Treated Wood Waste Accepted At Hawthorne Street Transfer Station Beginning July 1st

Effective Thursday, July 1^st and until further notice, HWMA is pleased to announce we were granted a 6-month variance waiver from the Department of Toxic Substance Control (DTSC) to allow the acceptance of Treated Wood Waste (TWW) at the Hawthorne Street Transfer Station’s Tip Floor.  This waiver comes after DTSC banned the disposal of TWW at California landfills on January 1, 2021.

This waiver allows HWMA to accept and dispose of TWW to permissible landfills with proper lining and environmental controls.  TWW contains hazardous chemicals that pose a risk to human health and the environment. Arsenic, chromium, copper, creosote and pentachlorophenol are among the chemicals used to preserve wood and are known to be toxic or carcinogenic.

DTSC requires that in order to transport hazardous waste, such as TWW, persons must either be a registered hazardous waste transporter or have received a variance from DTSC.  Further information on obtaining a variance can be found at https://dtsc.ca.gov.  This excludes homeowners who self-deliver less than 50 pounds of TWW.

Please review the following TWW guidelines prior to visiting HWMA’s Transfer Station:

Temporary Two-Day Closure Of Green Waste Drop Off

A temporary two-day closure of green waste drop-off in order for facility repairs to take place at HWMA’s Hawthorne Street Transfer Station will begin May 21.

Green waste drop-off will be unavailable at HWMA’s Hawthorne Street Transfer Station starting Friday, May 21st through Saturday, May 22nd. During this two-day closure, HWMA will perform the necessary repair and retrofit at our green waste drop-off area.

In the interim, HWMA encourages customers to direct haul to Wes Green Company located at 6360 West End Road, Arcata during this two-day closure period.  

HWMA apologizes for the inconvenience this causes our customers and expect to resume regular green waste drop-off services on Sunday, May 23^rd.

Christmas Tree Recycling Locations

Did you know that you can recycle your Christmas tree? 

There are free drop-off locations from McKinleyville to Rio Dell. Find the location closest to you for dates when trees are accepted. 

Interested in curbside pick-up?  Availability is limited so contact your curbside provider to see if this is an option and if there are any fees for this service.  Make sure to remove all decorations (ornaments, lights, hooks, garland, tinsel).  Sorry, flocked trees may not be recycled.ive Your Tree a New Life

Drop-Off Locations (Free Drop-Off & Recycling)

Easy Hazardous Waste Disposal Guide

For Residents:

• No Charge Disposal
• No Appointment Necessary

For Businesses:

• Call 707.441.2005 to schedule an appointment

What to bring and not to bring:

No Treated Wood Waste Beginning January 1, 2021

Notice To Solid Waste Customers: No Treated Wood Waste Beginning January 1, 2021

Effective January 1, 2021, in response to expiring legislation, the California Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC) will no longer allow the landfill disposal of treated wood waste (TWW). This means that transfer stations and rural container drop-off sites may no longer accept TWW for disposal.

UPDATE: Eureka CRV Buyback CLOSED Until Further notice

HWMA’s EUREKA RECYCLING CENTER CRV BUYBACK CLOSED DUE TO OVERWHELMING DEMAND

Traffic Congestion Impacting Del Norte Street, Fetl Street and W. Hawthorne Street

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Thursday, September 3

(Eureka, CA) Due to the overwhelming demand and long lines of customers entering the Eureka Recycling Center for CRV Buyback services, Humboldt Waste Management Authority is closing CRV Buyback Service until further notice.

The closure is necessary due to traffic congestion, safety issues to businesses, lack of emergency access, and difficulty of trash customers, contractors, and franchise haulers able to access the Transfer Station.

Eureka CRV Buyback Reopens With Limited Service

FOR RELEASE: Tuesday, September 1

On Tuesday, September 1^st, as part of our phased approach to re-opening, Humboldt Waste Management Authority’s Eureka Recycling Center will resume CRV Buyback redemption services with limited days and hours of service.

The Eureka Recycling is open Tuesday thru Saturday.  Seniors and immunocompromised individuals may drop off CRV and other recyclable materials from 8 am to 9 am. All other customers may visit the site 9am until 4pm.

