The Hazardous and Toxic Materials ( HTM) Office is a non-regulatory and non-enforcement program of the City of L.A. Environmental Affairs Department.  Office staff provide free, confidential, technical resource assistance to businesses throughout Los Angeles.   Working directly with businesses, cost-effective and innovative pollution prevention technologies are identified and applied.  In addition, Office staff provide up-to-date information and training to assist businesses in better understanding and complying with environmental regulations. To help with this effort, the HTM Office also publishes the Environmental Business Assistance (EBA) web page.  

    The HTM Office has won numerous national and regional awards for its program.  Most recently, the State of California's Pollution Prevention Week Award was received for the year 2000 and again for the year 2001, as issued by the State Department of Toxic Substances Control, California EPA.

     The key to industrial pollution prevention is to prevent pollution before it is created.  In using pollution prevention, significant cost savings can occur by reducing raw material use, lowering the amount and toxicity of waste generated, lowering energy costs, lowering associated disposal costs, and decreasing environmental compliance costs.  Businesses are able to comply with regulations and cut costs.

    Since 1988, the HTM Office has been helping small to medium-sized businesses maintain their competitive edge, while achieving environmental compliance through industrial pollution prevention. This type of assistance has been especially successful in reducing pollutants contained in wastewater and stormwater discharges.  

 The HTM Office offers free services in four areas:

• On-site technical assistance to identify and implement pollution prevention methods and process technologies.

• Industry outreach through on-site training, public workshops, and trade show presentations, covering such topics as hazardous waste minimization technologies and regulatory compliance.

• Vendor database access for information concerning environmental consulting services, hazardous waste treatment, hauling, disposal and recycling services, and pollution prevention and control equipment.

• Technical library access for pollution prevention case studies, financial resource publications, hazardous waste regulations, industry and waste specific fact sheets, waste reduction and compliance checklists, and videos.

Contact information:

Hazardous & Toxic Materials Office
Environmental Affairs Department
City of Los Angeles
200 North Spring Street, Suite 1905, Mail Stop 177
Los Angeles, California  90012
Phone: (213) 987-0876
Facsimile: (213) 987-0890
e-mail: htmo@mailbox.lacity.org