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“One Person’s Trash …”310-781-6900TorranceCA.Gov/PublicWorksRecycleTorrance.Org

A Quarterly Newsletter ofPublic Works Department310-781-6900www.TorranceCA.Gov/PublicWorkswww.RecycleTorrance.Org

A Newsletter fromThe Torrance Public Works

Department

Your guide to reducing, reusing and recycling

Spring/Summer 2019

A Heart for ServiceA former Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Deputy, Veronica Marella remembers feeling sad during her morning drive to work. As she neared her post at USC Medical Center, she would see people who were homeless sleeping on the sidewalk with nothing underneath them but the cold, hard ground. The memory and the feeling stayed with her as she moved on with her life and into a new career as a surgical technologist at Providence Little Company of Mary Medical Center in Torrance.

One day, as she was helping set up an operating room for an orthopedic surgery, she noticed that large tray wraps were being removed from sterilized instrument trays and tossed into the trash. These wraps ensure that instrumentation remains sterile until it is inside the operating room (OR) and ready to use. The wraps are removed from the instrument trays and discarded outside the OR before the patient ever enters the room.

A seamstress who loves to sew and craft, Veronica told a coworker that she was sure the wraps could be turned into some-thing new. She set a few aside — outside the operating room — and took them home that evening. As she looked at the 4-foot square tray wraps, which are water repellent, heat absorbent, and machine washable, she remembered her early morning drives to work and her homeless neighbors sleeping on the cold ground. Veronica realized that she could turn two tray wraps into a sleeping mat. With the addi-tion of a couple of pieces of elastic, she was able to roll the finished mats (yoga mat style), making them easy to carry. The du cOeuR Project was born.

As Veronica says, “All it takes is a creative mind and a caring heart to help others and our environment.”Veronica returned to work the next day and reached out to the OR Director at Providence Little Company of Mary

Medical Center to show him the mat and ask for permission to begin col-lecting the wraps. She was surprised to receive enthusiastic approval within two days. The Marketing Director at Providence set up a bin for her, and coworkers began filling the bin with wraps. Veronica takes the wraps home at the end of each day.

Each evening and over the weekend, Veronica sews and sews. She estimates that she spends two to three hours each weekday — and more on weekends — turning the wraps into mats, spreading the word about this project to other ORs, connecting with agencies and ministries that serve the homeless

2 Spring/Summer 2019

population, and distributing finished mats. As of the end of March 2019, Veronica has distributed 2,760 mats through the du cOeuR Project.

“I’m hoping what I have cre-ated will inspire others to see outside the box and use those resources they have in front of them to help the homeless in their communities,” said Veronica.

Veronica truly has a heart for service. It’s no surprise that the name “du cOeuR” comes from the French term which means “from the heart.” The capitalized O and R give a nod to the source of the wraps and Veronica’s many surgical colleagues in both Torrance and San Pedro who help collect them.

Providence Little Company of Mary Medical Center has praised this project for taking the hospital’s mission to care for the poor and vulnerable beyond its walls. By finding a practical use for something that wasn’t previously considered reusable, Veronica was able to give some-thing essential to another person. Rick Fridrick, director of Mission Leadership at Providence, said, “This is obviously part of who this caregiver is.”

Along with her two partners, Registered Nurse Fernando Ovando and Surgical Physician Assistant Navjot Kaur, Veronica has founded the du cOeuR Proj-ect Ministry, a non-profit that was established this year. The trio hopes to expand the work of du cOeuR Project. Already the project has gone nationwide. Veronica and her partners have inspired and helped other medi-cal professionals begin similar projects in hospitals across the country, as well as at additional Providence hospitals in Califor-nia. The du cOeuR Facebook page links to how-to videos and includes photos from many wrap repurposing projects.

To learn more about the du cOeuR Project, visit their Face-book page at Facebook.Com/bearheart4101 or go to YouTube.Com and search for “du cOeuR Project.”

