Clean Water. Healthy Community. It's a team effort!
Category: Stormwater Pollution Prevention
The management of stormwater can help mitigate flooding, protect and improve water quality, and help make cities more resilient in the face of climate change. Moreover, effective, nature-based stormwater capture efforts using green infrastructure delivers environmental, social, and economic benefits to a community. The importance and effects of stormwater management can not be overstated. Each positive contribution to dealing with the issue means a step forward in building a healthier community, county, and world.
In it’s recent Stormwater Capture in California Report, the Pacific Institute applauded San Mateo County’s unique collaboration efforts as well as its innovative and pragmatic funding approach as they tackle the issues of stormwater capture and pollution prevention.
20 Cities. One County. A Team Effort.
The San Mateo Water Pollution Prevention Program (SMCWPPP and also know as Flows To Bay) is a partnership of the City/County Association of Governments of San Mateo County (C/CAG). Established in 1990, SWCWPPP’s primary goal is to reduce the pollution carried by stormwater into local creeks, the San Francisco Bay, and the Pacific Ocean. As Maryann Moise Derwin, C/CAG Chair put it, “Managing stormwater, both to reduce pollution and the amount of runoff, is a serious issue facing San Mateo County. Not only is it affecting water quality at our beaches, it causes flooding and erosion of coastal areas. We need to manage stormwater as a resource, not a waste, and proactively act as stewards of our naturally beautiful communities in San Mateo County.”
C/CAG already developed a countywide stormwater resource plan and recently received a Caltrans grant to create a Sustainable Streets Master Plan. The master plan aims to prioritize roadways in the county that are prime locations for integrating green infrastructure with other community priorities and planned investments, such as bicycle and pedestrian improvements, pavement maintenance, and utility upgrades. C/CAG also awarded $2.1 million to 10 municipalities for integrating green infrastructure with Safe Routes to Schools improvements. This funding to enhance the safety of intersections and road crossings near schools, while also protecting local waterways from a range of pollutants, came from a voter-aproved local vehicle license fee known as Measure M. This integrated approach addresses transportation and its impact on water quality and supports the cities, towns, and the county in creating local green infrastructure plans to address long-term stormwater issues.
Straws, straws everywhere—but do you really need them in your drink?
Straws are one of those everyday items that most of us take for granted. We often don’t think twice about them being poked through the lids of our favorite iced coffees, house cocktails, or restaurant beverages. These plastic companions have become ubiquitous in our everyday lives. But have you ever stopped to think, “Are they really necessary?” The price that we, our environment, and our wildlife end up paying for these small, seemingly insignificant tubes of plastic may make you think twice. Read on to see the big impact even a single plastic straw can actually make.
So, how bad are straws, really?
According to the National Park Service, about 500 million straws are used (and disposed of) every day in the United States. Putting this figure into perspective, the U.S. population is currently about 327 million. Doing the math, on average each person uses about 1.5 straws every single day of the year. Now that’s a lot of straws! If that doesn’t raise a red flag, maybe knowing that straws were the seventh most collected item worldwide during the 2017 International Coastal Cleanup Day, will.
Besides these frightening statistics, there are many reasons we should be concerned about straws. The first thing to note is that straws are made from plastic (surprise!). Though plastic will breakdown into smaller and smaller pieces, called microplastics, these materials are intentionally durable, and they never fully decompose. If not properly disposed, plastics are destined to remain in the environment for generations to come. Secondly, straws can contain chemical additives such as colorants and plasticizers that can be dangerous to your health and the health of the environment. And last, but certainly not least, because straws are small and lightweight, they easily get blown around at picnics or during school lunches, and even when they are properly disposed, many fall out of trash bins, garbage trucks, or processing conveyor belts and end up back on the streets, our beaches, and our ocean and bay.
So, what happens to all those straws that don’t make it to the landfill?
Sea turtle seen while scuba diving at Hol Chan Marine Reserve. Belize, Central America.
