Tips for Reducing Your Waste: Helping conserve valuable natural resources and reducing the amount of trash
you send to our over-burdened landfills is easy when you practice the following
3 R's (Reduce, Reuse & Recycle) at your home and office:
Reduce
- Avoid items that are excessively packaged; buy in bulk when possible
- Avoid bagging items purchased from a store if it's not necessary
- Purchase only what you need
- Landscape with native plants that don't require constant mowing or
trimming
- "Grasscyle" your lawn trimmings by leaving them directly on the lawn
after mowing
- Compost your landscape trimmings and kitchen scraps with a backyard
composting bin (purchase a backyard composting bin from the City for $25
plus tax)
- Increase the margins on your word processor to fit more information on a
page
- Copy all documents double sided and try to transfer information
electronically when possible
- Have your name removed from mailing lists of companies you don't
purchase from
Reuse
- Purchase quality items that have a lifetime of use over disposable or
second-rate brands
- Use durable items like ceramic coffee mugs and plates
- When shopping, use a cloth bag or reuse a brown paper bag for your
groceries
- Use sponges and dish towels instead of paper towels
- Donate unwanted items to charitable organizations
- Fix appliances that are worn out instead of throwing them away
- A piece of paper has two sides - use both sides before recycling
- Use two-way envelopes to route documents through your office
- Reuse mailing envelopes and boxes when sending documents and packages
- Reuse "packing peanuts" or take them to mailing houses that will reuse
them
Recycle
- Cans, glass, plastics, newspaper, mixed paper & motor oil can be
recycled in the City's residential curbside collection program
- Use the 100+ drop-off recycling zones in multi-family areas for cans,
glass, plastics, newspaper and mixed paper
- Participate in the City's mixed waste paper collection program for
businesses
- Receive cash back for your recyclables or drop them off at:
Santa
Monica Community Recycling Center:
2411 Delaware Avenue SM
Hours: Mon - Fri 8 am to 5 pm; Sat 8 am to 2 pm
Phone: (310) 453-9677 drop-off bins available dawn to dusk
- Recycle used motor oil at more than a dozen locations throughout Santa
Monica.
- Recycle concrete, asphalt, cinder block & toilets at:
Hanson Aggregate Crushing Facility:
Delaware & Frank Street
Hours: Mon - Fri 7 am to 3:30 pm Phone: (310) 828-7076
- Bring household hazardous products that you have not completely used to
the City's Household Hazardous Waste Collection Facility. Call (310)
458-8227 for more information.