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Across Africa, more than 20 nations have joined together to create a wall — a wall of trees, stretching 6,000 miles across the Sahel region from Senegal to Djibouti. A semi-arid region of western and north-central Africa, the Sahel is a transitional zone between the dry Sahara desert to the north and the humid savannas to the south. Since the 1970s, this once lush area has become dry and barren due to the combined effects of climate change, population growth, and unsustainable land management practices. The region is plagued with food and water shortages. As early as the 1980s, countries along the Sahel began to discuss planting trees to restore the landscape.

The tree-planting project, referred to as the Great Green Wall, began in 2007 with 11 countries and has grown since then. To date, 15% of the trees have been planted, slowly breathing life back into the Sahel. As trees are planted, soil health improves, groundwater wells refill, and grain grows. In the villages, people have new sources of work and income. In Niger alone, where 12.4 million acres have been restored by tree planting, farmers are harvesting an additional 550,000 tons of grain per year, enough to feed 2.5 million people.

“There are many world wonders, but the Great Green Wall will be unique and everyone can be a part of its history,” said Dr. Dlamini Zuma, chairperson of the African Union Commission. “Together, we can change the future of African com-munities in the Sahel.”

Once it is complete, the Great Green Wall will be the largest living structure on the planet, three times the size of Australia’s Great Barrier Reef. That’s just one of the reasons that it is being called a World Wonder.

Learn more about this initiative at GreatGreenWall.Org.

Growing a World Wonder

3 Spring/Summer 2019

We host Used Oil Filter Exchange events four times each year at local certified used oil collection centers.

Visit RecycleTorrance.Org for future dates and locations.

4 Spring/Summer 2019

Keeping Recycling Clean and SimpleUnless you have been away on a long vacation or avoiding all news, you know that recycling is facing some major challenges. Across the country, the demand for recyclables has dwindled because China is no longer taking many materials from the U.S. For California, China has been the primary destination for our recycling, with container ships carrying recyclable paper and plastic to China and bringing newly manufactured products back. China’s policy, referred to as the “National Sword,” has disrupted markets nationwide. With an oversupply, other nations and domestic factories can be very choosy about the articles they accept.

Compounding this are other issues. Plastic packaging continues to change and evolve — outstripping the ability of recycling

facilities to handle it and confusing consumers about what to do with it. Low oil prices make recycled plastic less competitive on the commodity

market. Recycling contamination, which results when the wrong items or dirty recyclables go into bins, has increased, with levels of contamination over 30% in some areas.

There isn’t much individuals can do about the large economic and market forces, but there is something we can do about contamination. Items you place into your recycling bin get mixed with everyone else’s and then sent to a Materials Recovery Facility. At this facility, paper, cardboard, glass, cans, and plastic are separated by type using a combination of manual sorting and complex machinery. The separated materials are shipped on to companies that do additional processing. Eventually, the can or plastic bottle that you recycled becomes a raw material in

making a new product, such as a new can or bottle. That bottle or can is filled, sent to a store, and the

process begins again.At least that is how it is supposed to work. Recycling is a group project and,

unfortunately, not everyone in the group is doing their part. Items that are dirty or just don’t belong are going into recycling bins. Dirty recyclables contaminate clean material. Items that don’t belong can get hopelessly tangled with other items or in machines at the sorting facility. Yucky items, such as diapers, can create a huge mess and ruin entire loads of recyclables. As much as one-third of the material going into recycling containers doesn’t even belong there.

We can do better. We can create cleaner, more marketable recycling with some simple steps:

• Collect only items accepted for recycling locally. (If you work outside of the City of Torrance, be sure you know what is recyclable in that city as programs can vary.)

• Empty all food and beverage containers and remove all food residue. Wipe or rinse them out. Allow them to dry.

• Flatten boxes or cut them to fit into the recycling bin.• Leave lids and labels on bottles and containers.• Place recycling items loose in the recycling bin — do

not bag them.

Find out more about what materials are accepted and how to prepare them at our website, TorranceCA.Gov/Our-City/Public-Works/What-Goes-In-Waste-Bins. If you have questions, call us at (310) 781-6900.