The majority of straws that end up as debris in the environment, eventually litter our streets, beaches and waterways. Flowing into our storm drains, creeks and the bay or ocean, straws can quickly transform into a persistent and difficult-to-manage water pollution problem. And from there, things go from bad to worse. Fish, turtles, birds and other wildlife can accidentally ingest plastics, causing a whole array of potential health problems. One infamous story chronicles the journey of a sea turtle who had a whole straw lodged in its nasal cavity, blocking its airway. Fortunately, rescuers were able to remove the straw, but this is a sad reminder of the danger plastic litter in in our environment poses to wildlife. Stories like this are hard to hear, but they are easy to prevent.
A snapshot of our beautiful coastal landscape in San Mateo County.
So, how do we prevent this?
The answer is simple—just say no to straws!
Don’t buy them
Ask for your drink without one
Bring your own reusables (i.e. glass, metal, bamboo, etc.)
Pick them up off the ground when you see them
Ask your local businesses to switch to paper, compostable straws
If you take these actions, you will not be alone in the fight to keep our lands and waters clean. Many companies (like Starbucks, McDonalds, and Hyatt Hotels), cities, even countries around the world, are moving toward a strawless future. The Bay Area, in particular, has some big players in the movement. In October 2017, the city of Alameda passed the Alameda Disposable Food Service Ware Reduction Law, which means plastic straws must be replaced with compostable straws only to be provided upon request. Berkeley has proposed a ban of single-use disposable foodware and packaging by the Community Environmental Advisory Commission and Zero Waste Commission.The Oakland City Council, in May, approved a city ordinance to ban the use of single-use plastic straws in restaurants and similar establishments, unless otherwise requested by customers. In June, San Francisco Supervisor Katy Tang, introduced legislation to ban the distribution of plastic straws, stirrers and cocktail sticks, working on the city’s efforts toward zero-waste. If they can do it, so can you!
Flows To Bay strongly encourages the use of reusable or compostable products as step towards stormwater pollution prevention. Taking small steps to reduce plastic waste and litter can have a significant effect on the quality of our environment and communities. After implementing single-use plastic bag bans across the county, local agencies are reporting reductions in the number of bags observed in catch basin devices designed to remove litter from waterways. Stay tuned for updates on San Mateo County’s stormwater pollution prevention program, and how to take action to reduce your waste.
We want to hear from you!
Share your thoughts on how you think single-use plastics are affecting San Mateo County residents and what you would like to see be done about about it. Email your thoughts and concerns to info@flowstobay.org or take our straw poll here!
As the celebrations get underway in San Mateo County for Independence Day, let’s remember to add some green to our red, white, and blue. Here are a few ways to make sure we keep our festivities fun while preventing stormwater pollution.
1. Ditch the Disposable Party Ware
Sure they’re popular and may seem easier, but disposable plates, cups, utensils and straws add to landfills and can even find themselves in our waterways if they’re not properly disposed. Show your pride in America the Beautiful and our county and use tableware that can just be washed and reused for your July Fourth get-together. Looking to get out of doing dishes? Try a “bring your own plate” theme or encourage folks to bring reusable containers to bring home leftovers. A similar concept works for glassware. Instead of charging a cocktail fee, a party-goer’s ticket is his or her own glass or reusable cup.
2. Use Large Water Containers Plastic water bottles is one way to stay hydrated, but they create more waste Instead of individual plastic bottles, store water for your family or guests in large containers so they can re-fill their reusable water bottles or cups. If you must use plastic water bottles, be sure to have a clearly marked receptacle where your guests can place the empties for recycling.
3. Nix the fireworks Instead of setting up your own fireworks display—which explodes a personal contribution of smoke and dangerous chemicals into the air and ultimately our water—attend a community display. Go a step further and ask your local firework coordinators to consider using biodegradable fireworks or the gunpowder-free fireworks that launches using compressed air.
Check out a list of different Fourth of July celebrations going on in San Mateo county here.
