Alameda homeowners will see a new fee on their property tax bill effective July 1. Last week the Alameda County Waste Management Authority Board adopted a hazardous waste fee of $9.95 per year per household. 

The board said that the county would use revenue from the fee to support the countywide household hazardous waste program.

 
“The program provides safe, legal, environmentally sound collection and disposal services for residential household hazardous waste such as paint, solvents and pesticides,” the board said in a press release announcing the fee. Expanded hours for drop-off facilities and public events will increase collection of hazardous materials for Alameda County residents.

The authority’s executive director Gary Wolff said that improper disposal of hazardous waste could result in future sewer- or garbage-rate increases larger than the $9.95 fee.  

A per-ton fee on municipal solid waste disposed in landfills currently pays for the county’s hazardous waste collection. However, the fee has not changed since 2000, and the program would have been cut back dramatically without additional funding.