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It’s been over a year now since RethinkWaste moved into our new administrative offices on lovely San Carlos Avenue. Before we even made our space into what it is today (it was a concrete shell when our agency purchased the space back in November 2023), staff and its architects made the bold decision to repurpose much of our existing furniture. This choice, driven by a deep commitment to sustainability, not only saved costs but also kept beautifully crafted items out of the landfill.

While interior design and office planning typically do not prioritize sustainability, Executive Director Joe La Mariana championed a transformative shift away from the throw-away culture perpetuated by fast furniture to reuse as much as we could from our previous office and directed the architect team to make it happen. Some of the furniture we weren’t able to find a home for in our new space was taken home by staff or others.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates that Americans discarded over 12 million tons of furniture in 2018, a figure that surged during the pandemic, and continues to be high with the ease of online ordering furniture. All over the country, people began experiencing the convenience of buying beds and desks online for the first time, often facing limited return policies and unrealistic product visions. The ease of online purchasing prompts companies to keep prices as low as possible to attract buyers. This drastic price slashing has severely compromised the quality of materials used. Items like desks, beds, and chairs may seem appealing online but often disappoint in person and rarely last beyond five years, leading to an influx of discarded furniture.

Above is a graph from the U.S. EPA indicating the sudden increase in furniture and furnishings in American waste up to 2018. Data since the pandemic is not yet available, but we do know increase in furniture purchasing would indicate an increase in waste generated.

Above is the floor plan of RethinkWaste’s new office, with some of the furniture and items taken over from their previous residence. Some notable items we were able to reuse that aren’t reflected in this document include the following:

• The 4 Rs signs made of recycled magazine are showcased on our wall in the previous office and now are in the hallway in the first floor (see above image).
• A “barn door” that was once the door holding our server to now cover two openings for storage space on the second floor.
• One set of 3-stream system bins we reused from the City of Foster City, who were getting rid of them during a remodel.  The set now sits in our new large conference room.
• A long wooden table once in our Executive Director’s office is being reused as our kitchenette table.
• A wooden table with a glass top that was once also in our Executive Director’s office is being reused as a table in our “Collaboration” Space room on the second floor.

RethinkWaste makes smaller sustainable choices all the time: our internal purchasing policy includes buying only recycled content paper and paper supplies, we use washable glasses for water at board meetings. When it comes to purchasing, we prioritize buying secondhand when possible and renting supplies for events. When holding raffle prizes, we always aim to give away experiences rather than items. Even during our move, we rented moving boxes instead of buying them, to lessen waste since the boxes would only be used for a short amount of time.

These are just a few strides that RethinkWaste takes to uphold our commitment to sustainability. It’s a part of our mission, vision, and guiding principles to reduce waste in the environment, and the thoughtfulness that our staff put into moving to a new office proves we don’t just talk the talk, we walk it.

July 10 Update: The Shoreway Transfer Station is now back open to the public.

RethinkWaste acknowledges that an unanticipated national industry disruption emerged between Republic Services (Republic) and the International Brotherhood of Teamsters on July 8. This has resulted in some picket lines at local Republic-owned facilities, including at Ox Mountain Landfill in Half Moon Bay and Newby Island (Newby Island) Resource Recovery Park in Milpitas.

RethinkWaste nor our contracting partners South Bayside Industries (SBI) which operates the RethinkWaste-owned Shoreway Environmental Center, and Recology San Mateo County (Recology)-our service area’s franchised waste collection provider, are party to this situation, but RethinkWaste’s service area residents and businesses have been impacted.

Landfill materials collected in the RethinkWaste service area are currently sent to Ox Mountain and about 50 percent of compost materials collected are sent to Newby Island. RethinkWaste, along with its contracting partners SBI and Recology, are taking measures to minimize any service impacts to ratepayers. As of today, July 9, the Shoreway Transfer Station is closed to the general public, which includes self-hauled materials and the compost giveaway. The Shoreway Public Recycling Center, which is free to residents, remains open to the public.

For future updates, please check the RethinkWaste.org website.

Whether you need to dispose of a cell phone, lights, or an old fry pan, we are here to help! Let’s take a deep dive into these three commonly tricky categories of items, how to dispose of them properly, and where you can bring them.

