Hazardous waste containers could soon be as ubiquitous as regular old garbage cans on many of San Mateo County's residential streets as some local governments face critical decisions about waste management.

The South Bay Waste Management Authority is now offering its member agencies door-to-door collection of household hazardous materials, pharmaceuticals and electronics for less than $5 a year without tax.

Hillsborough this week became the first town to approve the service at a cost of 45 cents per household per month. Municipalities with multifamily residences will have the option of offering hazardous waste collection at 20 cents per unit.

The service is being considered by Belmont, San Carlos, East Palo Alto, Menlo Park, Redwood City, San Mateo and the West Bay Sanitary District, said Monica Devincenzi, South Bay Waste Management Authority's recycling outreach and sustainability manager.

Hillsborough Town Councilman Paul Regan hopes other policy makers follow suit.

"It seems like the right thing for citizens to do and this allows the town to allow that to happen conveniently and efficiently," he said.

Residents will receive instruction kits when the service becomes available that will detail which items are OK to dispose of, such as batteries, TVs, antifreeze, computers, paint and motor oil. The program is supposed to begin this spring.

Southern California-based Curbside Inc. has been contracted to retrieve and

Improperly disposing of waste causes all kinds of problems for the environment, according to county officials.

The San Mateo County Environmental Health Department has hosted periodic hazardous and electronic waste drop-off days in various locations throughout the years, but the implementation of a convenient, door-to-door service should really curb pollution, officials say.

"I've got a basement full of things I'd like to get rid of myself," Regan said.