This year, four out of ten of the most polluted beaches in California were in San Mateo County, according to Heal the Bay’s annual report card released in early June. Labelled as the “Beach Bummers” for receiving an F grade in water quality, they included: Lakeshore Park, Marina Lagoon (San Mateo), Linda Mar Beach at San Pedro Creek (Pacifica), Roosevelt Beach, south of the parking lot (Half Moon Bay), and Surfer’s Beach, south end of the riprap (Half Moon Bay).
All four beaches made the list due to bacterial pollution which can come from various sources, such as leaking or overflowing sanitary sewers, homeless encampments, wildlife, and pet waste. Beachgoers who come in contact with polluted waters have a much higher risk of contracting illnesses like ear infections, skin rashes, and the stomach flu, to name a few. To help protect the public, the County of San Mateo Health System actively monitors the water quality at recreational beaches and alerts the public when there are concerns.
Though there are multiple pathways for pollutants to reach our creeks, the Bay, and the ocean, stormwater can be a significant contributor to poor water quality by flushing contaminants and bacteria from our streets into urban waterways. Stormwater is rainwater that does not soak into the ground. It flows from rooftops and over paved areas, bare soil, and sloped lawns. As it flows, stormwater runoff collects and transports animal waste, litter, pesticides, fertilizers, automotive fluids, and other potential pollutants.
Pollution in stormwater runoff can make water bodies in San Mateo County unsafe for fishing, swimming, and other recreational activities. To address the problem, the cities and county are focused on improving water quality by developing long-term plans to use “green infrastructure” to clean stormwater. Green infrastructure uses nature-based solutions to capture and treat stormwater as it soaks into the ground rather than flowing directly into creeks and other waterways. Rain gardens, stormwater planter boxes, vegetated bulb-outs, and urban trees are examples of nature-based solutions that help reduce flooding and filter stormwater runoff.
“Managing stormwater, both to reduce pollution and the amount of runoff, is a serious issue facing San Mateo County. Not only is it affecting water quality at our beaches, it causes flooding and erosion of coastal areas. We need to manage stormwater as a resource, not a waste, and proactively act as stewards of our naturally beautiful communities in San Mateo County,” said Maryann Moise Derwin, Chair of the City/County Association of Governments of San Mateo County (C/CAG).
According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, “Green infrastructure is a cost-effective, resilient approach to managing wet weather…by reduc[ing] and treat[ing] stormwater at its source while delivering environmental, social, and economic benefits. Green infrastructure uses vegetation, soils, and other elements and practices to restore some of the natural processes required to manage water and create healthier urban environments.”
C/CAG has already developed a countywide stormwater resource plan and recently received a Caltrans grant to create a Sustainable Streets Master Plan. The master plan aims to prioritize roadways in the county that are prime locations for integrating green infrastructure with other community priorities and planned investments, such as bicycle and pedestrian improvements, pavement maintenance, and utility upgrades. C/CAG recently awarded $2.1 million to 10 municipalities for integrating green infrastructure with “Safe Routes to Schools” improvements. These efforts will support the cities, towns, and the county in creating local green infrastructure plans to address long-term stormwater issues.
Residents of San Mateo County can take individual action to protect the health and beauty of our water bodies by picking up after their pets, implementing eco-friendly gardening and auto maintenance practices, and properly disposing of household hazardous wastes, to name a few.
“Protecting our water resources is everyone’s responsibility. Each resident of San Mateo County can show pride in their local beaches by doing their part in preventing stormwater pollution,” said Matthew Fabry, Manager of the San Mateo Countywide Water Pollution Prevention Program.
The Flows To Bay Eco-Day on Saturday, May 19th was a resounding success with its hands-on-activities and community engagement. Flows To Bay organized this event as a way for community members to put into practice new knowledge and passion from the Flows To Bay Challenge: In the Garden and the Community. The San Mateo county-wide event gave residents the opportunity to come together as a community to learn more about and to make a positive impact on our environment.
The Flows To Bay Eco-Day consisted of three events held by community partners throughout San Mateo County and was open to all residents.