E-Waste

Examples include computers, monitors, printers, TVs, cell phones, headphones, smart watches, fax machines, VCRs, radios, etc.

Electronic waste, commonly known as e-waste, is unwanted electronic devices. The United States is one of the largest e-waste generators in the world according to the Department of Toxic Substances Control. In 2022, about 15.8 billion pounds of e-waste was generated in the U.S. E-waste is considered hazardous waste, as they may contain hazardous materials such as lead and mercury. This means e-waste doesn’t belong in any of your three bins at home! If thrown into one of your three bins, they can be very dangerous and can even start fires in recycling facilities. Instead, e-waste can be dropped off at no charge at the Shoreway Public Recycling Center (PRC) in San Carlos. No appointment needed!

Lights

There are many different types of light bulbs and light tubes and some of them require safe disposal. Allow us to shed light on how to dispose of each type!

• Halogen & Incandescent lightbulbs can be thrown in the black landfill bin, as they do not contain any hazardous materials (such as mercury). They can also be recycled, but at very few locations, none of which are in our service area. Visit RecycleStuff.org to find the nearest location.
• Fluorescent lights contain mercury and therefore cannot go in the garbage. Instead, fluorescent lights and bulbs (including CFLs and up to 6 ft. for tubes) can be dropped off at the PRC.
• LED lightbulbs and tubes can be dropped off at the PRC.
• HID lights are considered hazardous waste and are only accepted through San Mateo County’s Household Hazardous Waste Program.
• Neon Lights. Neon is not hazardous and can go into the garbage. If the lights have an electrical component with a plug, it could be considered e-waste. 

Scrap Metal

A lot of people know that metals can be recycled, but many don’t know that not every object made of metal should go into your blue recycling bin at home! Some of these objects need to be recycled separately because they pose a safety risk for facility workers and harm to the machines. Many metallic items can be recycled as “scrap metal” and dropped off at the PRC. Here are some examples:

• Metal Utensils and Cookware: Metal utensils, pots, and pans can be recycled as scrap metal at the PRC and should NOT be put in the blue recycling bin. 
• Non-stick Cookware: Can be recycled as scrap metal at the PRC even with the PTFE coating (often known as Teflon).
• Parts (Car or Scooter): If there isn’t a battery and the part is all made of metal, then it can be accepted at our PRC.
• Wire Hangers: Are ok to go to scrap metal at the PRC, but not in the curbside recycling bin as they will damage and jam the machinery at our recycling facility.
• Chain-link Fence: Can go in scrap metal as long as there is no plastic cover.

Sometimes items may be too bulky to put in the scrap metal bin at the Public Recycling Center and may need to be disposed of alternatively. For example, a metal filing cabinet is large and bulky, so it cannot be placed in the scrap metal bin and should instead be taken to the Shoreway Transfer Station or saved for one of your yearly Bulky Item Collection pickups via Recology San Mateo County.

We know that recycling items may be tricky, which is why if you’re ever in doubt about if something can be recycled or not, you can always contact us to help! Feel free to email us or call us at (650) 802-3500. Happy recycling!

Due to compliance with California Senate Bill (SB) 1383, your carts may be inspected randomly by Recology San Mateo County (Recology) for proper sorting. On behalf of RethinkWaste, Recology will conduct random inspections of containers (Route Reviews) throughout the service area to identify contamination and encourage proper materials separation. This is an effort to keep our waste streams free of contamination, to increase diversion from the landfill, and to help identify which items are mistakenly being placed in the wrong bins. Route review data will also help guide RethinkWaste and Recology’s education and outreach.

Starting in June, Recology will be performing route reviews of residential and commercial areas. Recology’s team may arrive in the early morning hours and may spend several minutes conducting their route review activities.

SB 1383 is a law enacted by the State of California to reduce harmful greenhouse gas emissions to combat climate change. All food scraps, food/beverage soiled paper products, and yard trimmings are to be placed in the green compost cart/bin. This ensures none of these materials are going to the landfill, which is where they would decompose and produce methane – one of the most potent greenhouse gases in Earth’s atmosphere.

