Many of the products and chemicals we use to paint, clean, and maintain our homes and yards can be toxic if used or disposed of improperly.

Learn how to identify household hazardous waste

Our innovative Door 2 Door Residential Collection Service recycles most types of household hazardous waste, including motor oil, paint, stains, poisons, medications, and electronics. We offer the service on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays.

You can schedule a household hazardous waste pickup by using the Waste Wizard online tool or by calling us at 916-461-6730.

You can also schedule a household hazardous waste pickup using the Folsom Waste Collection App.

Before making your appointment, please confirm that your items are included on the list of acceptable items for our pickup program.

Please place your waste out for pickup according to the picture below. Place it at the bottom of your driveway. Do not place it next to your house, on the sidewalk, parkway, or street.

No, there is no charge for pickups. A portion of your monthly garbage bill goes toward our program and services.

No, you do not need to be home. Please properly package and put the HHW out at the bottom of your driveway by 7 a.m. on your appointment day.

If you are moving or experiencing an emergency and need to dispose of household hazardous waste right away, call 916-461-6730 to find out if and when you can drop it off. Please do not come to our facility without making arrangements for us to receive your waste. Please do not rely on a Google search, as the results may not be accurate.

Several local businesses allow residents (and, in some cases, businesses) to drop off used oil, paint, household batteries, fluorescent lamps, and sharps. Always call ahead to verify hours and receipt of waste. For a list of locations, visit our Hazardous Waste page.

Incandescent and low-voltage light bulbs can go in the regular trash. Low-voltage lighting housings, plastic, and metal, can go in the recycle bin. However, if the low-voltage lighting contains a solar panel or circuit board, please schedule a HHW pickup. LEDs can go with fluorescents and can be scheduled for HazMat pick up when you have a reasonable amount. Call 916-461-6730 if you have any questions.

The Sacramento County Sheriff Explosive Ordnance Detail (EOD) will pick up marine flares from Folsom and Sacramento County residents. Call the Sacramento County Sheriff at 916-874-5115. Ask for the EOD.

Marine flares contain an explosive device. Never dispose of them in the trash or in our door-to-door residential household hazardous waste collection program.

Our door-to-door collection program is primarily available for residential customers. It is only available for household hazardous waste generated within the Folsom city limits.

The capacity of our collection vehicle is limited. In order safely and legally operate the vehicle, we request that residents limit the amount of HHW put out for pick up to a combined total of five gallons of antifreeze, five gallons of used motor oil, 10 one-gallon cans, and two five-gallon pails of paint or paint-related material. In addition to these quantities, other types of HHW should not exceed a total of five gallons or 50 pounds, plus 125 pounds of Universal Waste (lamps, batteries, or electronics).

Unacceptable Items

We are unable to accept the following items:

• Business, commercial, or industrial hazardous waste
• Large compressed gas cylinders greater than seven gallons
• Biological or infectious waste
• Sharps and medical waste, except pharmaceuticals
• Explosives (fireworks, ammunition, black powder, blasting caps, marine flares)
• Radioactive waste (ionizing smoke detectors, Tritium signs)
• Leaking containers or containers larger than five gallons
• Nonhazardous waste. Use our Bulky Waste Program for tires, appliances, or wood waste disposal.

If you have a question about a specific waste type or quantity, use our Waste Wizard tool to look up the item or call us at 916-461-6730.

Please note: If a resident is disposing of waste that appears to be generated by a business, either by quantity, waste type, or characteristic, we reserve the right to refuse to pick up the waste, with or without prior notice.

At this time, we do not accept or collect hazardous waste generated by businesses or non-residential entities.

However, we can accept, free of charge, so-called Universal Wastes (televisions, monitors, computers, electronics, fluorescent lamps, batteries, etc.) from Folsom businesses and non-residential entities. Visit our Business Recycling page for information about making arrangements to dispose of Universal Wastes in the City of Folsom.

