by Steven Felschundneff | steven@claremont-courier.com

The Los Angeles County Sanitation District will resume hosting household hazardous waste drive-through collection events starting this Saturday in Diamond Bar.

Waste should be carefully placed in a sturdy box in vehicle trunk, rear hatch or truck bed to allow for socially distanced collection. Residents must wear a face covering and stay in their vehicle with the windows closed while at the collection site. The county canceled waste collection events in January due to the surge in COVID-19.

Items that can be discarded include those labeled as toxic, poisonous, combustible, corrosive, flammable, or as an irritant. Common types of HHW include electronic waste, paints, pesticides, lubricants, drain cleaners, fluorescent light bulbs, prescription medication, and batteries. There is a limit of 15 gallons or 125 pounds of waste per trip.

The county will also accept sharps, which will require people to exit the vehicle in a designated location where there is a collection bin.

Prohibited waste includes explosives, ammunition, radioactive materials, trash, tires business waste, appliances, controlled substances and biohazard waste.

The county’s website notes all electronic waste collected at these events is “sent to a facility within the state of California that certifies that it is 100 percent demanufactured and recycled to the commodity level in the United States.” No electronic waste is sent overseas.

In addition to the rotating drive-in events, there are also two permanent hazardous waste locations. The Antelope Valley Environmental Collection Center at 1200 W. City Ranch Road in Palmdale is open to all county residents the first and third Saturday of each month from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. This center will begin accepting waste materials again on March 20. The EDCO Recycling and Transfer Center at 2755 California Ave. in Signal Hill is open the second and fourth Saturday (including this Saturday) from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

The city of Los Angeles Sanitation also has established a number of permanent collection sites throughout the city known as S.A.F.E. Centers (S.A.F.E. stands for: solvents, automotive, flammables and electronics). The closest one to Claremont is located at 4600 Colorado Boulevard, Los Angeles and is open Saturdays and Sundays from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

The Diamond Bar event will be held at City Streets Gateway Corporate Center in the 1300 block of Bridge Gate Drive, March 13 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.