For more information about the law and annual route reviews, visit RethinkWaste.org/SB1383 or contact us at SB1383@RethinkWaste.org.

For tips on sorting properly, visit RethinkCompost.org.

RethinkWaste recently hosted our 10^th annual Poster Contest, garnering beautiful drawings from students across our service area that reflect how our youth think and feel about sorting waste. The Poster Contest is one of two contests RethinkWaste hosts each year to give students an opportunity to interrogate their relationship with waste by using art as a medium. The Poster Contest is centered on making waste-related drawings while the Trash to Art contest, hosted in the Spring, encourages students to be creative by reusing household materials to make 3-D art pieces. You can view past contest’s art pieces here.   

Throughout history, art has been a powerful tool for activism. Artists can convey complex sentiments about topics that may be difficult to communicate through words alone. A part of the power of art is in its longevity—art is timeless and can help the influential messages of artists to live on in the present and through generations. Most importantly, art has the potential to make us feel a range of emotions that inspire us to come together to make change in our daily lives. When we resonate with art, we become mobilized to act.  

Across the world, many artists have used their creative talents to express their feelings and raise awareness about waste-related issues. Other artists have made it their mission to only create pieces made from reused materials. In this blog post, we will be highlighting some pieces displayed around Northern California that showcase the important connection between art and zero waste advocacy. 

Ethyl the Whale by Joel Dean Stockdill and Yustina Salnikova 

This sculpture of a blue whale was erected in San Francisco’s Crissy Field facing the Golden Gate Bridge  from 2018 to 2019. The large sculpture is made entirely out of discarded single-use plastic commonly found in households and created in collaboration by the Monterey Bay Aquarium and a team of artists attempting to raise awareness about ocean plastic pollution. The concept behind the whale is highlighted in the unfortunate fact displayed on a nearby plaque that reads, “Every nine minutes 300,000 pounds of plastic—the weight of a blue whale—makes its way into the ocean.” The sculpture went on to win a Guiness World Record for being the world’s largest recycled plastic sculpture.   

Goldie and Leap by Sayaka Ganz 

Ganz’s work is also made from reclaimed plastic materials and highlights the connection between humans and our relationship to the natural world. She states, “I believe the best way for artists to help reduce waste is to show how beautiful these materials can be, and what can be done with these mundane objects and materials. When we think of these things as beautiful, we value them.” Some of Ganz’s work can be found on display in the Monterey Bay Aquarium. 

PET-ART by Veronika Richterová 

Richterová’s art is specifically made from reclaimed PET (polyethylene terephthalate) water bottles. The water bottles are heated and manipulated by the artist and formed into new creative pieces. The completed art pieces are often displayed in installations that incorporate the natural world, as depicted above. Richterová states, I like to create art from things which are used up, adding that she has thought about the creative possibilities of other people’s cast-offs since she was a child. 

From observing the work of these artists, we can assign real meaning to the phrase “one man’s trash is another man’s treasure.” All these artists have a common thread of finding a new life for plastic waste that would otherwise have entered the waste stream. Through their art, these artists are advocating for us to consider reusing materials before we decide to toss them out. As consumers, even if we are not artists, we can apply this sentiment to our own lives and find creative ways to reuse our waste. If you would like to create your own sculpture made of materials that would have otherwise gone to the landfill or recycled for RethinkWaste’s Trash to Art Contest, submissions are open until March 29^th! 

Sources:  

1. https://www.parksconservancy.org/our-work/monterey-bay-aquariums-blue-whale-art-installation-accessibility-signs 

2. https://womenmindthewater.com/artivist-series/yustina-salnikova 

3. https://sayakaganz.com/ 

4. https://www.designindaba.com/articles/creative-work/plastic-bottle-artworks-veronika-richterov%C3%A1 

5. https://www.euronews.com/green/2019/03/30/watch-this-czech-artist-creating-life-like-sculptures-from-plastic-bottles 

It’s summertime, which means it’s time for fun, travel, and a LOT of hot weather. Whether you are on vacation or spending time at home with friends and family, you can still make this summer a sustainable one! Here are 10 tips to help you be sustainable while staying cool and having fun this summer! 

