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Universal waste handler and licensed hauler, Corona, CA

Universal Waste Disposal in Southern California

Scheduled pickups of fluorescent lamps, batteries, electronics, mercury devices and aerosol cans for businesses and agencies, with labeling, shipping papers and recycling records handled.

Request Service Call 800.988.4424
Lamps, batteries, e-waste, aerosolsShipping papers and records handledEPA ID CAR000329953

Universal Waste Disposal

Universal waste disposal that keeps you inside California's rule

Universal waste is the group of common hazardous wastes California lets businesses manage under simplified rules: mercury-added lamps, most batteries, CRTs and other electronic devices, mercury thermostats, switches and gauges, and non-empty aerosol cans. None of it may go in the trash, and most of it must be recycled at an authorized facility. HCI Environmental handles universal waste disposal for businesses, schools and public agencies across Southern California, picking up each stream and delivering it to authorized destination facilities.

The simplified rules still have deadlines. Universal waste may not be accumulated for more than one year, containers must be labeled by type, and shipment and receipt records are kept for three years. HCI supplies labeled containers, prepares the shipping papers and returns the receipt documentation for your file. Streams that do not qualify, such as automotive lead acid batteries, are managed as hazardous waste by the same crew under HCI's EPA, USDOT and California hazmat transport licenses.

Pickups are scheduled around what you generate, from a few lamp boxes a quarter to recurring routes for multi-site operations, and universal waste rides along with hazardous waste on the same visit when both are due.

Boxed fluorescent lamps, labeled battery drums and a tote of ballasts staged for universal waste pickup (illustrative)
What you get
  • Labeled containers for lamps, batteries, electronics and aerosols
  • Shipping papers prepared, receipts returned for your three-year file
  • Delivery to authorized destination facilities, not landfill
  • Non-universal streams handled as hazardous waste on the same visit

Scope

Universal waste streams we pick up

Everything California designates as universal waste, plus the hazardous streams that fall just outside it.

Fluorescent tubes and compact fluorescent lampsMercury-added lamps
HID, sodium vapor and other mercury-added lamps
Alkaline, nickel-cadmium and small sealed lead acid batteriesRechargeable and button cells
Industrial battery banksUniversal or hazardous waste by type
Automotive lead acid batteriesHazardous waste, not universal; same pickup
CRT televisions and monitors
Computers, phones, printers and other electronic devices
Mercury thermostats, switches and thermometers
Mercury gauges, manometers and barometers
Non-empty aerosol cansIgnitable or toxic propellant
Dental amalgam and chair-side trap waste
LED lamps and office cleanout electronics

How it works

How a universal waste pickup works

Four steps from inventory to the receipt in your file.

1

Inventory your streams

Count lamp boxes, battery buckets, electronics and aerosol containers, and note how long the oldest has been sitting. The one-year clock matters.

2

Written quote and containers

You get a quote in writing, usually within 24 hours. Labeled containers arrive sized to your streams if you need them.

3

Scheduled pickup

The crew collects, checks labels and accumulation dates, prepares the shipping papers and loads. Hazardous streams due at the same time go on the same visit.

4

Recycling and records

Material is delivered to authorized destination facilities. Receipt documentation comes back to you for the three-year retention file.

Track record

Universal waste programs for agencies and businesses across Southern California

HCI holds hazardous waste agreements with cities, counties, water districts and state bodies, including a battery recycling contract with the California Department of Water Resources, and runs recurring universal waste pickups alongside its hazardous waste routes.

2000Managing California waste streams since
24 hrsTypical turnaround on a written quote
3 yearsShipment records you must keep; we supply them

Public agencies that contract with HCI for this work

California Department of Water Resources
City of Anaheim
County of Orange Health Care Agency
Elsinore Valley Municipal Water District
Moulton Niguel Water District
San Mateo County Community College District
City of Hemet

Public contracts we can name. Private customers stay private. Ask for references on any of them.

CSLB
License 788216Class A, C-21, HAZ
EPA
ID CAR000329953Hazardous waste generator and handler
DOT
USDOT 4438022Hazmat transport license 137055
DIR
Registration 1000004254Public works contractor

Related services

Often booked with universal waste disposal

Pallets of retired electronics at a warehouse dock (illustrative)

Electronic Waste Recycling

Monitors, computers, servers, printers and appliances collected and routed to authorized recycling, with data wiped or shredded first and proof of destruction for your records.

Electronic Waste Recycling
HCI crew loading IBC totes of waste liquid onto a truck

Hazardous Waste Disposal

Characterization, packaging, transport and disposal at permitted facilities, with the manifest and certificates handled for you. For industry and government since 2000.

Hazardous Waste Disposal
HCI vacuum truck on a job site

Hazardous Waste Transportation

Licensed hauling of hazardous and non-hazardous waste from your dock to a permitted disposal facility, with packaging, manifests and tracking handled by one crew.

Hazardous Waste Transportation

See every service

Questions

Answers before you call

The questions buyers ask about universal waste disposal. Anything else, the live operator can answer.

Need a quote today?

Send the details and address. Routine quotes come back in writing, usually within 24 hours.

Request a quote
What counts as universal waste in California?
Cathode ray tubes, most batteries, fluorescent and other mercury-added lamps, electronic devices such as computers, phones and printers, mercury thermostats, switches, thermometers and gauges, non-empty aerosol cans with ignitable or toxic contents, and dental amalgam waste. Automotive lead acid batteries are not universal waste and are managed as hazardous waste.
Can universal waste go in the regular trash?
No. California prohibits disposing of any universal waste in the trash, and that applies to households as well as businesses. It must go to an authorized destination facility or to a consolidator that ships to one. Lamps, CRTs and mercury devices must be recycled.
How long can we store universal waste before it has to be picked up?
No more than one year from the date it was generated or received, and you have to document that date. If you expect to need longer, contact your local Certified Unified Program Agency before the oldest material hits one year. Most customers avoid the issue with a scheduled pickup.
Do we need a hazardous waste manifest for universal waste?
Not for shipments that qualify as universal waste. Shipping papers such as a bill of lading are enough, and HCI prepares them. Streams that fall outside the rule, such as automotive lead acid batteries, require a manifest and a registered hazardous waste hauler, which HCI is.
Do we need an EPA ID number?
Not as a small quantity handler, which covers most businesses. A large quantity handler, meaning 5,000 kilograms or more of universal waste on site at one time, must obtain one and provide fuller employee training. HCI helps you confirm which category you fall into.
Where do the lamps and batteries go?
To authorized destination facilities, generally hazardous waste recycling facilities, where the mercury, metals and glass are recovered. HCI is the transporter, coordinates the receiving facility and returns the receipt documentation for your records.
What if fluorescent tubes have broken?
Broken tubes and leaking batteries are repackaged and still handled as universal waste. Cleanup materials such as absorbents or contaminated soil are managed as hazardous waste if they qualify. HCI packages and documents both on the same visit.
How much does universal waste disposal cost?
It depends on the streams, the quantities, the containers and the destination facility. Send counts of lamps, batteries, electronics and aerosols and you will get a written quote, usually within 24 hours. There is no charge for the quote.

Request service

Lamps, batteries and electronics piling up? Schedule a pickup.

Tell us the streams and rough counts. We will quote in writing and bring labeled containers.

800.988.442424/7 live operator for emergencies
Corona, CA 928781680 Commerce St, with a second office in San Jose
Written quotes Licensed and insured Since 2000

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