The Hazardous Materials and Waste Program registers businesses that generate, store or handle any amount of hazardous waste and inspects these businesses to ensure that the waste is stored safely, legally managed, and disposed of properly.

How do I determine if my business is regulated under the Hazardous Materials and Waste Program?

Please carefully review the Hazardous Waste Frequently Asked Questions (pdf) to see if your business generates a hazardous waste.

Business Responsibilities

Visit the California Environmental Reporting System (CERS) to complete and submit any necessary forms. Since hazardous wastes are a subset of hazardous materials, hazardous waste generators must comply with the provisions of the hazardous materials ordinance as long as they meet minimum inclusion criteria. Compliance Certificates for hazardous waste generation and grants of authorization for hazardous waste treatment are incorporated into the hazardous materials business plan program and issued as part of the Hazardous Materials Certificate of Registration. Click here for more details about the application process.
Retain copies of the application for your records.

A special subset of hazardous waste is known as universal waste. Universal waste includes common items such as fluorescent light bulbs, batteries, electronic waste, etc. These wastes must be handled as hazardous waste unless special precautions are taken with their disposal. THEY SHOULD NOT BE DISPOSED OF WITH REGULATED SOLID WASTE. To learn more about the correct handling of universal wastes, click here.

Making a Complaint

To make a complaint regarding a hazardous waste generator, click here.

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