Here’s how to dispose of Christmas trees, batteries

Residents are encouraged to dispose of old batteries in this container at City Hall. Photo by Donna Ritchie

For safety reasons and convenience, residents may not want to cherish their dried out Christmas trees for too long after the holiday. CR&R is picking up trees on its regular service days the two weeks following Christmas. Trees must have stands and ornaments removed and may be placed curbside with trashcans for the regularly scheduled trash service day. Trees over six feet tall must be cut in half.

CR&R can help residents get rid of other large bulky items like sofas, appliances and televisions (not to exceed 27 inches). Residents can schedule two special pick-ups a year. The pick-up service is free with a maximum of four bulky items allowed per year.

For more information or to schedule a special pick-up, contact CR&R at 800-755-8112. For questions regarding hazardous waste disposal, contact the Riverside County hotline at 800-304-2226.

This holiday season, many residents have stocked up on fresh batteries for their new electronic “toys.” As disposable batteries wear out, residents should be mindful of state laws that went into effect in 2006, which require all batteries in California that are intended for disposal to be recycled or taken to a household hazardous waste disposal facility, a universal waste handler or an authorized recycling facility. Batteries are considered hazardous because of the metals and/or other toxic or corrosive materials they contain. (Batteries also are potentially a valuable source of recyclable metal, according to the California Integrated Waste Management Board.)

Batteries fall under the hazardous waste category of  “universal waste,” which includes fluorescent lamps, cathode ray tubes, instruments that contain mercury and others.

Residents are encouraged to dispose of old batteries in a special container at City Hall. There is also a Household Hazardous Waste City Maintenance Facility in Lake Elsinore, 521 N. Langstaff St., which normally receives hazardous waste the first Saturday of each month between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m.; it is closed in December and January.

For more information on household hazardous waste, call 800-304-2226.