Not only does unnecessary waste clutter your otherwise happy home, unruly junk (let’s just call it what it is) is environmentally toxic, and in many cases, dangerously so. That is why the City of Folsom Hazardous Materials Division provides pick-up protection of difficult-to-handle materials – a residential door-to-door collection service for all household hazardous waste, which in this case includes everything from batteries, pesticides, electronics, and flammables to aerosol cans, antifreeze, fats, oils and grease (for a complete list, visit the City of Folsom’s Web site at folsom.ca.us). Beyond resident households, the City has also extended the program to collect California Universal Wastes (electronics and fluorescents) from local businesses and non-profit organizations. “This type of direct service has resulted in high citizen participation, high hazardous waste diversion from landfills, and climate change benefits [by] capturing refrigerants, GWP chemicals, and reducing individual vehicle trips to permanent collection facilities,” according to the program’s summary report, which also cites that 52 percent of households have used the service to date. And why not, when it is literally at their disposal? For helping local residents properly dispose of hazardous Global Warming materials, and for reducing high-polluting vehicle trips to do so, this forward-thinking program won the 2005 California Integrated Waste Management Board and the 2007 North American Hazardous Materials Management Association Program Excellence Awards. Pick-up appointments – available on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays – can be scheduled online or by calling 916-355-8397.
folsomhazmat.com

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For more eco-friendly tips and ideas, be sure to pick up this month's copy of Style – Folsom, El Dorado Hills edition. Check out the Distribution tab on this Web site for some of our newsstand locations. Or, to order a copy of this issue, please email  [email protected], or call 916-988-9888.