If you’re tired of seeing old paint cans in the garage or that old jug of used motor oil in the back shed, bring them to an upcoming household hazardous waste-collection event.

The Santa Barbara County Public Works Department is holding two collection dates, Oct. 1 in New Cuyama and Oct. 2 in the Santa Ynez Valley.

The Cuyama event will be 9 a.m.-1 p.m. at the New Cuyama Recycling and Transfer Station, 5073 Highway 166.

The Santa Ynez event will be 9 a.m.-2 p.m., at the Santa Ynez Valley Recycling and Transfer Station, 4004 Foxen Canyon Road in Los Olivos.

At both events, residents can drop off common household items including automotive fluids, cleaners, paint, pesticides and batteries, as well as unwanted electronics like computers and TVs. Old CDs, DVDs, and video and cassette tapes can be recycled as well.

Participation is free for Santa Barbara County residents and for those in the unincorporated area and the city of Solvang.

Both collection events also will accept unwanted household medications and home-generated “sharps” (e.g. needles and syringes). Sharps must be delivered in rigid, puncture-proof containers.

Controlled substances, such as narcotics and some prescription medications, will not be accepted. Such items must be disposed of at one of the county’s Operation Medicine Cabinet drop-off locations.

The county offers free hazardous waste-collection events twice a year in the Santa Ynez Valley and annually in Cuyama.

Additionally, at the county’s ABOP (antifreeze, batteries, used oil and paint) facility, at the Santa Ynez Valley Recycling and Transfer Station, residents can recycle antifreeze, auto batteries, motor oil, oil filters and latex paint from 9 a.m. to noon every Saturday. All county transfer stations accept electronic waste year-round during normal operating hours, free of charge for residents.

For those living in other areas of the county, numerous collection centers are available countywide. Some are operated by the county Public Works Department, while others are run by local cities or private waste-management companies.

For more information about local hazardous-waste collection and Operation Medicine Cabinet drop-off locations, call 882-3615 or visit the county’s recycling website, www.LessIsMore.org.

Leslie Robinson for the county Public Works Department.