1. Save energy by utilizing passive cooling and fans 
   Instead of using the AC, try passive cooling. Passive cooling is a type of building design that focuses on keeping the temperature in your home cool without using electricity. One easy way to passively cool your home is to keep your curtains and blinds closed. By allowing that sunlight into your home, it’s heating up! Cover your windows with curtains or blinds. Consider using fans rather than AC to reduce the amount of energy you’re using.  

2. Maximize the use of natural sunlight
   Instead of turning on the light, take advantage of the extra daylight! Opt for natural lighting in rooms such as kitchens, bathrooms, living rooms, and bedrooms for as long as possible instead of using electricity.   

3. Switch to LED lights
   Did you know that the type of lights you use could be contributing to heating up your home? Switch out your incandescent and CFL light bulbs to LEDs! They emit no heat, produce the same amount of light, and saves money on your energy bill. 

4. Set the AC to 78 degrees for maximum energy saving and comfort 
   According to the US Department of Energy and Energy Star, setting your thermostat to 78°F is the standard temperature to stay comfortably cool and save money! 

5. Avoid single-use plastic utensils, plates, and cups when traveling 
   Whether visiting a new place or going to a restaurant, avoid takeout containers and cutlery and bring your own reusables or dine-in. 

6. Need a cool place to hang out or rest? Take advantage of your local library’s AC 
   The library is not just a place to get a book. You can find really cool events to attend, play games, do some art, utilize their computers, all while cooling off with their AC! 

7. Water your garden in the morning or evenings 
   It may seem obvious, but watering your plants in the mornings or evenings is a great way to save water by preventing it from evaporating during the hot daytime. And it’s better for your plants too! 

8. Hang dry your clothes 
   Instead of using the dryer, take advantage of the sun! Did you know the first patented dryer was granted in 1892? However, it wasn’t until the 1960s that they became popular. Up until then, the traditional way to dry clothes were on clotheslines. This summer, try to save energy by hang-drying your clothes. 

9. Buy seasonal produce at your local farmer’s market 
   Buying produce in season and locally allows for your produce to be fresher, taste better, and less energy intensive since it does not need to travel far. 

10. Avoid driving when you can
    Get some fresh air and exercise or hitch a ride by walking, biking, or using public transportation this summer. Turn a five-minute drive into a 20-minute walk, six-minute bike ride, or a walk and ride with the bus! 

Who knew that there were so many ways to help the planet in the summer?! Summer is the best time to incorporate these sustainable practices. Just a few changes can make a huge impact!  

The RethinkWaste Environmental Education team has written and released a comprehensive lesson booklet for students in grades K – 5, complete with teacher instructions, student instructions and activities, and videos with audio readings. These lessons cover topics such as proper waste sorting in a 3-bin system, repairing broken goods, categorizing litter outside, and reducing food scraps through kitchen creativity. Each lesson has a reflection activity, but these activities aren’t limited to the students completing the lessons – they are great activities for adults too!

1. Color Your Feelings – from Waste Detectives and Litter Bingo lessons
   After learning about all waste, landfills, and litter, you might feel a little blue! This activity encourages students to identify how they feel after learning about these topics and to assign a color to each feeling. They are then to fill in a heart with these colors to show how much of each feeling they have and are encouraged to share these feelings with someone in their household.
   
   This is a good activity for adults to practice too – how often do you take time to check in with yourself to identify how you are feeling about the past, present, or future? How often do you sit down to color? Completing this activity with your student or on your own is a great way to take a reflective moment for yourself.
   
2. Food History – from Eat Your Compost! Lesson
   This activity guides students through research of ingredients that they use or see being used in their kitchens regularly. They are to look up what country the ingredient originates from, when it was discovered, and who it was discovered by. The activity also has them read about what countries these ingredients are now grown in, what dishes they are commonly used in, how far away the ingredient is grown, and if it can be grown in California.
   
   Students may not have much input when it comes to building the grocery list, so it is important that adults do their research too. Knowing about our ingredients and making efforts to eat local produce are great ways to reduce waste and protect the environment. By choosing to eat foods that are grown locally or domestically, we can prevent unnecessary emissions and packaging from transport of goods. Learning about locally grown produce is also a great way to try new ingredients!
   
