Humboldt County residents won't be able to recycle their freon appliances, like refrigerators and air conditioning systems, or electronic waste at the Eureka Recycling Center for a little while as Humboldt Waste Management Authority is temporarily closing the center beginning Aug. 1

HWMA is relocating the Eureka Recycling Center to a different site and using the current one for a new organic waste tipping floor, similar to its Hawthorne Transfer Station garbage tipping floor, for sorting and bailing organic waste hopefully by January of 2023.
HWMA and cities throughout the county are preparing to offer organic waste collection services as mandated by California Senate Bill 1383, a bill signed in 2016 that's designed to reduce methane emissions found in landfills caused by organic waste like food scraps and green yard waste.


HWMA's new Executive Director Peter Fuller told the Journal it is talking with various property owners to find a suitable location for the new center with the hopes of opening by November. Though he did say the timeline might be a bit "aggressive."

The cities of Fortuna and Ferndale recently passed an ordinance mandating the organic waste collection service with a start date of Jan. 1, 2023.

Until then, HWMA will still accept some recyclable materials like paper cardboard and mixed-streamed recycling at the Hawthorne Street Transfer station, but will charge a fee.

Humboldt Waste Management Authority has three separate waste facilities within the Hawthorne Street property: the Eureka Recycling Center, the Hawthorne Street Transfer Station and the Household Hazardous Waste facility.

The Eureka Recycling Center offers recycling services for source-separated materials like paper, metal and cardboard, while also accepting e-waste and freon and non-freon appliances. The Hawthorne Street Transfer Station accepts single-stream recyclables, carpet, green waste and mattresses. The Household Hazardous Waste facility, also known as "the red shed," accepts all hazardous waste, like batteries and fluorescent bulbs.

The other closest recycling center for these items (minus mattresses and freon appliances) is at Eel River Recology's Fortuna Transfer Station (965 Riverwalk Drive) which accepts e-waste, cardboard, cans and bottles, batteries, paint and paper waste at no charge; garbage, sheetrock, constructions and demolition material, green waste, clean wood, appliances and small amounts of metal for a fee. Humboldt Sanitation in McKinleyville (2585 Central Ave.) accepts corrugated cardboard, shredded white paper, e-waste, batteries, oil and syringes that are properly placed into a medical-grade sharps container for disposal.

Editor's note: This story has been updated to correct the recycling items accepted at the Eureka Recycling Center. The Journal regrets the error.