Credit: piotr_malczyk | iStock | Getty Images Plus

5 Spring/Summer 2019

Are You in Compliance?

Organics Recycling Mandate Now Affects More BusinessesUnder Assembly Bill 1826, California businesses are required to reduce the amount of organics sent to landfills. Organics include both food scraps and yard debris. As of January 1, 2019, organics recycling is mandatory for businesses that generate 4 or more cubic yards of solid waste (trash, recyclables, and organics) per week and multi-family properties with three or more units that generate the same amount of waste. At this time, multi-family properties are only required to recycle yard debris and do not have to recycle food waste.

To learn more about AB 1826, please visit TorranceCA.Gov/OrganicRecycling. You may also contact your current trash and/or recycling hauler for assistance or select from any of the licensed haulers operating in Torrance (list available at TorranceCA.Gov/Our-City/Public-Works/Private-Refuse-Haulers).

Remodeling?Know the Law Regarding Debris DisposalEach year, construction companies, businesses, and homeowners create hundreds of thousands of tons of construction and demolition (C&D) debris while building and renovating. Much of this debris can easily be recycled, and many recyclers accept C&D materials at lower prices than landfills.

In accordance with the California Green Building Code, the City of Torrance requires that all commercial and some residential construc-tion, demolition, or remodeling projects recycle or reuse at least 65% of the materials that leave the project site, as well as 100% of excavated soil and land-clearing debris and any universal waste. Universal wastes are hazardous wastes that are widely used by households and busi-nesses, such as computers, batteries, and mer-cury-containing equipment, among others.

To comply, a detailed Waste Management Plan (WMP) form must be submitted along with all receipts and records of the disposal, recy-cling, donations, and reuse of the materials from your project. Failure to fulfill the requirements of the WMP process will result in penalties of $5,000 for construction projects and $10,000 for demolition projects, as per the Torrance Munici-pal Code.

WMP forms are available where building permits are processed or can be downloaded from our website at TorranceCA.Gov/Our-City/Public-Works/Residential-Trash-And-Recycling/Construction-And-Demolition-Material-Recycling. Visit our website for a directory of certified waste haulers and recycling facilities that can help you comply with the California Green Build-ing Code recycling requirements.

Have You Heard?In 2016, the California State Legislature passed Senate Bill 1383 (SB 1383), which targets short-lived climate pollutants for emission reductions. These climate pollutants include methane, which is generated when organic materials, such as yard debris, edible food, food scraps, and paper products, break down in landfills. SB 1383 set goals for recovery of edible food and recycling of other organic debris. These are being phased in over the next few years, with an ultimate goal of reducing total organics disposal in landfills by 75% and recovering at least 20% of edible food for human consumption.

As SB 1383 is implemented in communities across the state, programs will continue to evolve. Stay tuned for details.

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The City of Torrance has joined with the South Bay Environmental Services Center (SBESC) to encourage sustainable business practices through the California Green Business Network certification program.

Certified California Green Businesses are committed to taking action to conserve resources and prevent pollution in their facilities and operations. Participants are recognized in the Green Business National Directory and receive helpful resource information from SBESC’s partners, such as SoCalGas, Sanitation Districts of Los Angeles County, Torrance Public Works, and Los Angeles Metro.

The City of Torrance encourages all local businesses to show their customers that they care about sustainability by participating in this program. We recognize these local businesses for leading the way:

3-1 Development, Inc. • 9Round Fitness • ArchiveIT • Dove Home Furniture • Ganahl LumberMattress Firm Torrance • Miyako Hybrid Hotel • Pepe the Tailor • South Bay Cities Council of GovernmentsThe Back Yard • Torrance Area Chamber of Commerce • Walser’s • Wilson’s Unique Designs Red Car Brewery & Restaurant • Philly’s Best

City of Torrance Recognizes Green Businesses

7 Spring/Summer 2019

Saturday • June 8, 2019 • 10 am - 12 pm

Learn the fundamentals of organic gardening, drought-tolerant, landscaping, and integrated pest management. No reservation needed.

