Lodi special collection events handle the odd stuff

Lodi’s regular carts are not meant to answer every cleanup question. The tricky items are the ones that pile up slowly: old paint, batteries, used oil, pool chemicals, electronics, extra refuse after a house project, or a garage corner full of things nobody wants to put in the wrong cart.

That is where Lodi’s special collection events matter. Waste Management provides annual household hazardous waste and e-waste drop-off events for Lodi residents, along with an annual curbside cleanup event and an annual dollar dump day. Dates can change, so the event list is the part to check before loading the car.

Household hazardous waste needs extra care because some items can poison, corrode, ignite, or react badly if tossed in regular trash. For many items, the local route is the WM transfer station event or the San Joaquin County Household Hazardous Waste Consolidation Facility in Stockton.

E-waste has its own lane too. Televisions, computers, printers, phones, cords, radios, and similar electronics should not be treated like normal trash. For the curbside cleanup event, residents can usually place extra refuse in bagged, bundled, or boxed form, but heavy, toxic, liquid, concrete, dirt, and similar items are not the right fit.

Sort the pile into regular cart waste, e-waste, household hazardous waste, and bulky cleanup items before loading up. Lodi makes the options easier, but the item decides the route.