Conditionally Exempt Small Quantity Generator Program
Does Your Business Generate Hazardous Waste?
If so, you may be eligible for the Conditionally Exempt Small Quantity Generator (CESQG) Hazardous Waste Collection Program
Appointments are required for the CESQG Program and can be made by calling toll free:
(800) 433-5060
What is the Conditionally Exempt Small Quantity Generator (CESQG) Program?
Federal and State laws require all businesses and industries who generate, store or accumulate hazardous waste to comply with regulations for proper treatment, storage and disposal of these wastes. One such way is through participation in a CESQG program. The Yolo County CESQG collection schedule can be found online. Go to www.yolocounty.org/recycle and click on Business Hazardous Waste.
Hazardous waste has one or more of the following properties:
- Toxic (poisonous when ingested, inhaled or touched),
- Flammable (easy to ignite),
- Corrosive (eats away material or human tissue by chemical action), or
- Reactive (creates an explosion or produces deadly vapors.
Hazardous waste includes: latex and oil-based paints, batteries, solvents, chemicals, pesticides, many automotive fluids such as motor oil, and many cleaning products.
Who Qualifies for the CESQG Program?
Your business qualifies as a CESQG if it generates per month:
- Less than 220 pounds of most hazardous materials (i.e. paints, solvents, chemicals)
- Less than 2.2 pounds of acutely hazardous chemicals, (i.e., mercury or some lab chemicals)
- Less than 110 pounds of perchloroethylene.
State regulations allow CESQG events to collect no more than 220 pounds of waste per business per collection event. The County will hold CESQG events monthly. Therefore, your business may only transport 220 pounds of CESQG waste to each monthly event.
Explosive, infectious, radioactive, and certain chemical wastes and products are not accepted at CESQG events.
What if I have more waste than the amounts listed above?
If your business generates per month more than the amounts of waste listed above, you are considered a regulated generator. You MAY NOT participate in the CESQG event. For information on how to dispose of your hazardous waste, call a local hazardous waste management company, or the State Department of Toxic Substances Control at (916) 255-3545.
What information should I have when I am ready to register?
You need a complete inventory of the hazardous waste you wish to dispose of at the time you register. Hazardous waste brought to the program must be described by at least the following:
- Your company name, address, phone number and EPA ID #.
- Estimate of how much hazardous waste is generated per month and per year at your business site.
- Chemical name or trade name of the waste.
- Percentages of chemical constituents in the waste.
- Process generating waste and possible contaminants.
- Size, type, weight, and number of containers to be brought in.
Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) are often your best source of information regarding the potentially hazardous products you use. An MSDS will list the hazardous constituents of each product. MSDS’s are available from product suppliers. If you have an MSDS for the hazardous product or waste you want to dispose of, have it handy when you call in to register and bring a copy with you on the day of the CESQG event.
If you do not have an MSDS for your hazardous product or waste, describe the waste’s characteristics, uses, and origin to the CESQG coordinator and mark this information on the product container. If the waste is still in its original container, keep it there because information on the container is likely to help with the waste description. If the waste is not in its original container, label the container clearly with the chemical contents or bring the original container along with you.
Unknown wastes cannot be accepted under this program, but may be resubmitted once a satisfactory description is available. In the State of California, every business which generates hazardous waste is required to have a Generator Identification Number. This can be obtained by contacting the State Department of Toxic Substances Control at (916) 324-1781. Please obtain a generator number before making an appointment.
Once you have followed all the steps listed above you are ready to call the toll free number for your appointment
The toll free number is: (800) 433-5060
What paperwork do I need to fill out?
When you arrive at your scheduled time, you will be asked to fill out the top section of the Check-In Receipt and Certification Statement. You must then sign this form. The Statement is used to verify that all of the information on the completed form is accurate to the best of the company’s knowledge, and to verify that the company understands and meets the regulatory requirements for qualification as a CESQG.
Do I have to pay for this service?
There is a small fee involved in the collection of CESQG hazardous wastes. Prices will vary considerably depending on the amount of contamination and actual chemical constituency. Exact prices can only be given through the CESQG registration process.
What if I have more questions?
If you have more questions about the CESQG Program call the Yolo County Department of Public Works at (530) 666-8852 or (530) 666-8856.
Click for more information about the Yolo County Central Landfill.