231st St

235th St

Arlington Ave

Southeast Library 23115 S Arlington Ave

Torrance

$40 ($100 value) Backyard Compost Bin

$65 ($140 value) Worm Compost Bin (includes worms)

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The Smart Gardening Program, sponsored by Los Angeles County, provides free workshops with hands-on demonstrations covering backyard composting, worm composting, grasscycling, water-wise gardening, and fire-wise gardening. At these workshops, you’ll learn Smart Gardening techniques to create and maintain a healthy, beautiful, and drought-tolerant lawn and garden by giving your plants what they crave — nutrient-rich soil.

Several Smart Gardening workshops are held in Torrance each year. The next advanced workshop is set for Saturday, June 8, from 10 a.m. to noon, also at the Southeast Library. No reservations are required for the Torrance workshops. Additional Smart Gardening workshops are available in nearby L.A. County com-munities. Visit SmartGardening.Com for the full schedule of workshops.

Composting bins and worm bins are available for purchase at discounted rates at the end of the workshops. Torrance residents can purchase similar items through the Farmers Market and Torrance Public Works. Visit TorranceCA.Gov/Composting for more information.

The South Coast Air Quality Management District’s (AQMD) Electric Lawn Mower Exchange Program is available year-round and provides you with the opportunity to purchase a cordless electric lawn mower from a variety of eligible manufacturers. Consumers can purchase their new mower from a local retailer or an online distributor. The program will provide after-purchase rebates for $150, $200 or $250, depending on the retail cost of the new electric mower (excluding accessories, delivery, and sales tax). Residents of Torrance are eligible to participate in the program. An online application, list of mower manufacturers, list of authorized scrapping facilities, and easy-to-follow instructions are available on the AQMD website. For more information, visit AQMD.Gov/LawnMower, email LawnMower@AQMD.Gov or call (888) 425-6247 (Tuesday-Friday).

South Coast AQMD also offers a Commercial Electric Lawn & Garden Equipment Incentive and Exchange Program. For details, visit AQMD.Gov/Home/Programs/Community/Lawn-And-Garden-Equipment.

Become a Smart Gardener

Saturday • June 8, 2019 • 10 am - 12 pm

Learn the fundamentals of organic gardening, drought-tolerant, landscaping, and integrated pest management. No reservation needed.

231st St

235th St

Arlington Ave

Southeast Library 23115 S Arlington Ave

Torrance

$40 ($100 value) Backyard Compost Bin

$65 ($140 value) Worm Compost Bin (includes worms)

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Southeast Library23115 S. Arlington Ave.

Torrance

cordless electric lawn mowers at any retail center or online. There are many electric lawn mower models available. Eligibility is open to residents of South Coast AQMD’s jurisdiction.

Rebate amounts are based on the purchase price of the new electric lawn mower, not including taxes and delivery. The electric lawn mower purchased must include a battery and charger.

What You’ll Need: Proof of purchase

*Rebate amount cannot be greater than the purchase price.

Please visit our website www.aqmd.gov/lawnmower to access the lists of Lawn Mower

email us at lawnmower@aqmd.gov or call us (Tuesday-Friday) at 888-425-6247.

South Coast

®

Purchase your new, cordless electric lawn mower

Begin the online application, uploading your purchase receipt (www.aqmd.gov/lawnmower)

Take your old working gas mower to the scrapping location and

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ELIGIBLE REBATE AMOUNT

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$250

ELIGIBLE REBATE AMOUNT$251-$400

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$200$250PURCHASEPRICE

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$150OR LESS

continue until all program funds have been exhausted.

Walgreens Safe Medication Disposal ProgramWalgreens is leading the fight against prescription drug abuse with new programs to help curb the misuse of medications and reduce the rise in overdose deaths. In the first ongoing national effort by a retailer, Walgreens has installed safe medication disposal kiosks in over 1,000 pharmacies across 45 states and the District of Columbia. Walgreens safe medication disposal kiosks provide a safe and convenient way to dispose of unwanted, unused, or expired medications at no cost, year-round.

