A regional waste authority in California will begin offering home pickup of electronic scrap by appointment, starting next spring.

The service will be provided by Curbside Inc., Placentia, Calif., which was started in 1995 to handle household hazardous wastes but has been branching out into electronic scrap. Also eligible for pickup are pesticides, fluorescent lamps, thermometers, medical items, pharmaceuticals and motor oil.

The South Bayside Waste Management Authority (SBWMA), when negotiating the deal, faced a choice of two payment options. People using the service could be billed $60 to $80 per visit or the authority could make a flat payment to Curbside of...