Trash & Recycling News ArchiveCity Trash & Recycling

According to the US Environmental Protection Agency, the amount of household waste generated across the country between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day is 25% higher than any other time of year. That’s 25% more trash being sent to the landfill and the EPA estimates that 80% of the extra waste could be repurposed or recycled instead. In the spirit of celebrating more sustainably, we’ve put together a few tips to help you reduce your environmental impact this Holiday Season!

E-waste cannot be put in the trash or recycling containers since it contains hazardous materials. There are e-waste drop-off locations 6-days a week and now quarterly drop-off events. Quarterly drop-off events are free for both residents and businesses.

Learn how to make your events accessible and about the impact of environmental issues on people with disabilities.

Forms now Available in Spanish

In an effort to meet growing encampment clean-up needs, the City established two simple ways for the public to report encampments:

On September 29, 2020 the Santa Barbara City Council adopted an ambitious and bold goal of Carbon Neutrality by 2035. This means that the City aims to remove as much greenhouse gas emissions from the atmosphere as it releases. The City joins the City of San Luis Obispo in emphasizing the urgency of addressing climate change.

The food supply chain has experienced disruptions as a result of COVID-19. Learn how to properly plan meals, cook with ingredients you have on hand, and store and freeze food to make it last longer.

Simple behavior changes can greatly reduce the amount of single-use plastic we all use on a day-to-day basis. Here are some simple tips that you can do to reduce your impact:

As we gear up for socially distanced summer beach visits, we need to be mindful that litter on the beach ends up in the ocean.

City Council Adopts Measure to temporarily halt the $0.10 bag charge requirement as established in Single-Use Carryout Ordinance (SBMC Section 9.150.040).

In the continued efforts to protect public safety and slow the spread of the COVID-19 virus some of our local drop-off facilities have modified services.

To protect residents and staff from the spread of COVID-19, the City of Santa Barbara will be closing all public counters effective Wednesday March 18^th. We will temporarily be accepting utility bill payments by credit card over the phone at (805) 564-5343 and encourage residents to use one of our other payment methods.

The City of Santa Barbara community clean-up was held on Saturday October 19th across 8 clean-up sites. 145 volunteers participated in litter clean-up, graffiti removal, landscape maintenance, illegal dumping clean-up and park maintenance totaling over 8,000 pounds of debris removed.

Looking Good Santa Barbara would like to invite you to join us for our next Community Clean-Up event and to give your neighborhood some love! The event will take place on Saturday October 19th, 2019 from 9 am to 12 pm. Volunteers will have the opportunity to improve local neighborhoods through a variety of projects, including litter pick-up, graffiti removal, and neighborhood beautification projects. Bring your friends, family, and colleagues!

On October 9th, 2018, Santa Barbara City Council voted 6-1 to adopt an ordinance prohibiting the distribution and sale of plastic straws and stirrers as well as limitations to the distribution of plastic cutlery which can only be provided "upon request". This ordinance includes exemptions in consideration of the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Simple Answer: Very clean. Containers should be clean, dry, and loose in your blue bin. Empty out beverage containers, cans, and glass, then rinse or wipe them. Oily or sticky liquids are a big concern because they contaminate other items, like paper. Wet or food contaminated paper will not be recycled as it will mold.

Ban on EPS, commonly referred to as styrofoam or foam, began Jan. 1, 2019. To prevent expanded polystyrene from polluting our creeks and coastal environment, Santa Barbara City Council unanimously voted to approve a ban on expanded polystyrene food and beverage containers from all food, beverage, and retail providers.

What should you do with plastic bags, wrappers, peel-away food seals, and other thin-film plastics? Find out what factors prevent them from being recyclable in Santa Barbara.

We recently mailed out a postcard to City of Santa Barbara residents with helpful information on how to keep our community clean. If you did not receive it or would like to print your own, here are links to digital versions in English and Spanish.

Recycling tips, program changes, service delays, and other important information.

Help keep our streets clean by reporting misplaced shopping carts.

An extraordinary slate of locals are honored with the 2018 Spirit of Service Awards. Through these awards, now in their 14^th year, Looking Good Santa Barbara recognizes individuals and organizations in the community who exceed expectations by reducing waste and keeping the community clean through graffiti and litter abatement.

Approximately 1,400 public trash and recycling containers in 26 different styles currently exist throughout the City of Santa Barbara. A past assessment revealed that most of the containers were weathered or are in disrepair. In 2015, the City’s Environmental Services Division addressed the needs and created a Public Container Repair and Replacement Program.

Clean up of ash is not advised while the fire is still burning and ash is falling.

If you must clean up ash, *PLEASE* DO NOT put ash directly in your trash, it must be bagged first.

We encourage people to avoid single-use plastic bags, but locals may have a few floating around. What to do with them? The answer: we prefer you make a "bag of bags" and return them to a grocery store, or as a last resort bundle them together for your brown trash bin. Learn more about why...

All Santa Barbara residents with trash service have access to battery recycling at home. Tape the ends of the batteries, bag them up, and place them on top of your blue bin.

Four extraordinary local businesses and groups were honored with the 13th annual Spirit of Service awards on May 10th, 2017. Catholic Charities Santa Barbara, Salvation Army Hospitality House, the Mental Wellness Center, and students of Teens on the Scence were recognized for reducing waste and maintaining a clean community.

Six extraordinary local individuals and businesses were honored with the 12th annual Spirit of Service awards on May 11th, 2016. Paul Cronshaw of La Cuesta High School, Santa Barbara Bowl Foundation, Garden Court Community on De La Vina, Calvary Baptist Church of Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara Arts Alliance, and Keep it Clean Santa Barbara were recognized for reducing waste and maintaining a clean community.

Starting January 6^th, 2016 the statewide recycling program for used mattresses and box springs called “Bye Bye Mattress” will be launched in California.

Five extraordinary local individuals and businesses were honored with the 11th annual Spirit of Service awards on May 13th, 2015. Bill Kelly of Nordstrom, Lauren Thal-Hill of Franklin School, residents Jesse Aldana and Stella Larson, and the Towbes Group, Inc., were recognized for reducing waste and maintaining a clean community.

There is a new guardian of Santa Barbara's neighborhoods. The trash monster made his debut at Earth Day and is now appearing on screens everywhere.

Every residential customer is entitled to two annual bulky item collections with an unlimited quantity of goods. E-waste is included. You must call MarBorg at 963-1852 to schedule

On July 26^th, the City held the 11^th Annual City Clean-Up Day. 400 volunteers covered 25 City blocks, collected three tons of trash, and made a big impact on the neighborhoods they touched.