Kiosks are available during regular pharmacy hours and offer one of the best ways to ensure that medications are not accidentally used or intentionally misused by someone else. The types of medications accepted include prescription and over-the-counter drugs, ointments and creams, liquids, lotions, pet medications, and vitamins. These items are not accepted at the kiosks: hydrogen peroxide, needles, inhalers, aerosol cans, thermometers, and illegal drugs.

There are safe medication disposal kiosks at two Torrance Walgreens stores: 4142 Pacific Coast Highway and 22930 S. Western Avenue. The drug disposal kiosks are only available during pharmacy hours, 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily. If you have questions, please visit Walgreens.Com/topic/pharmacy/safe-medication-disposal.jsp or call the nearest Walgreens store.

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Plastic OceanA Sea Captain’s Chance Discovery Launches a Determined Quest to Save the Oceans

“It was and is a thin plastic soup, a soup lightly seasoned with plastic flakes, bulked out here and there with ‘dumplings’: buoys, net clumps, floats, crates, and other ‘macro debris,’” writes Capt. Charles Moore. He was recalling the first time he noticed what is now called The Great Pacific Garbage Patch. The patch is located in an itinerant area of the Pacific Ocean between Hawaii and California known as a gyre and characterized by high atmospheric pressure, with little or no wind and calm seas. He concludes, “Other people had seen what I saw, but I hadn’t a clue of this. Looking and seeing are two different things, just as thinking something’s wrong is a ways away from trying to make a wrong right.”

After first noticing this debris across a thousand miles of ocean in 1997, Capt. Moore began plans for a return trip to quantify the extent of the problem. In 1999, he assembled a scientific team that randomly sampled 3-foot wide strips of the ocean’s surface and found that micro-plastic bits outweighed plankton by a ratio of six to one. This showed the potential for plastic ingestion begins at the very lowest rungs of the food chain. In Plastic Ocean: How a Sea Captain’s Chance Discovery Launched a Determined Quest to Save the Oceans, Moore and his co-author, Cassandra Phillips, combine two narratives. The first story is that of plastic in our modern economy, including how it evolved and grew into something that permeates every facet of life. The second thread is more of a detective story. It follows Capt. Moore as he collects data, references other people’s research, and forms alliances to combat the increasing quantity of plastic debris in the marine environment.

The authors provide a whirlwind tour of “rock oil” and its by-products. As whale oil became expensive and scarce, crude oil and its derivatives were seen as a potential replacement to serve the illumination and lubrication needs of the 19th century. Some of these by-products made natural rubber more elastic and useful. Later, entirely synthetic prod-ucts were produced from oil. By the early 1920s, 8.8 million pounds per year of Bakelite, an early plas-tic, found its way into electrical insulators, automobiles, home appliances, pens, and jewelry.

But, according to Moore, “This story has never been only about plastics. It’s about an epic shift from austerity and frugality to abundance and profligacy.” He documents the “Invention of Throw-Away Living,” a process that started during the Second World War and accelerated through the 1950s

Captain Charles Moore answers students’ questions at a youth summit.

(Photos courtesy of Algalita)

Weighing Our Options

In Plastic Ocean, Moore and Phillips propose that we evaluate and label products based on these six criteria:

• Closed loop recyclability: How easy is it to recycle this product?

• Extended replacement time: How long will this product last?

• Reduced maintenance time: Is the product maintenance-free?

• Potential number of products replaced or made obsolete: Does this product eliminate the need for a lot of other products?

• Raw material extraction stress: Is the product 100% post-consumer material?

• Nontoxic status: Are the components benign from a biological perspective?