The Sacramento County Department of Waste Management and Recycling accepts hazardous waste generated by businesses that qualify as Conditionally Exempt Small Quantity Generators (CESQGs). A CESQG is defined as a business that, in any one-month period, generates less than 220 pounds (approximately 27 gallons) of hazardous waste or 2.2 pounds of extremely hazardous waste. You must have an EPA ID number issued by the State, make an appointment with Sacramento County, and pay them a fee to dispose of your waste. Appointments can be scheduled by calling 916-876-9458.

Consumer electronics, fluorescent lamps, and batteries generated by residences and businesses are called Universal Waste and are banned by the State from being disposed of in the regular trash. Our program considers consumer electronics as electronic devices that contain a circuit board. That includes VCRs, stereo amplifiers, DVD players, cell phones, printers, CPUs, laptops, televisions, monitors, digital cameras, etc.

Stereo speakers and speaker cabinets are not considered consumer electronics and may not be disposed in our HHW collection program. Check out our Bulky Waste Program for proper disposal options.

To help keep program costs down, we are asking you to not create an appointment for the pickup of only electronics unless you have a total amount of electronics weighing over 10 pounds. If you have more than one type of waste (for example, paint and electronics or fluorescent lamps and electronics), there is no minimum.

If you are disposing of computer equipment, we will take the cables, keyboard, mice, old circuit boards, and other components and peripherals.

Folsom Hazmat does not pick up large appliances. The Bulky Waste Program picks up large items such as lawn mowers, dishwashers, BBQs, water heaters, and furniture.

We collect fluorescent and HID lamps (high pressure sodium, metal halide, and mercury vapor) through our household hazardous waste collection program. These lamps contain small amounts of mercury and should never be thrown in the trash.

To avoid breaking the lamps, please place them out for pickup in a manner where they won't fall or roll.

We also accept all types of lamp ballasts.

Incandescent light bulbs should be disposed of in the trash.

Common charged dry chemical fire extinguishers contain compressed gas in a cylinder and a dry fire retardant, such as sodium bicarbonate (normal baking soda), potassium bicarbonate (nearly identical to baking soda), or monoammonium phosphate and are considered hazardous. We collect dry chemical and liquid chemical fire extinguishers through our household hazardous waste service. When you make an online appointment to have the fire extinguisher picked up, check the box next to compressed gas cylinder on the form.

We do not accept ammunition or fireworks in our household hazardous waste collection program.

Residents can dispose of fireworks at Fire Station #35 located at 535 Glenn Drive in Folsom. Drop off hours are:

Monday - Thursday
8 a.m. - 12 p.m.
1 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.

Friday
8 a.m. - 12 p.m.

You can reduce the hazard of fireworks by soaking them in water.

The Folsom Police Department will accept ammunition on a case-by-case basis by appointment only. Call the Property and Evidence room at 916-355-7239 to learn more.

Current sewage treatment processes only reduce certain water pollutants, such as pathogenic bacteria and particulates. There is evidence that chemicals within pharmaceuticals, even over-the-counter drugs, survive the sewage treatment process. The drugs ultimately end up in waterways and negatively impact the environment.

It is now recommended to dispose of pharmaceuticals through HHW programs where they are destroyed, rather than through the sewer or trash where they can get into the environment or into the wrong hands. We are pleased to collect non-controlled substance pharmaceuticals in our door-to-door household hazardous waste collection service.

In order to keep costs under control, we ask that you to do a semiannual cleanout of your HHW rather than calling each month for a pickup of one or two bottles of pesticides or pills. You can also help by dumping the solid pharmaceuticals (pills) into a sealed plastic bag. Remove your personal information from the bottles or boxes, and place the empty boxes or bottles (without the caps) into your recycling bin.

We cannot accept pharmaceuticals that are listed as controlled substances in our pickup program. You can properly dispose of them at these locations.

No, this is not a bill. State regulations require that hazardous waste is tracked "from cradle to grave." These receipts are the beginning of the paper trail that demonstrates the proper disposal of your waste. When we collect your waste, the city becomes the generator of the waste and accepts all responsibility for its disposal.