The Pacifica Beach Coalition hosted a beach cleanup at Linda Mar State Beach in Pacifica. Despite chilly weather, there was a solid turn-out at the beach! Kids, teenagers and adults all braved the weather, picking up piles of small and large trash at one of Pacifica’s most popular and beloved beaches. According to this Daily Journal article, it is also the third most polluted beach in California.The ratings are based off of water-quality sampling that give the beaches a rating of A+ through F. If we are to change this, we all must continue to work together do our part in preventing litter pollution.
The Pacifica Beach Coalition is a volunteer-run non-profit that advocates for and practices responsible stewardship of our oceans, beaches, creeks, wildlife and native habitat. They hold events and programs for people of all ages to teach and help community members take care of the environment. You can learn more here.
Friends of Edgewood celebrated the beauty of the peninsula with a native plant nature walk at the Edgewood Park & Natural Preserve. With a small group attending, the nature walk was an intimate affair where the participants were led by docents on a 2.5-hour native wildflower journey. Between learning tricks for getting to know native plants and taking in vast views of oak woodlands and the Bay, this was a terrific chance to get outside and up close with nature.
The Friends of Edgewood is a volunteer-run public benefit corporation that works to allow community members to sustainably and thoughtfully enjoy the Edgewood Park & Natural Preserve in a multitude of ways. Some of the those include docent-led interpretive walks, habitat restoration, litter cleanups and running the Education Center. You can learn more here.
The Bay Area Water Supply & Conservation Agency (BAWSCA) led an Integrating Edibles into your Existing Garden class at Redwood City Public Works. At the class, attendees learned about the benefits of having native and drought-tolerant plants in their homes and gardens. After the talk, they were able to get their hands dirty by planting and learning how to maintain the plants! One fun fact they learned about native plant maintenance? Since native plants are adapted to our cool, wet winters and hot, dry summers, they actually need to be watered less frequently when the temperature warms up in the summer!
BAWSCA was created to speak on the behalf of 24 cities and water districts and two private utilities that buy water from San Francisco Regional Water System. The agency’s goals are to have a reliable water supply, to provide high-quality water, and to supply it at a fair price. You can learn more here.
Overall, the Flows To Bay Eco-Day was a fun and learning-filled day! Residents of San Mateo County were able to get outside and get together to learn about different aspects of stormwater pollution prevention. From observing what’s often left behind on the beach to getting to know our open spaces and native plants to understanding why native plantings are so great, everyone was able to take away some knowledge of how they can change their behavior to help keep our water and land clean, safe and beautiful.
Climate change is happening and its impacts are being seen throughout San Mateo County. With record high temperatures, increasingly intense and less predictable storms, longer periods of drought and rising seas, communities in San Mateo are recognizing the need to take action. Read on to learn more about what risks San Mateo County residents face and and what cities are doing to mitigate the effects of climate change.
How Are Communities in San Mateo County at Risk to Climate Change?
Green Infrastructure example: City Hall in Brisbane with a bioswale used to filter runoff
According to the San Mateo County Sea Level Rise Vulnerability Assessment released in 2018 by the Office of Sustainability, our county is the most at-risk to climate change among all counties in the state, and one of the most at-risk in the nation. Globally, the impacts of climate change are well known, including melting ice caps, heat waves, and increased precipitation. Here on the peninsula, communities are particularly at risk to the impacts of sea level rise because many homes, businesses, roads and infrastructure are built right at the edge of the Bay and ocean. In fact, the report found that under long term (50-100 years) conditions, as much as $39.1 billion of property may be at risk to flooding damage. This damage spreads to homes, businesses, critical infrastructure (police stations, hospitals, and schools), as well as regional transportation networks like Highway 101, BART, Caltrain and the San Francisco International Airport.
The study also suggests that increased rain may have additive effects, where runoff during storms may worsen downstream flooding, increase erosion of coastal areas, and carry pollutants that seriously harm water quality. To address the rainwater side of the climate change equation, Flows to Bay and the countywide stormwater program are focusing local efforts to develop green infrastructure plans in the coming year. The building of vegetated stormwater curb extensions and rain gardens are just some examples of nature-based solutions that help reduce flooding, filter stormwater runoff and often offers less expensive alternatives to replacing and upgrading sewer mains or making other improvements to traditional, “gray” infrastructure.
