Household Hazardous Waste Collection Information

Annual Reporting

 

Each jurisdiction in California is mandated to complete a CalRecycle Form 303 annually for the period of July 1 through June 30.

The form gathers data to track trends on household hazardous waste (HHW) and other related waste collected by local programs, and the methods for managing these waste streams.

Each jurisdiction is also encouraged to complete and submit to CalRecycle a voluntary survey on program collection and disposal costs and other information of interest.

Form 303 Resources

Public agencies responsible for HHW management need to submit data using the online Form 303 system, which requires a CalRecycle WebPass to access the database.

Form 303 General Information

CalRecycle has revised the Form 303 regulations to streamline reporting. Key changes are:

  • Forms 303a and 303b have been combined into a single Form 303
  • If one jurisdiction reports data on behalf of another jurisdiction, the other jurisdiction does not need to file a separate Form 303, unless they have managed other HHW materials separately from the first jurisdiction.
    • For example: a county reporting data that includes materials collected on behalf of participating cities
  • Materials sent to stewardship organizations for management must be reported on the Form 303 under the disposition section.
  • Allow for the creation of the new Form 303 online report and database.

Material Category Types and Disposal Methods

Material Category/Type

Flammable and Poison

  • Flammable solids/liquids:
    • Flammable solids (bulked and lab packed): Asbestos-containing organic resins, non-asbestos-containing organic resins, roofing tar, putty, adhesives, paint sludge.
    • Flammable liquids (lab packed only): Organic solvents, chlorinated and non-chlorinated solvents, gasoline, alcohol, paint thinner, acetone
  • Bulked flammable liquids: Flammable liquids (bulked only): Organic solvents, chlorinated and non-chlorinated solvents, gasoline, alcohol, paint thinner, acetone
  • Oil-based paints: Oil-based paint
  • Poisons:
    • Organic poisons, dioxin precursors, pesticides, herbicides.
    • Inorganic poisons, mercury-containing poisons, inorganic cyanides, arsenic compounds, solutions containing regulated heavy metals.
    • Snail bait, poisonous solids, may include asbestos
  • Reactive and explosive: Water reactive compounds, such as sodium metal, calcium carbide, amides, hydrides
  • Compressed gas cylinders: Includes tanks that may contain helium, propane, Freon, acetylene, oxygen, etc.

Polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB)-containing 

  • PCB-containing paint: PCB-containing paint
  • Other PCB waste (includes ballasts): Transformer oil, PCB ballasts

Reclaimable

  • Antifreeze: Antifreeze
  • Auto type batteries (motor vehicles): Car, truck, motorcycle batteries
  • Latex paint: Latex paint
  • Motor oil/oil products: Used motor oil, brake fluid, transmission fluid
  • Used oil filters (recyclables only): Used oil filters
  • Other reclaimable: None

Universal Waste

  • Mercury containing automatic switches/thermometers/and novelties: Broken thermometers
  • Mercury containing waste (other): Liquid mercury vials
  • Lamps: Waste electric lamps include, fluorescent, high intensity discharge, neon, mercury vapor, high pressure sodium, and metal halide lamps
  • Rechargeable batteries: Rechargeable household batteries
  • Other batteries: All types of non-rechargeable household batteries
  • Aerosol cans: Aerosol containers
  • Other UW: None

Electronic Devices

  • Covered electronic devices: Most video display devices containing a screen greater than four inches.
  • Other electronic devices: Computers, computer peripherals, telephones, answering machines, radios, stereo equipment, tape players/recorders, phonographs, video cassette players/recorders, compact disc players/recorders, calculators, and some appliances

Acid

  • Inorganic and organic acid: Inorganic acids, hydrochloric acid, sulfuric acid, phosphoric acid. Organic acids, acetic acid, citric acid, butyric acid

Base

  • Inorganic and organic base:
    • Inorganic bases, sodium hydroxide, lye, ammonia based cleaners.
    • Organic bases, organo-amines

Oxidizer

  • Neutral oxidizers, Organic peroxides, Oxidizing acid/base:
    • Neutral oxidizers: Manganese peroxide, hydrogen peroxide, sodium bromate, sodium perchlorate, sodium chronate, ammonium dichromate, sodium iodate, sodium nitrate, potassium permanganate.
    • Organic peroxides: Ketone peroxides, benzoyl peroxide.
    • Oxidizing acid: Nitric acid, chronic acid, molybdic acid, perchloric acid, pholphomolybdic acid.
    • Oxidizing base: Sodium hypochlorite, sodium chlorate, sodium perborate

Asbestos

  • Asbestos: Friable and non-friable asbestos

Other

  • Home-generated sharps waste: Hypodermic needles, syringes, lancets
  • Home-generated pharmaceutical waste: Over-the-counter drugs and prescription drugs, including controlled and non-controlled substances.
  • Treated wood: Wood that contains chemical preservatives, including creosote, copper chromium arsenic or other arsenical preservatives, pentachlorophenol, etc.

