The Legislature hereby finds and declares all of the following:

(a)  Residential households which generate household hazardous waste and conditionally exempt small quantity generators which generate small amounts of hazardous waste in the state need an appropriate and economic means of disposing of the hazardous waste they generate.

(b)  (1)  Counties and cities provide for the collection of household hazardous waste and conditionally exempt small quantity generator waste as a community service to ensure proper handling and disposal of the material and to prevent the potential contamination of solid waste landfills.

(2)  To the extent available, cities and counties should consider utilizing public service television to provide public safety awareness and training on packaging and transporting household hazardous waste to collection centers.

(c)  To facilitate and increase the collection of household hazardous waste and conditionally exempt small quantity generator waste, it is the responsibility of the state to provide for an expedited and streamlined permitting and regulatory structure for household hazardous waste and conditionally exempt small quantity generator waste collection and handling. Overburdensome regulations defeat the objectives of providing convenient and accessible collection facilities and the protection of public health and safety.

(d)  Abandonment or illegal disposal of household hazardous waste and hazardous waste from small businesses and the continued disposal of those wastes into the solid waste stream is a threat to public health and safety and to the environment.

(e)  It is the shared responsibility of citizens, conditionally exempt small quantity generators, disposal facility operators, hazardous waste processors, manufacturers, sellers, solid waste handlers, and state and local agencies to ensure the proper recycling and disposal of household hazardous waste and conditionally exempt small quantity generator waste.

(Amended by Stats. 1995, Ch. 672, Sec. 3. Effective January 1, 1996.)