Disaster-Related Hazardous Waste Removal

DTSC assists local, state, and federal agencies after major disasters, including wildfires and flooding, to remove household hazardous waste and other harmful substances such as e-waste found on parcels and properties. 

The contaminated debris is cleaned up and contained as quickly as possible to minimize exposure to emergency personnel, the public, the environment, and workers involved in restoration efforts.

Staff from DTSC’s Emergency Response Program oversees contractors who remove household hazardous waste (HHW), asbestos, and e-waste from properties, impacted areas, or designated drop-off locations.

What Is HHW?

Examples of HHW include lead-acid and household batteries; compressed gas cylinders; bulk pesticides, fertilizers and pool chemicals; paints, thinners, and aerosol cans; asbestos siding, pipe insulation, and tiles.

What Is E-Waste?

E-waste can include cathode ray tubes (CRTs) from televisions, computers and other electronic devices. 

Cleanup Project (Russian River Flooding in Sonoma County)

For the first time since the mid-1990s, DTSC is assisting with the cleanup and removal of household hazardous waste and e-waste following a major flood event. DTSC is partnering with Sonoma County to remove HHW following the Russian River flooding in February 2019, which impacted about 2,500 properties, including homes and businesses. DTSC is working alongside county workers and conducting curbside pickups of HHW and e-waste.

DTSC successfully completed the project in the last week of March 2019. 

Residents can access the county’s website to learn more about the flood recovery here. 
 

Recent Wildfire Recovery Projects (Camp, Woolsey, and Hill fires)

DTSC, with the assistance of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and other local, state, and federal agencies, began to assess and remove household hazardous waste from fire-damaged properties as part of the interagency response to the Camp Fire in Butte County and the Town of Paradise (Northern California) and the Woolsey and Hill fires in Los Angeles and Ventura Counties (Southern California) last December. DTSC and a team of federal, state and local agencies evaluated impacts of the Woolsey Fire on conditions at the Santa Susana Field Laboratory site and in communities around the site. This interim report summarizes work done to address concerns about the impact of the Woolsey Fire on SSFL and the surrounding communities.

The Department led efforts to remove HHW after the Thomas Fire in Ventura County in the Fall 2017 (HHW removed from 1,001 properties), the Carr Fire in Shasta County in July 2018 (1,171 properties), the Pawnee Fire in Lake County in July 2018 (21 properties) and the Klamathon Fire in Siskiyou County in July 2018 (60 properties).

Wildfire Public Dashboards and Maps

DTSC’s Public Dashboard mapping system provides critical information to crews on the ground. In addition, it displays the latest information regarding DTSC’s cleanup process to keep the public informed. In 2017, DTSC launched a mapping tool that is designed both for emergency crews and public use. The data input by crews on the ground streamlines DTSC’s cleanup of household hazardous waste and keeps the public updated after each day. 

Camp Fire Response, Butte County and the Town of Paradise

The Camp Fire Response Public Dashboard map (below) displays the total number of parcels impacted by the recent wildfires, the number of parcels assessed for household hazardous waste each day in Butte County and the Town of Paradise. Click the image below to get more details and access the Public Dashboard map.

Los Angeles (LA) County Recovers, Woolsey Fire

The LA County Recovers, Woolsey Fire Public Dashboard map (below) displays the total number of parcels impacted by the recent wildfires, the number of parcels assessed for household hazardous waste each day in LA County. Click the image below to get more details and access the Public Dashboard map.

Woolsey/Hill Fire Response, Ventura County

The Woolsey/Hill Fire Response, Ventura County Public Dashboard map (below) displays the total number of parcels impacted by the recent wildfires, the number of parcels assessed for household hazardous waste each day in Ventura County. Click the image below to get more details and access the Public Dashboard map.

Past Wildfires

To view the Wildfire Public Dashboard Maps for previous fires, go to our Past Wildfires Public Dashboards page. The dashboard maps available are:

• Mendocino Complex Fire (2018)
• Carr Fire (2018)
• Lake and Siskiyou County Fires (2017)
• Ventura Fires (2017)

Helpful Information (Fact Sheets)

• Emergency Guidance on Wildfires #1: Handling Ash, Debris and other Hazardous Materials from Burned Structures
• Emergency Guidance on Wildfires #2: Management Options for Expedited Collection of Hazardous Wastes from Burned Areas
• Guía de Emergencia en Incendios Forestales #1: Manejo de Cenizas, Escombros y Otros Materiales Peligrosos de Estructuras Calcinadas
• Guía de Emergencia en Incendios Forestales #2: Alternativas de Gestión para una Recolección Agilizada de Residuos Peligrosos de Zonas Calcinadas
   

Video

An unrelenting series of wildfires have continued to devastate portions of our State. View the video below to find out more about the work DTSC does after a major wildfire.

Recent Wildfire Coverage

Camp Fire, The New York Times: In California, Houses Burned. So Did the Toxic Chemicals They Contained.
In the charred footprint of each home in Paradise lurks an invisible and dangerous legacy of the Camp Fire: toxic chemicals released by the blaze. There may be radioactive isotopes from burned-up antique crockware, cupboards of incinerated household cleaners, and asbestos from old siding. Heavy metals, chemicals and biological contaminants left behind demand a cleanup of extraordinary scale, before any permanent return to Paradise is safe,

Camp Fire, Chico Enterprise-Record: Camp Fire: Crews begin largest wildfire debris cleanup in state history

Officials say they hope to finish the operation within 9-12 months, an aggressive target that will comprise hundreds of workers and coordination between the state Department of Toxic Substances Control, United States Environmental Protection Agency and Butte County Environmental Health.

Carr Fire, HBO’s Vice News: What The Deadly Wildfires Raging Across California Left Behind