Disposition (Disposal) Method

Stabilization: 
Treatment that chemically stabilizes waste into a solid or semi-solid state, so it:

  • No longer exhibits hazardous characteristics and
  • Can be managed as non-hazardous waste

Does not apply if, after stabilization, waste is still hazardous and is sent for disposal or treatment by one of the other methods.

Neutralization/Treatment: Treatment by chemically adjusting the pH of the waste, so the waste can be discharged into a publicly-owned treatment works.

Does not apply if, after neutralization, the waste is still hazardous and is sent for disposal or treatment by one of the other methods.

Reused: Waste is used without further treatment or handling for the original intended purpose of the material before it becomes a waste.

Landfill: Disposal of waste in the ground at a hazardous waste landfill.

Fuel incineration: Treatment by thermal destruction where the waste, either by itself or blended with another material, is burned to recover its potential thermal energy.

Destructive incineration: Treatment by thermal destruction at a high-temperature hazardous waste incinerator where physical destruction is the sole intent of the treatment process.

Steward: A product stewardship organization that meets the mandatory “Extended Producer Responsibility” (EPR) requirements of product stewardship.
These include, at a minimum, the requirement that the producer’s responsibility for their product extends to post-consumer management of that product and its packaging.

Recycled: Waste is sent for resource recovery, where the raw materials used for making the material before it became a waste are recovered to make new materials of the same or different nature.
This does not include fuel incineration.

WebPass

If I have a WebPass for another CalRecycle application, will it work for this application?

Yes, but if you are not already listed in the Form 303 system, the currently listed program manager and/or primary contact will need to add you as a contact in the Form 303 system.

  • E-mail Form303@calrecycle.ca.gov to request that CalRecycle link your existing WebPass access to the Form 303 system.
  • Make sure that the contact information and e-mail address you are providing for Form 303 are the same as what you are using for your WebPass.

To get a WebPass and assign permission to access the database, e-mail Form303@calrecycle.ca.gov.

General Form 303 Issues

A city in our joint powers association (JPA) that uses our permanent HHW also has a recycle-only center. Do they fill this out as well?

Yes, one program type option is recycle-only facility, and collections at those facilities should be reported. If that city is operating the recycle-only center themselves, independently of your JPA, they may choose to report the HHW management at that site on their own separate Form 303.

Are CESQG pounds collected at a temporary event entered as a separate column?

CESQG pounds collected should be added to, and included with, other HHW in the appropriate program type column(s).

If we have a sharps program in which we provide our residents with prepaid mail-in boxes, do we need to report those numbers as well?

If your pharmaceutical mail-back provider provides data on the total pounds collected to you, you should report it in the Form 303 system — anew column may be added for “mailback”.

Where do the “household batteries” fall under in the form?

Household batteries would be reported under the category “other batteries.”

Online Database

Do you have to specify your “other” waste, or can you leave it as “other”?

An “other” waste row does not need to be specified. You are allowed to create a row and label it as “Other”.

Can we view the online form today?

Yes, you can view and print all sections of past year reports. You can also print a blank form at any time. 

Do you add the name of each city you collect and report for as a “participant”?

Yes, each city should be reported as a participant. You can also add unincorporated county regions as participants.

Do we need to enter old information, or is it already there?

The contacts, participants, and programs sections of the form will be pre-filled out for you based on the prior year’s submittal. You simply update or verify your information prior to submitting the Form 303.

Can we print a blank form for the entire 303 form?

Clicking the “print blank form” button will print all fields shown in the Form 303 Collection and Disposition tabs.

If an agency adds me to the secondary contact, will it automatically show up in the drop-down menu on my web pass, or do I have to request separate access?

CalRecycle will set the permissions to ensure the system has linked you with that agency once you are added. 
If your agency already added you, but you do not see them in the drop-down menu on your WebPass, e-mail Form303@calrecycle.ca.gov. We will grant the appropriate security access.

If we need our hauler and subcontractors added, should the jurisdictions contact CalRecycle?

Jurisdictions can add haulers and subcontractors directly in the contacts section of the database. CalRecycle staff will periodically scan through the contact lists and send invitations to any new additions.

So if your contractor fills out the report as a secondary contact, it sends the info to the primary contact (me) for submittal?

Yes.

Can the primary contact be a subcontractor?

According to the regulations, jurisdictions are the primary entity responsible for the submittal of Form 303. As the primary contact is granted the ability to submit the forms to CalRecycle, we do not believe it is appropriate for a subcontractor to be assigned as a primary contact.

Can I enter data as a primary contact if I am not the Program Manager?

The primary contact and Program Manager are assigned the same authorities and can both enter the same types of data.

I currently have a Local Assistance and Market Development representative for the Electronic Annual Report, would I direct my Form 303 b questions to the same person?

Form 303 help can be found in the “help” link in the upper right corner of the database.

If you need additional assistance, questions should be directed to Form303@calrecycle.ca.gov.

What types of documents would need to be uploaded?

There are no documents that are currently required. Jurisdictions can send documents to accompany a report if they wish.
For example, a spreadsheet detailing costs could be uploaded as a supporting item for the cost survey.