What’s the Plan For Adaptation in San Mateo County Moving Forward?
With the information gathered from the county’s sea level rise vulnerability report, the next steps are to get local planning processes in place to help communities plan for climate adaptation. Part of that work will involve updating and improving local planning policies, but with a challenge as big as climate change, big plans are in order. With newly awarded state funds, the county is now looking broader than just sea level rise. There is a current project in the works to evaluate the risk of other aspects of a changing climate, focusing specifically on potential effects on the transportation network. This work will expand on the vulnerability assessment and also evaluate the possible harm to the transportation network in local communities from more intense storms, extreme heat, fires and flooding.
Green Infrastructure example: Daly City’s Serramonte Library with stormwater treatment gardens
Flows to Bay is also happy to announce the countywide stormwater program has been awarded nearly $1 million under the same grant program to develop a sustainable streets master plan for the whole county. “What’s a sustainable streets master plan?” you might ask. Well, in a nutshell, it’s a comprehensive look at all the possible places in the county that could be locations for green stormwater infrastructure and a prioritization process to match those potential sites with community priorities, including bike and pedestrian improvements, ADA sidewalk improvements, safe travel routes to schools, flood prone areas and more. This effort will support the cities, towns and the county in creating green infrastructure plans and it will build on the county’s efforts to address the real hazards of climate change in our region.
To learn more about the county’s sea level rise vulnerability assessment, visit Sea Change San Mateo County. To dig deeper on green infrastructure and related stormwater efforts within San Mateo, check out our other blog post on green infrastructure or visit our Green Streets page! And stay tuned for more about how San Mateo County is getting climate change-ready.
Schools help shape our youth and our youth are our future. In this article, we’ll discuss how we work with schools, share the Flows To Bay teacher toolkit and contest, and announce the winners of our second Flows to Bay High School contest!
How Do We Work with Schools?
Our school outreach program aims to educate and inspire environmental problem-solving in school-aged children and their parents through a county-wide contest. This year, we tied school outreach into our Flows to Bay Challenge by providing participating classes with workshop opportunities and tips on how to reduce water pollution on school campuses, and thinking of innovative ways to capture and reuse rainwater. By partnering with teachers to educate students, we hope to encourage critical thinking and a sense of environmental responsibility among youths in San Mateo County.
Teacher Toolkit and Flows to Bay High School Contest:
The Flows to Bay High School contest is open to all high school students in San Mateo County. We encourage students to brainstorm in small groups and submit mock proposals of projects that will help “green” their school campus. These projects could literally involve greening schoolyards, by creating concepts for rain gardens or rainwater capture and reuse facilities —also known as rain barrels. We provide a teacher toolkit to educate students about the issues and get them excited about the contest. This year, our toolkit highlighted three key themes for stormwater pollution prevention:
Rainwater as a Resource
Litter Reduction and Removal
Removing and Replacing Toxics
Students are encouraged to take these broader ideas and concepts and generate new ways of managing stormwater, litter, and chemicals at their schools to reduce the impact. Many students tap into their creative and engineering sides to propose compelling solutions that really could hold water!
Winning Student Proposals:
After reviewing all the submissions (19 classes countywide) the Flows To Bay team selected three winning proposals for our contest:
1. Grizzlies Go Green Club from Jefferson High School: In this proposal from Jefferson High School, students created a project designed to reduce litter at their school by installing water bottle refill stations. These refill stations will target plastic bottle litter at their school and provide a more appealing alternative to regular drinking fountains. In addition to these refill stations, the students proposed to hang up educational posters at each of the stations to teach students more about stormwater pollution.
2. Evelyn, Alexandra, and Valentina from Menlo-Atherton High School: This proposal presented by students from Menlo-Atherton High School targets recycling efforts and littering education at their school. Their proposal includes providing teachers with educational materials, developing a waste reduction plan that involves the entire student body, creating litter programs, and investigating and implementing green purchasing programs. All of these actions will help achieve their goals of promoting a sustainable and environmentally-aware school culture and encouraging student participation and leadership.
