What Goes Where?

Find out how to properly dispose of your items. If you’re unable to find what you’re looking for, reach out to our team.

For printable guides and service brochures, please visit the Sorting Guides and Signage page. Review our Sorting Video to find out which materials are accepted in the recycling, compost, and landfill bins.

Compost
Recycle
Landfill
Hazardous, Electronic & Universal Waste

We accept food scraps, soiled paper, and plants in the green composting cart. Only bio-plastic bags labeled BPI Certified Compostable may be placed in your green cart. All other bioplastics, even if they are labeled compostable, will no longer be accepted.

Need to change the size of any of your carts, or order a new kitchen compost pail? Contact us.

Accepted Composting Materials
Food Scraps Bread, grains, and pasta Coffee grounds (and filters) Dairy Eggshells Fish and shellfish Fruit, including pits Meat, including bones Poultry Vegetables Egg Cartons (cardboard)	Plants Branches and brush (Up to 4 inches in diameter and lids should close) Clean untreated wood scraps Flowers and floral trimmings Grasses and weeds Leaves Tree trimmings	Soiled Paper Coffee filters Greasy pizza boxes Paper cups (including chain store coffee cups) and plates Paper ice cream containers Paper bags, napkins, and towels Paper take-out boxes and containers Paper tea bags Waxed cardboard and paper Wine corks
Unaccepted Composting Material
Animal waste Bio-base & PLA To-Go Ware Even if labeled “Compostable” Concrete, asphalt, stones, sod, dirt, and bricks Cooking oil Diapers Hazardous waste	Juice or soy milk boxes with foil liner Large and/or long tree branches & stumps Liquids and ice Recyclables (glass, aluminum, paper, plastics 1-7) Palm fronds and tree leaves Plastic bags	Plastic corks Plywood Produce stickers Rubber gloves Foam packaging, food containers, and packing peanuts Treated and painted wood

We accept various paper, glass, plastic, and metal materials. All materials should be kept empty, clean, and dry. Avoid food and liquid residue.

Need to change the size of your service, or order a free recycling buddy bag? Contact us.

Accepted Recycling Materials
Paper Bags (paper only, no plastic) Cardboard (non-waxed) Catalogs, magazines, envelopes, and junk mail Computer and office paper (all colors) Milk and juice cartons Newspapers Packing or craft paper Phonebooks and softcover books Shredded paper (in a folded paper bag labeled “shredded paper” and placed inside your blue Recycle cart) Wrapping paper (non-metallic and glitter-free only) Hard cover books	Glass Glass bottles and jars only (metal caps and lids too) Plastic Plastic bottles and caps, tubs and containers (such as laundry detergent containers, shampoo bottles, and yogurt tubs) Plastic buckets	Metal Aluminum cans, foil& trays Caps and lids from bottles, jars, and steel/tin cans Paint & aerosol cans (must be empty or dry) Steel (tin) cans
Unaccepted Recycling Material
Automotive parts and products Batteries and cell phones Black plastics and plastic cutlery Ceramics, glassware, and mirrors Construction materials Diapers Flower and Nursery pots Food Garbage	Garden Hoses Hazardous waste Juice, soup, or soy milk type boxes with foil liner Fluorescent, LED, or HID light bulb Plastic bags Plastic corks Plastic and wire hangers Plastic film, shrink wrap, pallet wrap, and bubble wrap	Soiled paper (paper cups, plates, napkins, towels, take-out boxes and greasy pizza boxes) Styrofoam packaging, food containers, and packing peanuts Unmarked & unnumbered plastics Waxed Cardboard or Waxed Paper Window glass

Few things, once they are used, are actually garbage and need to be sent to landfill. Among such things are non-recyclable plastics and other complex materials that were not designed to be recycled.

Accepted Landfill Materials
Cat litter and animal feces (bagged) Ceramic dishware or glassware Cigarette Butts (extinguished – run under water prior to disposal) Dental floss Diapers Feminine Hygiene Products Foil-backed or plastic-backed paper	Glass mirrors and windows Juice or soy milk type boxes with foil liner Mylar (shiny metal) bags (potato chips, candy bars, balloons, etc) Pens and pencils Plastic bags, wrappers, and film Plastic items mixed with metal, fabric, or rubber	Plastic labeled “Biodegradable” only Plastic utensils and straws Rubber bands Six-pack ring holder – please cut up Sponges Foam Twist Ties Wood – small pieces of untreated wood waste.
Unaccepted Landfill Materials
Appliances Asbestos Batteries Construction debris Cooking oil and grease Dirt, rocks, or stone Electronics Fluorescent, LED, or HID light bulbs	Food scraps, soiled paper, or yard trimmings Household hazardous waste or chemicals Large items (furniture, metal, plastic, wood) Liquids or ice	Metals & sharks Motor oil Paint Recyclable cardboard, glass, metal, paper, or plastic Toys with electronics or batteries

It is illegal to put items such as electronics, batteries, fluorescent bulbs, pesticides, and other chemicals in the trash. When household hazardous wastes end up in a landfill, they can cause serious threats to humans, wildlife, and the environment.

NEW! Effective January 1, 2021, treated wood (any wood that has been treated with a chemical preservative to protect the wood against attacks from insects, microorganisms, or fungi) is considered hazardous waste per California State law. Recology is no longer able to haul treated wood waste. More information can be found here.

Household hazardous waste

What Goes Where?

Compost

Recycle

Landfill

Hazardous, Electronic & Universal Waste