3. Nature Walk – from Post-Tour & Post-Presentation Wrap-Up lesson
   The Nature Walk activity encourages students to build a closer relationship with their local environment so they can better understand the need for environmental protection. Students are asked to write down what they saw, heard, touched, smelled, and felt while on their walk.
   
   Whether you are working from home or back in the office, it may seem difficult to find a moment to take a walk or stroll, visit a nearby park, or drive somewhere for a hike. However, just a few minutes of being outdoors can make a difference (as long as the air quality is good!) and provide yourself with a much needed break. Connecting with your local environment and admiring the simple things, no matter where you live or work, can be quite refreshing.
   
4. Advocacy Letter – from Every Litter Bit Counts lesson
   In this lesson, a character named Xavi writes a letter to Arrowhead asking that they share tips on how to protect the environment. This letter serves as an example for students to write their own advocacy letter to the company, organization, or governing body of their choice, and shows them how to call for change.
   
   Advocacy letters are a powerful tool for adults to use, too. We can use them to write to elected officials about a bill that we would like them to support, or to companies that send orders with excessive packaging. As consumers and members of our communities, we have the power to use our voices for good.

Did you give these activities a try? We would love to receive feedback on the lesson booklet. If you have a few more minutes, please send your feedback here.

RethinkWaste and Recology San Mateo County held a Webinar Q&A on Earth Day’s 50th Birthday on April 22, 2020. We received many engaging and thoughtful questions, and we promised we’d share them all here for future reference. If you have more questions, fill out the form below!

Q: How do we dispose of empty prescription bottles? I have heard that even though there is a Renewable Identification Number (RIN, also often referred to as a chasing arrows symbol) #5 on them, they are not actually recyclable – is this true?

A: Rigid plastic containers that hold their shape can go in the recycling. We recommend removing the label to protect your personal information. If you still have unused medicine, you can dispose of it at various locations including police stations and local pharmacies, such as CVS. 

Q: How do we dispose of the metal lids on glass jars? Are they trash or recycle?

A: Although they are two different materials, both are recyclable and should be put into your blue recycling cart with the metal lid on the glass jar. When the glass jar comes to the Shoreway Environmental Center to get sorted, the glass is easily separated from the metal lid so you can keep it on. We prefer all lids from containers be replaced back on before putting it into the recycling to protect clean, dry paper products. 

Q: How clean do plastic and glass containers need to be in order to recycle them properly? For example, does peanut butter need to be completely scrubbed out before putting them in the recycling?

A: The cleaner the container is the better chance it has to be recycled. Please take the extra step to rinse or wipe your containers out, then let the container dry before placing into your blue recycling cart. Additionally, keep the lid on to prevent any remaining food residue from contaminating the paper products. 

Q: Do labels need to be taken off of jars/bottles? And what about the glue that is stuck on it from the removal of the label?

A: We do not require labels to be taken off of jars and bottles, as they end up getting taken off in the recycling process. Labels on medications should be taken off for privacy. Glue that is stuck from the removal of the label can be left on and does not need to be cleaned off.

Q: Can compostable pet waste bags (BPI certified) and their contents go into the compost bin? And kitchen compost bags?

A: No, we don’t want any kind of pet or human waste in the green compost cart because it presents a health risk. The finished compost gets sold to farmers and vineyards to fertilize our food supply, so we want our compost to be clean. The BPI certified pet waste bags are still a good alternative to plastic, however if they contain feces, please discard them in the landfill cart. 

Q: How can we encourage others to compost? 

A: Sharing the many benefits of composting and how you compost at home can encourage and lead others to start! A huge benefit of composting is its ability to return valuable nutrients to our soil and plants. It has the added bonus of combating climate change as diverting organic material away from the landfill reduces greenhouse gas emissions. Diverting this material will also lead to a reduced amount of landfill garbage you discard—you might even save on your bill as compost is offered at a reduced rate!  It’s easier than people realize, and you can share that with them. 

Q: Are biodegradable items compostable? 

A: Biodegradable and compostable are often used interchangeably, but not all things that are labeled biodegradable are actually compostable. The only non-organic items that can go in the compost are those that are BPI-Certified compostable. BPI certification indicates that the product has been tested by a third party, and guarantees the material will break down in an industrial composting facility within the appropriate time. The term biodegradable is often used, along with other greenwashed marketing words such as eco-friendly and nature-made, as a marketing tool. It has no certification associated with it, and there is no guarantee that the material will break down at the composting facility. Non-BPI-Certified products should go into the black garbage cart. 

Q: What about single use utensils that say they are compostable?

A: Single-use utensils that are labeled BPI-Certified compostable are okay to go into the green compost cart, as that stamp of approval means they can break down in an industrial composting facility. All other plastic or non-BPI-Certified utensils should go into the black garbage cart. 

Q: What is the difference between compostable vs biodegradable?

A: The difference between BPI-Certified compostable and biodegradable products is that items that have gone through the process of becoming certified compostable can break down at an industrial composting facility. In contrast, items that have the ‘biodegradable’ label are still made up of some plastic and will not break down in a composting facility.

Q: I heard China isn’t buying our recycling material anymore. Is it true that our recycling material eventually end[s] up as landfill?

A: In March 2018, China enacted the National Sword policy requiring imported recyclables to meet more stringent contamination rates. This made it harder to market plastics and mixed papers. Despite this, most the recyclables collected in the Recology San Mateo County service area are still being sold, either domestically (glass and metal) or internationally to other countries (mixed paper, cardboard, plastics #1 & #2). Currently there are no markets to sell plastics #3-7, and these plastics are being landfilled. This should encourage people to refuse plastic items, knowing that not all plastics are recyclable, and choose metal and glass options which can be recycled.   

Q: If we see the three chasing arrows on the black plastic can we put it in the recycle bin?

A: No, black plastic should be placed in the black garbage cart because the optical sorter at the Materials Recovery Facility (MRF) cannot sort it out. Additionally, black plastic is a low-quality plastic that is difficult to market. It is important to note that the three chasing arrows symbol does not mean that the plastic is recyclable, please refer to only our acceptable items as a guide to placing products in your blue recycling cart. 

Q: We were told at one point that we could put recyclable plastic bags into the blue bin (preferred all placed into one bag), but now is that no longer the case?

A: If you work and live in different cities, you will want to check if there are differences for what items are accepted in the recycling. The plastic bag policy you are referring to is for Recology San Francisco, please check with them if plastic bags are still accepted in their recycling program. For Recology San Mateo County service area, plastic bags are not accepted in the blue recycling cart. Like other soft, flimsy plastics plastic bags are hard to recycle and can become entangled in the machinery at the MRF. 

Q: Can you recycle plastic bags?

A: Plastic bags are not accepted in the blue recycling cart. Like other soft, flimsy plastics plastic bags are hard to recycle and can become entangled in the machinery at the MRF. All your recyclable materials should be placed into the blue cart loose, not bagged up in a plastic liner! Check with major grocery distributors such as Safeway or Lucky’s as they sometimes have collection centers for plastic bags. 

Q: What about bundled cardboard, we were told we can use duct tape to bundle. Is this true?

A: Cardboard can be bundled with string, which is preferred for easy removal, whereas duct tape is more difficult to remove for the sorting workers at the facility since the sorting line is moving very quickly.

Q: Can we place shipping plastic in a separate bag for processing?

A: No, we do not accept shipping plastic in the blue recycling cart. It is a type of soft, flimsy plastic that can become entangled in the machinery at the MRF. Many large shipping companies such as UPS or FedEx are willing to take the plastic packing bubbles back to reuse, but you should call ahead to check that they will take it back. Additionally, think about if you will be sending packages in the future to reuse for your own packages! 

Q: Are the foil tops to yogurt containers recyclable? And just to confirm, labels on eg. banana peels are not compostable?

A: Yes and yes! Foil tops of yogurt containers can be recycled; the foil wrap should be balled up before placing into the blue recycling cart. This includes any aluminum foil sheets. Sticker labels are not compostable and should be removed from fruits and vegetables before the food waste is placed in the compost. The sticker labels should be placed in the black garbage cart.

