The California Universal Waste Rule, which went into effect February 2006, made it illegal to throw away common household items with toxic ingredients such as: batteries, fluorescent lamps, cell phones, thermostats, switches and other electronics. Ever since, the RethinkWaste has been developing programs to make proper disposal of these items easier.
San Carlos will test the first of these programs — curbside collection of batteries and cell phones. Starting March 1, San Carlos residents can place properly prepared batteries and cell phones in a sealed clear plastic bag (the zip-close kind works best) and place it on top of the paper recycling bin on their collection day. All types of household batteries are acceptable, including rechargeables, alkaline, and even the small button-shaped lithium batteries. Lithium batteries must be taped and cell phones must be wrapped in paper before they are placed in the plastic bag.
After RethinkWaste and Allied Waste evaluate the program and everything looks good, every RethinkWaste-area resident will be able to charge ahead with battery and cell phone collection later this year.
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