Refuse & Recycling Services

850 - Curbside Recycling - Recyclable Materials

Residents of single-family homes have a commingled recycling collection program for cans, glass, plastic and mixed paper, as well collection of yard trimmings, grass, brush, etc., in the green yard waste cart. The following items go into the blue cart:

Cans and foil

• Aluminum beverage cans and aluminum food cans (e.g. cat food cans)

• Steel/tin food and beverage cans 

• Clean aluminum foil and foil food trays

Plastics

• Water/juice/soda bottles

• Food containers

• Milk and water jugs

• Detergent/cleaning product bottles

• Personal care bottles

• Plastic shopping bags (not loose--please bag individual bags into one larger bag before placing in the barrel)

Glass

• All glass bottles and jars (mayonnaise, apple juice bottles, wine bottles, etc.)

• CA redemption bottles (beer, juice, wine coolers, etc.)

Paper

• Newspaper (including inserts)

• Office paper (white and colored)

• Computer paper

• Corrugated cardboard

• Cardboard boxes and paper bags

• Phone books

• Magazines and catalogs

• Food/detergent boxes

• Office mix (file folders, fax paper, envelopes, advertisements, flyers, etc.)

• Junk mail, bulk mail, and scrap paper

• Paper bound with non-water soluble glue (paperback books, hardback books, overnight mail packages, etc.)

• Milk cartons (clean and rinsed)

• Aseptic packages (juice boxes)

If you have more recyclable materials than your container(s) can hold, please contact the Solid Waste Management Division at (310) 458-2223 to obtain more containers for your materials. There is no additional charge for these extra containers. However, if the materials are not in the designated container, they will not be collected.

Containers should be placed on the street or in the alley on your scheduled refuse collection day, with the lid opening facing the street or alley and the container handles pointing toward your home. Containers should be placed at least two feet from other collection containers and objects such as vehicles, poles, walls, fences, trees and street signs.

Please do not put plastic materials—including Styrofoam, flower pots, hoses, PVC pipe, pool covers, etc.—in your recycling containers. They are not recyclable, but they are often reusable. Many nurseries are happy to take back plastic flowerpots, while many mailing and packaging stores, including Mail Boxes, Etc., and Kinko's, welcome donations of clean Styrofoam packaging peanuts. If you can't find an outlet to re-use these materials, please secure them in a bag and place them in your refuse container.

For large items like appliances, scrap metal, yard waste, construction debris, cement and asphalt, please contact the Santa Monica Refuse and Recycling Center at 829-7323.

For more information, please call the Division of Solid Waste Management at (310) 458-2223, Monday through Thursday from 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and on Fridays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. You may also leave a message and your call will be returned on the next business day.