3. Alex, Justin, and Ethan from Carlmont High School: These students from Carlmont High school proposed a plan that utilizes green infrastructure to target flooding and stormwater ponding at their school. More specifically, they suggest implementing rain gardens and swales that will alleviate flooding issues in certain parts of the school. Additionally, they proposed replacing regular pavement with permeable pavement to prevent standing water in walkways and lunch areas of the school.
Congratulations to our winning proposals! We were impressed with all of the creative solutions students proposed to improve their schools. As a reward for the hard work, we have partnered with the Marine Science Institute to give the each of the winning students an Ecovoyage. During the Ecovoyage, students will get to tour the San Francisco Bay via boat, partaking in hands-on activities such as water quality monitoring, fish identification and plankton drags!
We want to thank everyone for all their efforts and hard work. If you’re interested in learning more about our school outreach programs or want your students/children to get involved, feel free to contact us with any questions!
Messy, cluttered garages are completely harmless when they’re filled with old clothes and toys, but not when they’re filled with hazardous materials! Two of the most common hazardous materials found in garages are paint and unused or used motor oil. They can pose significant threats to your family and to the environment if they’re not stored or disposed of properly. Here are the basics on how to safely manage these chemicals in your home:
Paint is great for giving your house a makeover and brightening up a room, but it also creates toxic fumes and if improperly disposed can pose an environmental hazard. The Environmental Protection Agency lists paint as one of its top five environmental hazards, highlighting that despite how common paint is, it should be handled and disposed of with care. Here are some tips on how to store and dispose of your old paint properly:
Save it for later: To save paint for future use, you should keep it in its original container, put plastic wrap over the paint lid and hammer the lid shut. Keep stored paintaway from children and pets and in a cool place.
Retail Recycling: If the paint is no longer of use, you can take it to a local household hazardous waste facility, or local hardware stores like Orchard Supply Hardware or Kelly-Moore will accept paint for recycling.
Used motor oil left in the garage can contain harmful heavy metals like magnesium, copper, zinc and other chemicals known to cause cancer. Yet, many of us keep containers of used oil in jugs to be hauled off for recycling at a later time. To avoid any harm to yourself or the environment here is what you need to know:
Storing: Keep used motor oil in a clean, leak-proof jug or bottle and store it in a safe, cool place in your garage. Do not mix motor oil with other liquids like antifreeze – once it is mixed it cannot be recycled!
Disposal: To recycle your motor oil you can visit your local HHW facility or search for a certified used oil collection center, which are usually auto supply or repair stores. These locations will safely recycle your motor oil.
As part of our FlowsToBay Challenge we are encouraging you to drop off your HHW items to your local HHW or other outlets. For a complete list of regular HHW drop-off times please click here.
To register for an HHW drop off complete the following steps:
Set up an appointment here or call (650) 363-4718, select option 3.
Load up to 50 pounds or 10 gallons worth of material.
Drop off your materials at the HHW center. The facility crew will take your materials directly from your trunk!
We hope this information will help keep your garage a safe place for your family and the environment!
Home is where the heart is, but not everything in your house is safe for your family. Your home may contain many hazardous materials that you use for household chores. Two common though perhaps unassuming household products that can pose threats to your family and the environment are batteries and pesticides.
Batteries have become an essential part of our everyday lives. They power our clocks, remotes, flashlights, and other everyday gadgets. Batteries also contain dangerous chemicals that can harm people and the environment.
Health: Battery contents can be dangerous, but are protected by layers of insulation and an outer plastic seal. Unfortunately, batteries can leak, especially as they age, and the battery acid inside can be harmful if it comes into contact with skin or eyes. This can be especially dangerous to children who might be playing with old batteries. Lithium-ion batteries, while incredibly efficient, can actually explode if they are not properly stored or disposed of.
Environment: Tossing batteries in the trash is a quick way to negatively impact the environment. Leaking batteries, even in a landfill, can lead to water contamination. Not to mention there’s a fire risk if lithium-ion batteries are not properly disposed of.
