works Department at (714) 229-6747.

This program is funded by a grant from the County of Orange.