Recycling

The Basics of the Curbside Recycling Program

On February 14, 2012, the City of Santa Clara passed a mandatory recycling ordinance in order to comply with California Assembly Bill 341. Ordinance No. 1894 requires recycling be provided for:

• All residential dwellings, including multi-family complexes with five or more units, and
• Commercial businesses generating four cubic yards or more of garbage service per week

Recology provides recycling services to all residences in the City of Santa Clara. Mission Trail Waste Systems provides recycling services to all commercial businesses generating four cubic yards or more garbage per week.

The City's single-stream curbside recycling program utilizes blue wheeled carts (similar to the black garbage and green Clean Green carts) for single-family residences. 64-gallon carts are available to single-family homes, but residents can obtain larger (95-gallon) or smaller (32 gallon) carts by calling Recology at (408) 970-5100.

Multi-family residences have the option to use wheeled carts or front load bins. Residents may begin using the cart for recyclables as soon as it is delivered. Newspapers, mixed papers, corrugated cardboard, glass bottles and jars, aluminum and tin cans, discharged metal spray paint cans, steel and other kitchen scrap metals, and plastic containers marked #1, #2, #3, #4, #5, and #7 (NO STYROFOAM) should be placed in the blue cart. Plastic grocery, produce, dry cleaning and bread bags should be bundled together inside a clear plastic bag and placed in the blue cart. Used motor oil (in one-gallon or less screw-top containers), motor oil filters in ziplock plastic bags, and compact fluorescent lightbulbs (CFL's) in separate ziplock plastic bags should be set on the ground next to the blue cart.

A listing of items that can be recycled in the carts or front load bins can be found at "How to Set Your Recyclables Out". Looking to recycle items that aren't included in the City's curbside program? Check out the Center for Development of Recycling's website at http://www.recyclestuff.org/.

Be sure lids on carts are completely closed, and put cart in the gutter (wheels against the curb) next to garbage and Clean Green carts (be sure to leave at least 3 feet of space between each cart) on your regular solid waste collection day. Large cardboard containers that cannot fit in the wheeled carts should be broken down according the the rules in "How to Set Your Recyclables Out" and stacked next to the cart. Questions? Call (408) 970-5100 or (408) 615-2063.