Never send cooking oils, fats or greases down the drain. Even small amounts can cause problems in your home plumbing or further down the sewer line. Instead, used cooking oil can be recycled into soaps, industrial lubricants, biodiesel and other products.

Cooking oil is accepted for recycling at SVSWA's Household Hazardous Waste Collection Facility in Salinas and at:

Salinas Tallow Co.
1 Work Circle
Salinas, CA 93901
(831) 422-6436

Every year Californians generate about one old tire for each person in the state. That's close to 40 million tires! Several million tires are already stockpiled throughout the state and many more are illegally dumped.

Abandoned tires are not only an eye sore but also dangerous. When rainwater accumulates inside the tires, they can provide prime breeding grounds for mosquitoes, transmitters of the West Nile Virus and other serious diseases.

Fortunately old tires can be given a new life. Tire rubber is ground up and recycled into surfacing material for playgrounds, or used as an ingredient for rubberized asphalt, a material that increasingly replaces conventional asphalt in road construction.

Salinas Valley residents have several options to recycle used tires:

1. Free waste tire collection week
   Once a year - usually in the fall - the SVSWA offers one week of free tire collection for residents. For information on the next collection, drop-off locations and rules, call us at (831) 775-3000.
   
   
2. Drop-off year round at the following locations. Non-rimmed tires only. Fees may apply.
   
   

   Salinas: Crazy Horse Landfill 350 Crazy Horse Canyon Road (831) 663-2796 Sun Street Transfer Station 139 Sun Street (831) 424-5535

   Gonzales: Johnson Canyon Landfill 31400 Johnson Canyon Road (831) 675-2165

   King City: Jolon Road Transfer Station 52654 Jolon Rd. (831) 385-6213

Household Batteries

Household batteries - the kind used in flashlights, toys, electronics etc - contain small, but very potent amounts of heavy metals and corrosive chemicals. These toxic substances can contaminate our soil and water if they end up in the landfill. It has been illegal to put household batteries into the garbage since 2006.

Please buy hand-operated items whenever possible and use rechargeable instead of single-use batteries. Rechargeables have a much longer life span: up to 800 charge-discharge cycles before they have to be replaced.

Please drop off your used household batteries at the following locations:

Additional drop-off locations for rechargeable batteries ONLY:
Rechargeable batteries can be dropped off for recycling at any store that also sells them, e.g. Radio Shack, Best Buy, Lowe's, Office Depot and Staples Office Supply. To find a participating retailer in your zip code call the Rechargeable Battery Recycling Corporation at 678-419-9990 or visit www.rbrc.org.

Tip: Get a free battery bucket from the SVSWA or use an empty jar to collect spent household batteries at home or at work.

Electronics include computers and monitors, computer equipment, televisions, printers, VCRs, cell phones, telephones, radios, digital watches, gameboys, joysticks, game accessories and microwave ovens.

Although these products are safe while in use, they are considered hazardous waste when discarded due to their content of heavy metals and other toxic chemicals. It has been illegal to put "e-waste" into the garbage since 2006.

Your options to recycle unwanted electronics:

1. Occasional "e-waste" collection drives held throughout the community. Watch for announcements in the local media and on our home page.
   
   
2. Electronics may be accepted through your hauler's bulky item collection. Contact your hauler directly for details.
   
   
3. Drop off "e-waste" at any of the following locations:

   Salinas: Crazy Horse Landfill 350 Crazy Horse Canyon Road (831) 663-2796 Sun Street Transfer Station 139 Sun Street Salinas, CA 93901 (831) 424-5535

   Gonzales: Johnson Canyon Landfill 31400 Johnson Canyon Road (831) 675-2165

   King City: Jolon Road Transfer Station 52654 Jolon Rd. King City, CA 93930 (831) 385-6213

Fluorescent tubes and bulbs are safe while in use but are considered hazardous waste when discarded. The reason is that they contain toxic mercury vapor and other heavy metals such as cadmium and lead. When fluorescent tubes and bulbs are broken or crushed in the landfill, heavy metals are released. They can contaminate soil and water, and harm wildlife.

Please drop off your spent fluorescent tubes and bulbs at the following locations for recycling.

Tip: Bundle and tape tubes together to avoid breakage.

Please recycle your car battery at one of the following locations, so that the materials can be reclaimed and made into new batteries.

Antifreeze

Antifreeze contains toxic chemicals that can cause serious health problems and even death. It is especially dangerous to animals and children because of its sweet taste. Two tablespoons of antifreeze can kill a small dog!

Never dispose of spent antifreeze in the garbage, toilet, sink or storm drains. Please take it to one of the drop-off locations listed below for recycling.

Do you change your own motor oil and filters? Used motor oil and filters are hazardous waste materials and require special handling. You can recycle both conveniently through your curbside service! Here's how:

1. Get a FREE used oil container and filter bag by calling Tri-Cities at (888) 678-6798 or pick them up at a participating used motor oil collection centers.
   Please do not use any other container.
2. Change your oil. Avoid spills. Have rags handy to clean up any drips and spills immediately.
3. Carefully transfer oil from oil pan to oil recycling container. Pour slowly to avoid spills. Secure the cap tightly.
4. Drain oil filter into pan for several hours. Transfer oil to oil recycling container.
5. Place the used oil filter in the filter bag provided and attach it around the container.
6. When full, place the containers at the curb by 6:00 a.m., on your waste collection day and your recycle driver will empty and leave them for you to use again!

Note: Do not place your oil container or filter bag out more than 12 hours before pickup. Oil is a hazard so it is important not to leave it unattended for extended periods of time.

For a limited time after the holidays, usually starting right after New Years, holiday trees are collected from the curb for free on your regular recycling day. Look for announcements or contact your hauler directly for exact dates.

For curbside collection:

• Trees must be cut into 3 ft. sections
• Remove all tinsel, lights and decoration
• Remove plastic, wooden and metal stands
• Flocked trees are NOT accepted
• The trees will be chipped and composted, not landfilled.

During the holiday tree collection period, trees can also be dropped off for free at any of the SVSWA's landfills and transfer stations.

Soledad, Gonzales and Greenfield residents who want to get rid of large items such as furniture, bed frames, appliances etc. have several options. If any of these items are in reusable condition, please consider donation to a local reuse business or charitable organization. Check our reuse guide for locations.

1. On-call pick-up: Single family homes only. To schedule a bulky item pick-up, for fees, acceptable items and set-out rules call Tri-Cities at Disposal & Recycling at (888) 678-6798.
   
   
2. City-wide cleanup & recycling weeks: Annual, free curbside collection of bulky items from single-family homes. For dates, acceptable materials and set-out/drop-off rules please call Tri-Cities Disposal & Recycling at (888) 678-6798.