(March 23, 2004) -- If hazardous waste has piled up in your garage or home, you can legally dispose of it this Saturday, March 27 from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. at ELB's Veterans Stadium (Clark Ave. @ Conant St.)

L.A. County's Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) collection program gives L.A. County residents "a legal and cost-free way to dispose of unwanted household chemicals that cannot be disposed of in the regular trash," says L.A. County's Sanitation District web page on the subject (link below).

The web pages cites the following 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
• CRT's, old TV's, misc. electronics
• Unwanted or expired pharmaceuticals
• Mercury thermometers or thermostats

And here are examples of what you CANNOT bring to a HHW collection:

• Explosives
• Ammunition
• Radioactive materials
• Trash
• Tires
• Business waste
• White goods (stoves, fridges, etc)

The web site says you should "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 personel 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."

For further info, call (800) 238-0173 or (888) CLEAN-LA.

Or click on the following web page: www.lacsd.org/HHW/HHWFLIER.htm