In 1991, the Riverside County Waste Management Department started its Hazardous Waste Load Checking/Inspection Program.  Hazardous materials commingled with common solid waste are a problem for all solid waste facilities.

The Riverside County Waste Management Department’s Hazardous Waste Inspections Program is considered a model program for all solid waste facilities, and its program design has been requested at the local, State and National level.

TRAINING

We can’t expect an untrained employee to approach a waste load like the ones to the right, and expect them to make a sound determination that these waste loads meet the definition of non-hazardous acceptable waste and that it does not pose a threat to them or the environment.  Riverside County set out to build a load checking program with staff trained above the present industry standards.  The Riverside County Waste Management Department’s Waste Inspection Program staff is able to perform a larger spectrum of hazardous waste management functions normally required of a hazardous material professional.  This crew is also capable of interacting constructively with the public during load check operations, as well as in the role of public education.  Waste Inspectors receive training in the following categories:  40 hours in HW workers, 24 hours in emergency responses, HAZCAT, Asbestos Operations and Maintenance, Hazardous Devices Awareness, Drug Lab Waste Identification, Hazardous Materials Transportation and Manifesting.

INSPECTIONS

The State of California requires the random inspections of incoming waste loads only.  Random inspections of incoming waste loads can find occasional amounts of prohibited waste; however, random along with calculated waste inspections, with Waste Inspectors trained to know what type of businesses are generators of hazardous waste can produce much more. 

TRACKING

At many solid waste facilities when hazardous waste is found during random load checking, the waste is simply stored on site and no contact is made to the company or persons that placed the hazardous waste in the trash.  In this scenario, the perpetrator knows no consequences for their improper disposal and continues the same behavior with the next load delivered to the facility.  This is ineffective, and only succeeds at removing hazardous waste from randomly inspected waste loads but does nothing to correct or improve the overall contamination of solid waste for the thousands of waste loads not selected by random inspections.

ENFORCEMENT

In Riverside County, we have proven that without strong enforcement at the landfills, customers and small businesses will continue to dispose of hazardous waste in the solid waste stream.  The Riverside County Waste Management Department has established relationships and procedures with the Riverside County Environmental Crimes Investigating Task Force, Riverside County Sheriffs Dept. Special Investigations Bureau and Hazardous Device Team and  Local Enforcement Agencies.  Riverside County Waste Management Reports all incidents of illegal disposal.

OUTREACH

The Load Check/Hazardous Waste Inspection Program in Riverside County reaches out far beyond the landfills perimeter, providing hazardous waste awareness training to all handlers of solid waste in Riverside County. Transfer stations in the County are also required to operate a functioning load check program that exceeds State standards that is enforced by a local ordinance created by the Waste Management Department.  In Riverside County, the load check program is seen as a multi-agency cooperative effort to protect Department employees, the public and the environment

California’s "Universal Waste Rule" exemptions expire making electronic devices illegal trash.

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Riverside County Landfill NOTICE - HERE* (Spanish HERE*) *PDF format