NEW RECYCLING RULES TAKE EFFECT THURSDAY.

Byline: Daily News

PALMDALE - Batteries, cell phones, fluorescent light tubes and other waste that contains mercury and other toxic substances can't be thrown into the trash as of Thursday.

Instead, Antelope Valley residents must be take them to a special collection center open two Saturdays a month at the Palmdale Landfill, or dispose of them at household hazardous waste roundups held in other communities, officials said.

``We understand that the deadline imposed by the state is very quick for not only our customers, but also service providers and local governments,'' said Jim Merritt, district landfill manager of Waste Management of Antelope Valley. ``A number of questions also remain about what constitutes universal waste and how it should be handled. However, we are doing what we can to assist our customers and let them know there are a number of local sites available where people can take universal waste to dispose of it safely.''

There are no immediate plans for house-to-house collection for the material in the Antelope Valley, Waste Management spokesman Eric Rose said.

Instead, it must be taken to the Antelope Valley Environmental Collection Center at the Palmdale Landfill, 1200 W. City Ranch Road, which is open from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on the first and third Saturdays of each month.

The statewide ban effective Thursday covers what was deemed ``universal waste'' by the California Department of Toxic Substance Control. The department announced the new rules applicable to households and small businesses Jan. 23.

The new rules said products that contain low levels of hazardous metals such as lead, mercury, cadmium and chromium must be disposed of at designated recycling centers or household hazardous waste collection centers, rather than ordinary landfills.

Among items designated as universal waste are common batteries, fluorescent light tubes or metal halide and sodium light bulbs, old-style thermostats containing mercury, mercury gauges and thermometers that contain mercury, and flammable aerosol cans unless they are completely empty.

Televisions, computer monitors and other electronic devices were already banned.

For additional information about universal waste, including how to properly dispose of it, visit www.dtsc.ca.gov/HazardousWaste/UniversalWaste/index.cfm. Residents can also call the Waste Evaluation help line at [phone] for additional assistance in determining what items qualify as universal waste.

For locations and schedules of Los Angeles County household hazardous waste roundups, visit www.888CleanLA.com or call 888-CLEAN LA. No roundups are scheduled in the Antelope Valley.