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Recycling at Businesses and Multi-Family PropertiesState legislation (AB 341, passed in 2012) made recycling mandatory for certain businesses and apartment buildings. In Torrance, all businesses that produce 4 cubic yards or more of trash per week and multi-family properties (such as apartment build-ings) are required to recycle. Busi-nesses and multi-family properties can comply with AB 341 by engag-ing in one of the following recycling options:

• Self-haul recyclables to a recycling center.

• Order a separate recycling container from a permitted hauler. • Check with your permitted hauler to see if you are eligible for the mixed waste

processing program. Mixed waste processing is a one-bin system where the user places all trash and recyclables in one bin and the recyclables are then separated from trash at a materials recovery facility.Learn more at TorranceCA.Gov/Our-City/Public-Works/Mandatory-Commercial-

Recycling-Law.

Making a Difference

Conservation scientist and UCLA visiting researcher M. Sanjayan explores surprisingly easy ways to make changes that will have a positive impact on our environment and our climate. With entertaining and informative videos, he shows how easy it can be to REDUCE and REUSE. You’ll be hooked — and ready to take action — after you watch videos like “Takeout Creates a Lot of Trash. It Doesn’t Have To,” “The Environmental Cost of Free Two-Day Shipping,” and “Food Waste Is the World’s Dumbest Problem.” Learn how each small change you make adds up and reverberates throughout the economy, your family, and our environment.

To learn more, watch the videos, and read helpful blogs on many topics, visit Climate.UniversityofCalifornia.Edu.

and ‘60s. Plastic products were cheap, durable, and lightweight, perfect for packaging and disposable products. “With disposability comes litter,” says Moore, “litter being errant eyesore garbage.”

Moore was not the first to study marine debris and its effects on wildlife. He reviews findings from the 1960s documenting that marine mammals, turtles, and many seabird species are frequent victims of entanglement and/or ingestion of plastic. While these events are tragic and provide the kind of photographic images that can stir public opinion into action, Moore connects the dots that show potential danger to our food supply. He cites evidence that plastics can act as sponges, soaking up toxins. If plastic particles outnumber plankton, the lowest rung of the food chain, then those particles are eaten by larger organisms which commonly consume plankton. These creatures are, in turn, eaten by even larger animals. Eventually, these particles and any toxins they may carry will be consumed by the species we find on our dinner plates.

“The base of the marine food chain is being displaced by a non-digestible, non-nutritive component that is actually out-weighing and in some cases out-numbering the natural food.” This is the message Moore carried to the world in the decade after initial publication of his research in the Marine Pollution Bulletin in 2001. Later trips to the Pacific revealed the ratio of plastic to plankton can range higher than the six to one ratio observed in 1999. In 2009, it was 26 to one. Moore writes, “Our plastic footprint may be causing more immediate harm to sea creatures than our ‘carbon footprint.’”

(Continued from previous page)

Credit: Steve Debenport | iStock | Getty Images Plus

10 Spring/Summer 2019

Product Stewardship in Action The California Product Stewardship Council (CPSC) is a network of local governments, non-government organizations, businesses, and individuals supporting policies and projects where product and packaging producers share in the responsibility for managing problem items at end of life. CPSC is California’s thought leader and expert on Product Stewardship and the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) movement.

EPR is supported by over 68% of Californians. To date, 139 resolutions have been passed by California local jurisdictions and organizations supporting a more sustainable and toxic-free environment through product stewardship. CPSC:

• Works closely with companies who have redesigned products for reuse

• Monitors implementation of product stewardship programs in California

• Recognizes outstanding leadership, innovation, and green design through the Arrow Awards• Lobbies for improved product stewardship legislation in California.

CPSC’s groundbreaking work is recognized nationwide. Founder Heidi Sanborn (pictured above), who still serves as a senior advisor, has gone on to establish the National Stewardship Action Council, which is advocating for a circular economy throughout the U.S.

To learn more about the work that CPSC is doing, visit CALPSC.Org.