All batteries should be recycled and not be thrown in the trash. Many local waste haulers collect batteries for recycling. If you do not have curbside battery recycling in your neighborhood, you can drop your batteries off at your local household hazardous waste (HHW) center or a local retailer that provides recycling, like BestBuy.
Pesticides are also a dangerous yet common household item. While they keep your garden and home pest-free, pesticides can have serious effects on human health and the environment.
Health: Pesticides contain all types of chemicals and toxins that are meant to kill pests, but can also affect humans through ingestion or exposure. Studies have found that frequent exposure to pesticides can lead to serious illnesses and cancer. If accidentally ingested, you should call the poison control center immediately and get to the nearest hospital.
Environment: The chemical substances in pesticides often travel once sprayed. Pesticides can ruin fertile soils, contaminate waterways, and affect non-target species, like humans! Indoor pesticides can leave residue on carpets or curtains, where children or animals who are lower to the ground can be impacted. Organic and food-based repellents are a more attractive option for homeowners wishing to keep their gardens and home pest-free. Pesticides used in your garden also pose a risk, as water runoff can create puddles tainted with chemicals, or can be rinsed away into storm drains carrying chemicals directly to the ocean or bay.
As part of our FlowsToBay Challenge we are encouraging you to drop off your HHW items to your local HHW or other outlets. For a complete list of regular HHW drop-off times please click here.
Here are the steps you’ll need to follow:
Set up an appointment here or call (650) 363-4718, select option 3.
Load up to 50 pounds or 10 gallons worth of material.
Drop off your materials at the HHW center! The facility crew will take your materials directly from your trunk.
Alternative/Retail Disposal Sites: If you’re looking for somewhere to dispose your hazardous material year-round, retail stores and even your local waste management company can help you out!
Here is some more information about battery disposal in San Mateo County. Check out the link the see if your local waste management company picks up batteries!
Many retail stores such as Home Depot, Best Buy, Lowe’s, and Staples all take batteries that need to be recycled. If you have one nearby, you’re in luck! Learn more here.
Reducing Waste
For batteries, choosing rechargeable batteries over single-use batteries is the way to go to reduce battery waste. Not only does it help the environment, but it will also save you money in the long run!
For pesticides, opt for the organic, naturally developed pesticides. These will help keep your family safe and your garden in tip top shape! Learn more about hardware stores who have partnered with Our Water Our World to provide non-toxic pesticide products.
Now that you’re well-informed, it’s time to take action! Help keep your family and the environment safe from these hazardous materials once and for all.
The first day of spring is Tuesday, March 20 but who says you have to wait until then to have a fresh start? Begin your spring cleaning now and remove and replace toxic chemicals from your home as part of our Flows to Bay Challenge series: “In the Home.”
Now is the perfect time to remove toxic chemicals from your home and replace them with safe, eco-friendly products. Old paint, motor oil, batteries, and pesticides not only clutter your home, but pose a toxic risk to your family and the environment. Properly dispose of these items at your local Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) Facility or learn about other locations that collect these materials. Remove and replace these chemicals and create a more eco-friendly home!
Check out these dates below to know when you can drop off your items for FREE:
Saturday – 2/24 Redwood City – PAINT
Is leftover paint taking up space in your garage? Drop it off!
Saturday – 3/03 South San Francisco – OIL
Buckets of used motor oil cluttering your home? Take them here.
Saturday – 3/10 Daly City – PESTICIDES
Don’t toss your pesticides away, let us take care of it for you!
Saturday – 3/17 Pacifica – BATTERIES
Batteries can be recycled… What a bright idea!
Follow these 3 easy steps to get started:
Sign Up: Set up an appointment here to receive location information or call (650) 363-4718, select option 3.
Load Up: Up to 50 pounds or 10 gallons worth of material are allowed per appointment.
Drop Off: The facility crew will happily take your items directly from the trunk of your car.
If you can’t make these dates, there are other businesses and facilities that will gladly accept your household hazardous waste at anytime:
