Proper handling of hazardous waste is vital to the health of our community and our environment. At the Marin Household Hazardous Waste Facility, we take that responsibility seriously and provide affordable and safe hazardous waste disposal for Marin County. Novato businesses need to bring their hazardous materials to the Novato Sanitary District.
Hazardous waste is waste with properties that make it potentially dangerous or harmful to humans health or the environment. Hazardous waste can be liquids, solids, or contained gases.
The EPA uses the following characteristics to define hazardous waste:
Many of the common household products we use every day such as household cleaners, paint and batteries, are considered hazardous. If these products are handled or disposed of incorrectly, they can pose a threat to human health, animals and the environment.
In California, it is illegal to dispose of household hazardous waste in the trash, down the drain, or by abandonment and should instead be disposed of through a Household Hazardous Waste Program such as ours.
Businesses that generate up to 27 gallons or 220 pounds of hazardous waste per month, or 2.2 pounds (1 kilogram) of extremely hazardous waste per month are welcome to drop off hazardous waste at the facility.
The most common businesses that generate hazardous waste are painters, printers, artists, builders, property managers, vehicle repair and body shops, landscape contractors and photofinishing shops.
We list the most common hazardous wastes on our Business: What We Accept page. You’ll also find a list of items that we will not accept here.
Please follow these guidelines about what we accept and how to deliver it to us. We’ll do our best to make it easy and convenient for you.
Visit our Business: What We Accept page to verify that the products you want to bring are accepted at our facility. Visit our Business: Not Accepted page for a list of the products will do not accept at our facility.
You will need to obtain a Hazardous Waste ID number before you contact us to schedule an appointment. This number, issued by the California Department of Toxic Substance Control (California ID Number), identifies each handler of hazardous waste on hazardous waste manifests and other paperwork. The ID Number enables regulators to track the waste from its origin to final disposal (“cradle to grave.”) For more information, visit the Hazardous Waste Generators page.
Ready to get your Number?
Visit the California Department of Toxic Substance Control (DTSC) website to obtain your Hazardous Waste ID Number.
Please note: you do not need a Hazardous Waste ID Number to drop-off electronic waste, household batteries, fluorescent bulbs or latex paint at our facility.
Business require an appointment to drop-off at our facility. Our facility is open for business customers on Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. To make an appointment to drop off your material during those hours, please contact us at 415-456-2665 and leave your name, phone number, and a brief message, or use our contact form, and we will call you back within 24 hours (Monday through Friday).
Call to schedule your appointment at least one week in advance since it is challenging to accommodate same day appointments.
Be mindful of the quantities that you are bringing. Containers may not be larger than five (5) gallons or 50 pounds in weight.
For the safety of our workers and to ensure proper disposal, please avoid mixing materials, even if you think they are the same.
The links below will help you to learn and understand about regulations that apply to hazardous waste generators in California:
We are proud to partner with other programs or businesses that will accept medium and large quantities of car batteries, cooking oil, household batteries, latex paint and motor oil for a small fee (or sometimes free of charge). Visit our Programs page to learn more about these organizations.