Saving the Earth One Product at a TimeAs consumers, we have more influence on products that are made and sold than we may realize. The biggest impact is the choice of whether to buy a product at all. But for all of the products you do buy, you still have a voice. Consumer complaints led to the development of what is referred to as “frustration-free packaging.” So, if you like a product, but

wish it were a little better — more durable, more easily recycled, more environmentally friendly, less heavily packaged — let the corporation that makes it know. Most products have a phone number or website listed on the label. Contact the company with your message for improvement. You might tell them something like this:

I like your product __________. But I wish it was made with less packaging OR without any toxic or hazardous materials OR from recycled materials OR so I could easily recycle it locally OR easier to repair OR __________.

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Preserving Madrona MarshThe Madrona Marsh Preserve is the last remaining vernal freshwater marsh in Los Angeles County. The Preserve provides habitat for birds, insects, spiders, frogs, reptiles, and small mammals. It’s also an essential part of the wildlife corridor, offering food and rest for migratory birds on the Pacific Flyway.

You can help maintain the Madrona Marsh Preserve. Every Saturday, from 8:45 a.m. to noon, volunteers are needed to remove non-native plants, replace them with native plants, occasionally pick up plant debris, and work in the native plant nursery. Adults and youth of all ages are welcome; children 14 years and younger must be accompanied by an adult. To take part, you must arrive by 8:45 a.m. and wear closed-toe shoes. Snacks and drinks are provided to volunteers at 10:30 a.m. These Saturday events are canceled on rainy days to protect the Preserve.

For more information about volunteering, visit FriendsOfMadronaMarsh.Com or call (310) 782-3989. Volunteers are required to complete a brief application.

Photo courtesy of Madrona Marsh Preserve and Nature Center

“One Person’s Trash …” 12 Spring/Summer 2019

Copyright© 2019Torrance Public Works Department

and Eco Partners, Inc. All rights reserved.

Torrance City Council

City of Torrance Public Works Department

20500 Madrona Avenue Torrance, CA 90503

(310) 781-6900TorranceCA.Gov/PublicWorks

RecycleTorrance.Org

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To have future issues of this newsletter sent directly to your email, please send your name and email address to ASherman@TorranceCA.Gov. In the subject line, please say: “Add me to e-newsletter list.” Your email address will only be used for purposes of this newsletter.

Are Hazards Hiding in Your House?CAUTION! DANGER! POISON! These words are designed to keep people away, yet many common household products are labeled with these warnings and left sitting on shelves or in cabinets long after they are needed. In a typical home, families have about 100 pounds of unwanted hazardous chemicals stored. The unneeded — and often forgotten — items are called “Household Hazardous Waste” (HHW). Take a look around. You’ve probably got HHW that you don’t need, such as old paint, stain, lawn chemicals, bug spray, antifreeze, gasoline, and more.

Gathering and safely dis-posing of HHW will open up storage space and also make your home safer for your family, as well as emergency respond-ers in case of fire or natural disaster. Plus, it will help us keep our beaches and ocean clean and safe. NEVER place HHW in the trash, recycling, or green waste cart or pour it into the street, gutter, storm drain, or sewer!

Instead, take advantage of Los Angeles County’s FREE, convenient HHW Roundup events. In addition to HHW, you can also drop off electronic waste, car batteries, household batteries, fluorescent tubes and bulbs, expired medi-cations, used sharps (in a secure container), and mercury thermometers. HHW Roundups are held once each year in Torrance and at least once each quarter in nearby cities, including Carson (September), Lomita (December), Hermosa Beach (January), and Gardena (March). If you don’t want to wait for a nearby Roundup, you may drop off HHW and electronics year-round on Sat-urdays and Sundays at the Gaffey Street S.A.F.E. Center, 1400 N. Gaffey Street in San Pedro or on the second and fourth Saturdays of each month at EDCO, 2755 California Avenue in Signal Hill.

To learn more about all of your HHW disposal options, visit LACSD.Org and click on “Household Hazardous Waste, E-waste & Sharps” or call (800) 98-TOXIC (800-988-6942).

HHW RoundupSaturday, June 159 a.m. to 3 p.m.

American Honda1919 Torrance Boulevard,

Torrance

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