Lodi Fire Department and WM Launch Hazardous-Waste Fire Prevention Campaign

The Lodi Fire Department and Waste Management have launched an eight-week fire-prevention and disposal-safety campaign focused on hazardous materials placed in household trash and recycling carts.

The City of Lodi announced the partnership on July 22, 2026. The campaign highlights rechargeable batteries, disposable vapes, electronic devices, aerosol cans, fuel containers, solvents and other hazardous materials that officials say can ignite or explode when crushed during collection or processing.

Campaign focuses on safer disposal

The effort is a prevention and public-safety partnership. The announcement does not identify the campaign as evidence that a specific Lodi fire was caused by improperly discarded waste.

Residents are being directed to keep hazardous materials and electronic waste out of ordinary trash and recycling carts and to use approved disposal resources instead. Lodi’s disposal guidance lists batteries, aerosol spray cans, paint, solvents, used oil and other household hazardous materials among items that should not be placed in the trash.

WM’s Lodi service guidance also identifies household hazardous waste and electronic waste as non-acceptable materials for regular residential container service. Acceptance rules can vary by item and collection program, so residents should check the applicable city, county or service-provider instructions before disposal.

Outreach will include buses and farmers markets

The campaign includes an eight-week social-media awareness series, fire-prevention messaging on Lodi GrapeLine buses and educational outreach at local farmers-market events.

The city and WM also plan to provide information about disposal options for batteries, electronics, fuels, aerosols, solvents and other hazardous materials.

Firefighters trained at WM facility in May

WM hosted several hands-on training sessions for Lodi Fire Department personnel throughout May at WM’s Lodi operations facility. The sessions included an operational walkthrough of hauling, recycling, transfer-station and compressed-natural-gas fueling operations, along with information about vehicle safety systems, emergency-response coordination and common fire hazards in the waste stream.

Sept. 5 electronic-waste event scheduled

A local electronic-waste collection event is scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 5, 2026, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Lodi Transfer Station, 1333 E. Turner Road.

The date, time and address appear in the San Joaquin County 2026 electronic-waste schedule. The City of Lodi’s special-collection information identifies the same transfer-station address as a location for WM electronic-waste events.

Residents should review the applicable acceptance rules before attending. The September 5 event should not be treated as confirmation that every battery, electronic item or hazardous product will be accepted there; some materials may require a different approved disposal channel.

For Lodi residents, the practical next step is to keep batteries, electronics, aerosols, fuels and similar hazardous materials out of ordinary trash and recycling carts, then check the city, county or WM guidance for the correct disposal option.

Sources

• City of Lodi: WM and Lodi Fire Department Launch Community Fire Prevention Partnership
• San Joaquin County: 2026 E-Waste Events schedule