Recycling
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What Can I Recycle?
In a nutshell, paper, glass, metal, and plastic bottles (#1 and #2 only, or rigid containers #5 that are gallon-sized or larger). Recycling has changed and there are fewer things we can place in our blue bin. Click the lists below for some common items that can go in your recycling bin.
Also check out our Recycling FAQs and the Recycling Worst Offenders List, a list of unrecyclable materials that confuse lots of people.
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Glass Bottles & Jars
- Bottles (clear, green, brown, amber and blue)
- Jars with tops off (tops are metal, see below).
- Read more about Glass Bottles & Jars
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Metals — All Metal
- Clean aluminum foil and pie plates
- Metal Cans of all types (aluminum, steel, tin, bi-metal and Empty aerosol cans)
- Pots, pans and other metal objects
- Read more about Metals
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Paper & Cardboard (must be dry and clean)
- Mixed paper: office paper, paper bags, junk mail and colored paper
- Magazines, newspapers and phonebooks
- Corrugated cardboard and paperboard
- Read more about Paper
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Plastic — Plastic #1 and #2 bottles and some containers
- Plastics 1 and 2
- Plastics 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7
- Read more about Plastic
Worst Offenders — NOT RECYCLABLE IN BLUE BINS
These items are not recyclable in your blue bin, even though many people think they are. Our website lists innovative ways to recycle, reduce and reuse many of them, but please do not put these in your recycling container.
- Plastic Bags/Film Plastic
- Styrofoam
- Electronics
- Batteries
- Complete list on the Recycling FAQs page.
Outreach Materials
Posters, magnets, pamphlets, brochures, flyers…We’ve got it all! Check out our Outreach Materials page for free resources related to waste reduction in Santa Barbara County.
Recycle at Home
Recycle at Work
Check out our detailed how-to guide on our Business Recycling page.
Recycle at School
Head over to our School Recycling page for tons of helpful information for implementing or expanding waste reduction programs on campus.
Recycle your CRV Containers
Some materials qualify for the California Refund Value, or CRV for short. Many locations throughout Santa Barbara County will accept these items and give you some money in return for your efforts. Check out our CRV page for more information.
Close the Loop, by Buying Recycled Products!
We can also reduce our environmental impact and the waste we create by making sustainable purchases. Buying durable products, choosing items made from recycled materials, and thinking about the environmental impact of how our belongings are made, are all ways we can reduce out impact. To help everyone make better purchases, we made this handy dandy guide, which can be viewed here.
What else is in the Recycle section?
Recycling happens outside of your blue bin, too. Check out the materials in this section to see how you can recycle various household items! Below is a complete list of pages. Just click a link and go!
- AB 1276 – Single-Use Foodware Accessories and Standard Condiments
- AB 1276 Complaint Form
- Agricultural Plastic Recycling
- Aluminum Scrap Recycling
- Asphalt Recycling
- Athletic Shoe Recycling
- Audio Visual Equipment Reuse
- Audio-Visual Equipment Recycling
- Bicycle Recycling
- Brass and Bronze Recycling
- Bricks Recycling
- Business Electronics Recycling
- Business Electronics Reuse
- California Refund Value (CRV) Beverage Container Recycling
- Cardboard Recycling
- Carpet Recycling
- Cast Iron Recycling
- Cell Phones/Smart Phones Recycling
- Cell Phones/Smart Phones Reuse
- Children Accessories Recycling
- Clothing Recovery
- Computers & Peripherals Recycling
- Computers & Peripherals Reuse
- Concrete Recycling
- Construction Waste Recycling
- Container and Wrapper Recycling
- Cooking Oil Recycling
- Copper Recycling
- Crayon Recycling
- Dental Material Recycling
- Dirt/Soil Recycling
- Document Shredding
- Drywall Recycling
- DVD and CD Recycling
- DVD and CD Reuse
- Electronics FAQs
- Electronics Regulation
- Electronics Repair
- Electronics Reuse
- Electronics Take Back Programs
- Fishing Line Recycling
- Flooring Recycling
- Foam Packaging Recycling
- Gas Powered Equipment
- Glass Container Recycling
- Gravel Recycling
- Green Business Program
- Holiday Lights Recycling
- Holiday Lights Reuse
- Junk Mail Recycling
- Laptop Computers Recycling
- Laptop Computers Reuse
- Large Appliances Recycling
- Large Appliances Reuse
- Magazines, Catalogs and Phone Books Recycling
- Mandatory Commercial Recycling Program
- Masonry Recycling
- Mattress Recycling
- Metal Cans Recycling
- Metals (other than cans) Recycling
- Newspaper Recycling
- Office Equipment Recycling
- Office Equipment Reuse
- Outreach Materials
- Paper Recycling
- Paperback Books Recycling
- Paperboard Recycling
- Photographic Film
- Plastic Bags
- Plastic Beverage Container Recycling
- Plastics #1 and #2 Recycling
- Plastics #3 – #7 Recycling (no Styrofoam)
- Plastics Recycling
- Polystyrene (Styrofoam) Packaging
- Portable Electronics Recycling
- Portable Electronics Reuse
- Propane Tank Exchange
- Razor Handles Recycling (Preserve brand only)
- Recycle at Home
- Recycle at Multi-Family Complexes
- Recycle at School
- Recycle at Work
- Recycling Containers
- Recycling FAQs
- Recycling Resource Guide
- Reduce Electronic Waste
- RMDZ Program
- Roofing Materials Recycling
- Sand Recycling
- Shoe Recycling
- Small Appliances Recycling
- Small Appliances Reuse
- Steel Recycling
- Stone Recycling
- Tapes (Audio and Video)
- Teacher Resources
- Telephone Recycling
- Telephone Reuse
- Terra Cycle Container & Wrapper Recycling
- Tiles Recycling (Flooring)
- Tiles Recycling (Roofing)
- Tin Recycling
- Tires Recycling
- Toothbrushes (from Preserve)
- TV & Computer Monitors Reuse
- TVs and Computer Monitors Recycling
- Untreated Wood & Pallets Recycling
- Vacuums Recycling
- Vacuums Reuse
- Vehicles and Automotive Parts Recycling
- Video Game Recycling
- Video Game Reuse
- Vinyl Records Recycling
- Vinyl Records Reuse
- Water Filters Recycling (Brita brand only)
- What Can I Recycle?
- White Paper and Computer Paper Recycling
- Why Recycle?
- Window Glass Recycling
- Wine Cork Recycling
- X-Ray Film
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