Q: How about shredded paper with staples, credit cards? Where does it go?

A: Staples in shredded paper is fine, but we ask that the shredded paper is in a sealed paper bag that is labeled “shredded paper” to easily identify when on the sorting line. Credit cards are unmarked plastic and belong in the black garbage cart. 

Q: I purchase almond milk that has a waxed cardboard container and plastic top. I rinse the container, tear out the plastic top, throw the plastic top away and put the waxed cardboard container into the compost bin. Is this correct or does even that waxed cardboard container have a plastic liner?

A: If you purchased your alternative milk from the refrigerated section, you can remove the plastic top/lid and place your container in the recycling. If you purchased your alternative milk in the shelf-stable aisle, this type of container is known as an aseptic container (sometimes known as Tetra-Pak). These containers are made of different types of materials – plastic, paper, and aluminum, and because these items are mixed it cannot be recycled. Aseptic containers go into your black garbage cart. A good reuse tip would be to cut the container in half and use it as a planting pot, avoiding the landfill altogether! 

Q: Can cooking oil be put into compost?

A: No, we do not want heavy liquids in the compost. Used cooking oil can be collected in a sealed container and taken to the Shoreway Public Recycling Center once it is back open after the Shelter In Place has been lifted. 

Q: Can you help me figure out what to do with mail? There’s a mixture of postcards and daily fliers made of paper materials. Does the type/quality of paper matter for recycling (specifically the thick, glossy-coated papers)? Also, what about envelopes with windows? Are those recyclable?

A: Mail of all paper types can go in the blue recycling cart. We welcome anyone going above and beyond, but do understand this is a lot to ask for so we do not require envelopes with windows to be taken off. We also encourage you to take your name off of mailing lists that you do not read, as this ends the cycle of receiving unnecessary mail! 

Q: Quite a bit of plastic packaging does not have the chasing arrows and a number on it. Does that go into trash?

A: Yes, it has to go in the black garbage cart, unless you can creatively reuse it! The three chasing arrows symbol does not guarantee that plastic products can be recycled. It is better to follow the guidelines than to “wishcycle” plastics. It is even better to refuse plastics and instead buy glass or metal products that we know can be recycled. 

Q: Living in an apartment complex, we do not have a compost bin. Does Recology provide compost bins for apartments?

A: Compost is currently available for apartment complexes. We recommend speaking with your Property Manager to set up a compost program. It is also helpful to speak with your neighbors to see if they are also interested in a compost program, because with more residents interested, the Property Manager will be more inclined to add the program. We encourage more multi-family complexes to have a compost program to divert more organic materials out of the landfill! 

Q: Many grocery stores have bulk dry foods but only flimsy plastic bags to put the materials in.  Do any stores make it easier to get the tare on our own containers if we want to bring them to the store for these bulk items?

A: Certain stores, like Whole Foods and Sprouts, will let you tare the weight of your containers. After the first time it has been weighed, you can label your container with that tare weight so you do not have to keep doing it every time! Cloth bags are also good alternatives to plastic bags and can be used for dry goods and fresh produce as well!

Q: If I have old ratty 100% cotton shirts (that aren’t appropriate for donating to Goodwill, etc) can I place these in the compost since cotton is a natural fiber?

A: Since we don’t know what the shirt is treated with, it is not safe to place in the green compost cart. Consider donating to a local animal shelter first. Another reuse idea is to cut up the shirt and use it for dusting, cleaning, etc. During this time, some people are using old shirts for making face masks. 

Q: In some areas, you are no longer allowed to bring in your own reusable bags to grocery stores.  Any tips on getting around this in a safe manner?

A: An option is to keep everything in the cart and wait until you go outside the store, you can bag it yourself in your reusable bags. Alternatively, you can choose paper bags at the grocery store instead of a plastic bag.

Q: What if my paper gets wet, can I still put it in the recycling?

A: Whenever a paper product has touched food or liquid, it should then go into the green compost cart. Now that the paper is wet it has lost its quality and will be harder to recycle, but paper is an organic material and can go into the compost instead! 

If you still have questions about proper sorting or what to do with other hard to recycle items, please fill out the form below.