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Toss It Out By J. Douglas Allen-Taylor If you've had it with something old that's been hanging around your house, and it isn't something that you can ask to leave, the easiest way to get rid of it is at the city dump. Well, actually, they're called landfills now (the same way a garbage collector is called a sanitation engineer), and they're not run by the city any more, which got out of the dump (uh, landfill) business. The two big local landfills are the Zanker Road facility at 625 Charles St. in San Jose (408.263.2384) and the Newby Island Landfill at 1601 Dixon Landing Road in Milpitas (408.262.1401). Both Zanker and Newby Island accept any household item that's not defined as hazardous (car batteries, by the way, are particularly hazardous; see "Battery Blues," page 22). While it would seem that both facilities do the same thing and should charge similar rates, there is no price fixing here. Zanker accepts appliances at $30 a pop, for example, but Newby Island goes by visual inspection. A refrigerator can run in the neighborhood of $39, with a $25 charge tacked on for handling the freon. Call ahead to avoid any surprises. If you don't want to pay for the privilege of dumping, and your item is still functional, Goodwill (408.998.5798 for large-item donation) and St. Vincent de Paul (408.993.9500) are options. Again, call ahead for information before you load up the truck and do not--we repeat, DO NOT--dump stuff on their curbsides after hours. The San Jose Police Department takes a particularly dim view of such actions, and the resulting fine can be stiffer than the trip to the landfill. Streamlined Living: Pare down and live simply.     Dispose of the Obsolete     Nitty Gritty     Battery Blues Put Up Yer Dukes: Don't get mad, get even. Cruising: Transit made simple. Soul Relief: Free your inner self. Get in on the Gold Rush: Grab a fistful of cash and join the party. Domestic Bliss: Make your house into a home. [ San Jose | Metroactive Central | Archives ]