Most movers cannot transport HHW. Plan ahead by making a waste pickup appointment before moving. If you get caught at the last minute, give us a call at 916-461-6730 to see if you can arrange an emergency drop off at our HHW facility.

The City of Folsom is responsible for preventing the discharge of pollution into local rivers from storm drains. We enforce city ordinances and state laws regarding illegal HHW dumping. Trash cans and garbage trucks are not leak-proof. So, when HHW leaks, it is easy to track it back to the resident who disposed of it.

Thank you for helping us inform our community! City staff is available to make presentations at neighborhood parties, community groups, or schools. We have brochures that can be passed out to your neighbors, or you can email links to our webpages.

Cooking oil should not be put in the trash or down the drain. We can pick up your waste fryer oil and other food-related oils and grease. These items are not considered hazardous waste. However, fats, oils, and grease, so called "FOG," are a significant problem if disposed in the sanitary sewer system. We accept these items for recycling into bio-diesel, soaps, and cosmetic products. We ask that you store up more than a quart of oil or grease before making a pickup appointment.

Completely empty containers with less than a tablespoon of free liquid in them are considered nonhazardous. You can dispose of them in the trash or recycling bin, depending on the container material type. Leave the lid or caps off and place them in the trash bin.

Call the Solid Waste Division at 916-461-6730 to find out if a particular container type (glass, plastic, metal, or fiberboard) can go in your blue recycling can.

If you have paint cans, brushes, or paint rollers with paint in or on them, and the paint is completely dried out, you can put them in your regular trash. Leave the lids off the cans.

When in doubt, call us at 916-461-6730.

Yes, we do pick up HHW from apartments. Items should be placed near your apartment in a place where city staff can locate it. Make sure that the location is safe for your apartment neighbors, too.

Schedule an appointment using our online tools or by calling 916-351-6730.

A satellite dish itself is not considered household hazardous waste. However, the electronics in or on the dish and the satellite receiver are considered household hazardous waste.

Yes, we pick up fertilizers through our regular household hazardous waste pickups. Empty fertilizer bags can go in the trash.

The following are some of the consumer electronics we pick up:

• Computers (tower CPU, monitor, cables, peripherals, keyboard, mice, and components)
• Televisions (LCDs, CRT, plasma, flat screens, and projection)
• Printers
• Scanners
• Fax Machines
• Copy Machines
• Telephones and cell phones
• VCRs
• DVD Players
• Stereos (no speakers, please)
• Cable/satellite receivers
• Photoelectric smoke alarms (no ionizing/radioactive, please)

The California State Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC) defines consumer electronics as part of a classification of hazardous waste called Universal Waste and lists many of these examples. Old circuit boards contain lead solder, mercury, and other heavy metals. If you have an electronic device that has a circuit board, it is likely considered hazardous waste and should not be thrown in the regular trash.

No. We do not wipe the hard drives clean. Even though most electronics recyclers have security processes in place and some shred hard drives as part of the recycling process, it is highly advised that you wipe your hard drives clean or destroy the discs before submitting them to anyone for recycling.

No. If you have other hazardous waste, there is no minimum required. Simply place your batteries out with your other waste on your appointment day.

There is no need to tape or bag regular alkaline household batteries. For rechargeable Ni Cad greater than nine volts, lithium, and sealed lead acid batteries you must cover the electrodes with plastic, non-conducting (electrical) tape or put the individual batteries in plastic bags so the terminals can’t touch.

Always place any leaking batteries in a separate plastic bag. Sort and package all batteries by type and/or chemistry. If you have any questions, call us at 916-461-6730.

Yes, we take tanning bed lamps from residents through our pickup appointment system. Lamps generated from businesses are accepted on a case-by-case basis. Call 916-461-6730 for details.

Tanning bed lamps are fluorescent lamps, and they contain a small amount of mercury. Please prepare them for pickup in a manner that prevents them from breaking. Please wrap the ends with tape and bubble wrap before placing them out on your driveway.