Recycling

This page contains information to help you recycle at home. Should you have any questions concerning recycling, please call the Maintenance Services Division at (661) 723-5985.

• Reduce-Reuse-Recycle
• AVECC
• Household Hazardous Waste
• Tires 
• Christmas Trees
• Used Oil
• Appliances
• Plastic Bags

Reduce-Reuse-Recycle: Close the Loop
The City does its part! Along with recycling office paper, newspapers, magazines, bottles, and cans at all City facilities, employees also recycle scrap metal, used oil, hydraulic fluids, solvents, and batteries from the City's vehicle fleet services.

Reduce - You can reduce the amount of waste entering our landfills by creating a strong market for recycled products. Consumers close-the-loop when they purchase products made from recycled materials.

Reuse - Reusing items by repairing them, donating them to charity and community groups, or selling them also reduces waste. Use a product more than once, either for the same purpose or for a different purpose. Reusing, when possible, is preferable to recycling because the item does not need to be reprocessed before it can be used again.

Recycle - Recycling turns materials that would otherwise become waste into valuable resources and generates a host of environmental, financial, and social benefits. After collection, materials (e.g., glass, metal, plastics, and paper) are separated and sent to facilities that can process them into new material or products.

For more information on what you can do to recycle, check out the California Department of Conservation webpage at www.consrv.ca.gov.

AVECC
The Antelope Valley Environmental Collection Center (AVECC) is now open on the 1st and 3rd Saturday of each month from 9 AM to 3 PM. This new permanent household hazardous waste (HHW) collection center is located at the Antelope Valley Public Landfill in the City of Palmdale. The AVECC was established to replace the mobile HHW collection events conducted in the Antelope Valley each March and October. The AVECC is a joint partnership between the Cities of Palmdale and Lancaster, the California Integrated Waste Management Board, the County of Los Angeles, Supervisor Antonovich's office, and Waste Management Inc. The Center will provide a safe, efficient and convenient method for the residents of Antelope Valley to drop-off their Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) and electronic waste (E-waste) without charge.

Household Hazardous Waste
What do paint, batteries, electronic waste (i.e. televisions, computers, etc.) cleaning products, motor oil, and bug spray have in common? They are all HAZARDOUS WASTE. Hazardous products are labeled with words such as: DANGER, WARNING, CAUTION, POISON, TOXIC, FLAMMABLE, CORROSIVE, REACTIVE, or EXPLOSIVE.

The improper disposal of hazardous wastes creates a very real threat to individuals and the environment. Disposing of incompatible household chemicals in the trash can cause hazardous fumes or ignite fires that can injure your family or your local trash collector. Additionally, it is illegal to discard hazardous waste in the regular trash!

Hazardous waste materials are typically found in:

• Oven Cleaner
• Pool Supplies
• Paint Products
• Lawn/Garden Care Products
• Automotive Fluids
• Mercury Batteries/Thermometers

The above list is not a complete list of hazardous items found in the home. DO NOT PLACE any of the above or items or other toxic chemicals into any City-issued trash container.

To properly dispose of hazardous waste and to identify other hazardous items that need disposal, please visit the Antelope Valley Environmental Collection Center at 1200 City Ranch Road in Palmdale or contact 1-800 CleanLA.

Recycle Old Tires
In Los Angeles County, approximately ten million waste tires are generated annually. Waste tires that are illegally dumped or improperly stored can pose a serious threat to public health and safety, as well as to the environment. The result can be urban blight and significant costs to residents. For example, waste tires can serve as a reservoir for rainwater, creating a nesting area for pests and a breeding ground for mosquito's, which can spread encephalitis and other illnesses. Also, waste tires can easily catch fire, thus releasing significant amount of harmful thick, black, toxic smoke.

Los Angeles County Waste Tire Recycling also puts on FREE tire roundup events throughout the year. For a list of ongoing waste tire collection events, please visit their website at http://ladpw.org/epd/TireRecycling/collection.cfm or call (888)-CLEAN LA.

Holiday Tree Recycling
Single-family Residential: Holiday tree recycling begins December 27, 2006, and ends January 12, 2007. Trees should be placed at the curb on your regularly scheduled trash collection day. Waste Management will pick up the old trees and recycle them in an environmentally sensitive manner. All tinsel, ornaments, stands, and nails must be removed. A separate truck will collect holiday trees, so please do not place your holiday tree in front of your regular refuse/recyclable carts.

Multi-family Residential: Holiday tree recycling begins December 27, 2006, and ends January 12, 2007. Please call Waste Management Customer Service at (661) 947-7197 to arrange for your holiday tree to be picked-up and recycled or to locate a drop off location near you.

Used Oil Recycling
Used motor oil can be cleaned, recycled and used again and again and again! Please click on the California Integrated Water Management Board’s website for a complete explanation of how used oil can be re-refined/recycled.

By recycling your used motor oil, you are helping the environment to conserve our valuable natural resources.

What Are the Hazards of Used Oil?
Used oil can contain such contaminants as lead, magnesium, copper, zinc, chromium, arsenic, chlorides, cadmium, and chlorinated compounds. Oil poured down drains or onto the ground can work its way into our ground and surface waters and cause serious pollution. One gallon of used oil can foul a million gallons of drinking water. Federal reports indicate that used motor oil accounts for more than 40 percent of the total oil pollution of our nation's harbors and waterways.

Used Oil Collection Center Locations
The City of Lancaster has thirteen (13) Used Oil Collection Centers located citywide. Listed below are the locations and telephone numbers of the Used Oil Collection Centers. Please call centers for hours of operation and quantities accepted.

Appliance Recycling
Since most major appliances consist of about 75% steel, which can be processed and re-melted repeatedly to manufacture new products, they are a valuable resource. In addition to steel, appliances have other metals such as copper, aluminum, and zinc that can be recycled.

By recycling your appliances, you are saving valuable resources, energy and landfill space. You are also protecting the environment. For example, refrigerators and many other appliances contain environmentally damaging chemicals such as Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and Freon. Waste Management will collect one of these items each year as part of your free bulky item pickups or for a nominal fee if you have additional items. Please call Waste Management customer service at (661) 947-7197 24-hours before your regular collection day to schedule a bulky item pickup.
Southern California Edison also offers incentives to residential customers who upgrade their appliances to meet energy efficient criteria. For more information, please visit http://www.sce.com/RebatesandSavings/Residential/ for more information.

Plastic Bag Recycling
The American Plastics Council and Moore Recycling Associates have developed a California website to facilitate the recovery of clean dry grocery and retail bags, and polyethylene film such as stretch wrap and shrink wrap.

The website identifies the following grocery stores that collect plastic bags and film for recycling:

For information, please contact Moore Recycling Associates at 888/753-7485 or visit their website at http://www.plasticbagrecycling.org/.