 

Stewardship Organizations

What do you mean by “steward”?

We are referring to stewardship organizations such as PaintCare and the Thermostat Recycling Corporation (TRC).

Does the online format include product stewardship programs such as TRC or PaintCare?

Yes. Stewardship programs are listed as another disposition method that can be added using the drop-down menu in the top right of the disposition tab.

Do we add the numbers for PaintCare? Do they submit anything?

Stewardship programs like PaintCare submit an annual report to the state on October 1st each year, the same deadline as the Form 303 deadline. However, they are not required to report data by jurisdiction as their local boundaries may not correspond to government boundaries.

For example, either track the paint sent to PaintCare by bills of lading or weigh the paint beforehand, then report that amount in an added column for PaintCare.

If sending co-mingled oil and latex bins to PaintCare without specific oil/latex volume breakouts, the relative oil/latex volumes may be estimated by using the proportions reported in the previous year’s Form 303.

However, local government is not required to report the volumes of paint that PaintCare collects at its retail sites.

 

Cost Survey

Do you have to take the survey to submit the 303?

No, the survey is not mandatory but strongly encouraged.

Can our hauler complete the survey too?

Yes

Hazardous Waste Regulations

We collect e-waste at our county landfills and are also looking to collect other HHW waste. Would we report this under Load Check or do we have an option for “Other”? It wouldn’t fall under a permanent, temporary or mobile HHW?

Staff recommends that you consult with DTSC’s Regulatory Assistance Office (1-800-728-6942 or RAO@dtsc.ca.gov) to determine under what program types (ABOP, etc.) the wastes are collected.

What is the definition of a mobile program as opposed to a temporary household hazardous waste collection facility (THHWCF)?

You will always be able to access these kinds of definitions in the Help file available in a link at the top-right of the Form 303 interface. These are the two definitions:

Temporary Household Hazardous Waste Collection Facilities are temporary household hazardous waste (HHW) collection facilities operated by public agencies:

  • Not more than once in any one month at the same location
  • Collection events cannot exceed two days
  • At the end of the event, all equipment, materials, and waste must be removed from the site within 144 hours (six days).

Mobile household hazardous waste collection facility means a portable structure within which an HHW collection facility is operated and that meets all of the following conditions:

  • The facility is operated not more than four times in any one calendar year at the same location.
  • The facility is operated not more than three consecutive weeks within a two-month period at the same location.
  • Upon the termination of operations, all equipment, materials, and waste are removed from the site within 144 hours.

Do E-Waste only events require an EPA ID #?

EPA Numbers are issued by DTSC, and detailed information on their issuance can be found on their website.

For temporary events, are we issued a new EPA number each time or is it the same?

EPA Numbers are issued by DTSC, and detailed information on their issuance can be found on their website. Each event or “Temporary (periodic) Facility” is usually issued a new EPA number.

Are we required to report on e-waste/u-waste collections from private companies that host in our jurisdiction that are not part of our program?

If the e-waste/u-waste collections are not part of your program, you are not required to report them on your Form 303.

Will there be a regulator portal for inspectors?

DTSC staff will have viewer rights to this data.

Annual Statewide Statistics

The following graphs show the amount of HHW collected and disposed of from fiscal year 2005 through 2023. See the detailed data shown in these charts.

2023 HHW Collection by Materials Categories Statewide chart
2023 HHW Disposal by Disposition Method Statewide chart

Note: Includes Household Hazardous Waste, Universal Waste, and other related waste. See all material types per material category and disposition method definitions.

Explore HHW Reporting Data

Use the Form 303 reports listed to explore current and historical HHW collection and disposition data (in pounds) available for fiscal years 2004/2005 through the present.

The latest fiscal year data is generally available in or after October of each year.

Reports can be generated by report:

  • Cycle
  • Material type
  • Program type

All data can be exported to an Excel spreadsheet.

Note: Form 303 reports do not represent all HHW in California.

If a jurisdiction receives CalRecycle Used Oil Payment Program funding, their used motor oil is reported separately, and not included in the Form 303 data.

Stewardship organizations also report collection and disposition data for products they manage in their annual reports, specifically for paint or mercury-containing thermostats.

 

For More Information

Legislation and Regulations

California Public Resources Code section 47203 and Health Safety Code section 25218.10 mandate that CalRecycle and Department of Toxic Substances Control work jointly to maintain a database of all household hazardous waste collection events, facilities, and programs within the state and make that information available to the public upon request.

California Code of Regulations, Title 14, Division 7, Chapter 9, section 18751.2 mandates that each public agency responsible for HHW management shall ensure the amount of material (in pounds) collected through their program during the preceding reporting period (July 1 through June 30), must report to CalRecycle by October 1 of each year. Form 303 is specifically intended to fulfill the countywide integrated waste management plan HHW element reporting requirements (CCR Title 14, Division 7, Chapter 9, section 18751.1).

For more information contact: Household Hazardous Waste Annual Reports, Form303@calrecycle.ca.gov