Regional Water Quality Control Plant

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Household Hazardous Waste

Every drop of water we use at home and work inside and outside drains into San Francisco Bay.

Wastewater travels from kitchens and bathrooms to wastewater treatment plants before it's discharged to the Bay. Treatment can remove many pollutants, but some complex chemicals can’t be completely removed and pass through.

House IconStormwater washes over roads, sidewalks and gardens flowing into storm drains and then into creeks and the Bay without treatment. Stormwater carries herbicides and pesticides from lawns and gardens, litter, pet waste, detergent from car washing, and everything else that isn’t disposed of properly in trash cans.

Because wastewater and stormwater carries pollutants from everyday activities like cooking, gardening, car maintenance – and even from spring-cleaning your garage and medicine cabinet – it's important to prevent pollution at home and work.

Inside Your Home

Around Your Home

You can easily prevent stormwater and wastewater pollution. Learn More!

Fats, Cooking Oil, and Grease (FOG)

Cooking Oil PhotoWhen grease is poured down sinks it can solidify and cause sewer backups into houses or onto streets. The result is a greasy, smelly mess of pollutants entering storm drains, creeks, and the Bay. It harms wildlife both on land and in water and is expensive to clean up!

Be a good neighbor:

  • Never pour fats, oil, or grease down drains, even if you have a garbage disposal.
  • Pour cooking oil and grease into a seal-able container with an absorbent such as paper garbage and discard with your other garbage.
  • Recycle large amounts of grease or cooking oil (including from deep fryers) at the Palo Alto Recycling Center.
  • Use food strainers in kitchen sinks to catch food particles and scrape leftover food waste into the garbage or compost container instead of the garbage disposal.
  • Wastewater backups require fast attention. To report sewer problems in your neighborhood, call your local non-emergency police department hotline.

Unwanted Medicines

U.S. Geological Survey studies have found hormone medications, antidepressants, and antibiotics in waterways nationwide from medicines in human waste and disposal of unwanted drugs down sinks and toilets. Scientists are studying the possible impacts on humans and marine life when exposed to these drugs, but you can minimize potential problems by safely disposing of unused medicines.

Disposal Locations

Dispose of medicines safely:

Mercury

Thermometer IconMercury is a heavy metal that is toxic to animal nervous systems in very small amounts and impairs the ability of aquatic birds and fish to reproduce and develop healthy offspring. San Francisco Bay is the defining feature of our region and yet it is recommended that adults eat no more than one serving of Bay fish each month due to high mercury levels found in local fish.

Much of the problem stems from historical mercury deposits from the gold rush era which carried “quick silver” from the California Sierra Range and New Almaden mine in San Jose. In more recent times, mercury has entered the Bay from air deposition, stormwater and treated wastewater.

Help keep new mercury sources out of the Bay:

  • Safely recycle mercury-containing thermometers and thermostats at monthly Household Hazardous Waste events and at the Regional Water Quality Control Plant (RWQCP), Monday-Friday 8am-5pm.
  • Recycle expired fluorescent lights and compact fluorescent bulbs at participating hardware stores.
  • Purchase low mercury fluorescent lights when you are ready to replace existing lamps.
  • NEVER dispose of mercury down a drain of any kind. Sweep any exposed mercury droplets into a sealed plastic bag and bring to a household hazardous waste event or to the RWQCP.

Taming Mercury Video (8:46)

© 2012 Regional Water Quality Control Plant
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