As the only CRV redemption center reopening in Humboldt, Humboldt Waste Management Authority’s Eureka Recycling Center anticipates a significant demand for buyback services.  Customers are required to arrive with CRV materials pre-sorted, wear face coverings, and abide by the facility’s rules to maintain social distancing.  Sanitizers will be available for customer use.

UPDATE AS OF WED SEPTEMBER 2: Due to the long lines of customers entering the Eureka Recycling Center for CRV Buyback services, Humboldt Waste Management Authority, and the City of Eureka are detouring customers so they enter the recycling center using Del Norte Street to Felt Street to W. Hawthorne Street.

This temporary detour will enable customers to line up without impacting Broadway Street/U.S. Highway 101. 

The average wait time is currently 1 to 2 hours.  HWMA encourages customers to have their recyclable materials presorted prior to arrival and face coverings are required. 

Eureka Recycling Center Recycling and CRV Buyback FAQs

CRV redemption remains suspended until further notice.

Why has ‘Recycling’’ gone away?

Recycling hasn’t gone away, but CRV Buyback has been suspended. Customers can put recyclable materials in their curbside container or drop recyclables off at any Transfer Station. This includes source-separated and mixed glass, paper, cardboard, aluminum, plastic, and other materials.

Why has CRV Buyback Been Suspended?

HWMA’s priority is to protect our core essential responsibilities to collect, handle, and dispose of over 170 tons of solid wastes that enter our facility daily. An internal outbreak of coronavirus would significantly disrupt our trash handling operations.

There is a higher risk of exposure related to manually handling used beverage containers and cash transactions, coupled with the difficulty of ensuring social distancing and onsite safety guidelines are followed by the public. This threat to employee and community health was also recognized by Governor Newsom’s two Executive Orders allowing certified redemption sites to remain closed.

When will CRV Buyback resume?

Eureka Recycling Center Reopens August 11

Starting August 11^th, the Eureka Recycling Center will reopen Tuesdays thru Saturdays to resume acceptance of used appliances, electronic waste, TVs and screens, and source-separated recyclable materials such as cardboard, glass, paper, plastic, and metal.

CRV Buyback services remain suspended until further notice.

We apologize for the inconvenience and encourage customers to submit their concerns about the lack of CRV redemption sites in Humboldt County by calling I-800-Recycle.

When visiting HWMA’s Eureka Recycling Center or Transfer Station, all customers are expected to:

Press Release: Status Of Local CRV Buyback, Garbage, Household Hazardous Wastes and Recycling Activities in Humboldt County

Press release: EUREKA, CA –  Businesses that support waste handling activities in Humboldt County are identified as “critically essential” under the current Covid-19 pandemic.  Following local, state and federal declarations of emergency, Humboldt Sanitation, Humboldt Waste Management Authority (HWMA) and Recology have each modified operational schedules and practices to ensure the dependability of core essential services. Our primary focus is maintaining curbside collection services and disposal of garbage generated at our local transfer stations by Humboldt residents. In order adequately staff our modified operations, we have had to temporarily suspend portions of our business that do not represent critical infrastructure and essential services.  CRV Buyback is one of those activities.

CRV buyback operations are typically very busy with close contact customer and employee interactions.  Risks of exposure to coronavirus exist through the direct physical handling of used CRV beverage containers and cash payments to customers.  Staff typically assigned to CRV are needed to support our modified operational schedules. There are also unusual obstacles in maintaining 6’ social distancing and ensuring face covering requirements.  Making certain that onsite safety guidelines are followed by the public is beyond the scope of our employee’s duties. Because of these conditions, and the fact that there are other avenues of collection recyclable materials, buyback centers were closed in March and will continue to be closed.

We are actively monitoring conditions as the State of California and local governments move to relax the Shelter-In-Place orders. Humboldt Sanitation, HWMA and Recology will accept CRV containers when and if conditions allow. As operators responsible for handling Humboldt’s garbage and recyclables, we are committed to an incremental phased return of our non-essential services, and one that ensures the health and safety of our customers and employees during the pandemic, consistent with guidelines issued by the State of California’s Resilience Roadmap and public health officials.

Curbside Collection Routes