Come meet Food Waste Freddie! Food Waste Freddie and RRWM team member, Owen Walsh, worked together to create a video showing you how to properly compost your organic waste. In this extraordinary odyssey, Food Waste Freddie learns how composting can be easy and fun, and that there is so much more to composting than just using the right bin. Join Freddie on his journey! You might learn a thing or two, too! Read more...

Last Saturday, 1,224 volunteers participated in Coastal Cleanup Day at 31 sites throughout the County. Initial results are still coming in, but so far early reports indicate an impressive day of action: 5,625 pounds of trash and recyclables were collected, with participants covering an estimated 51 miles, spanning from Rincon to Jalama. Read more...

Free kitchen pails to collect food scraps are available for County residents! Pick one up from the North County Public Works office during normal operating hours. Click here for more information and driving directions. Read more...

During this year’s event, 1,287 volunteers in Santa Barbara County helped clean up 5,211 pounds of trash and over 892 pounds of recyclables for a total of 6,104 pounds, or 3.05 tons of waste! Read more...

Drum roll, please…The new Less Is More Guide is here! Click here to check out the new go-to resource for recycling and waste reduction in Santa Barbara County. We also include some fun facts about e-waste, food scraps, and more! This guide is also published in hard copy and sent to various locations throughout the County. Read more...

2020 Coastal Cleanup Day is now Coastal Cleanup Month! Join the County and Explore Ecology every Saturday this September and help clean up your neighborhood. Read more...

Got a moldy pumpkin on your hands? Be sure to compost it rather than throw it in the trash. Food scraps (including pumpkins) generate methane when they’re buried in a landfill. Why not compost your pumpkins to produce a nutrient-rich soil amendment that’s great for your garden! Read more...

We’re excited to introduce our latest waste reduction resource for local schools, Food Forward: School Edition! The booklet guides teachers and administrators on ways to reduce food waste on campus. You’ll find case studies of successful school programs, tips for setting up share tables, and step-by-step instructions for composting. Read more...

Thank you to KCRW for featuring the County’s waste reduction efforts in a recent story about the Tajiguas Landfill. The story highlights our new Resource Recovery Project, which is currently under construction and projected to open in 2021. The Project includes a new Materials Recovery Facility (MRF) to sort recyclables and organics from the trash, and an anaerobic digester to process organics. Read more...

Read about the County’s free programs to reduce organic waste in our latest press release. From free composting workshops and mulch to low-cost compost bins, the County has a number of ways to help you prevent organics from ending up in the landfill. Read more...