For most of us, one of the easiest ways to help the environment is to Recycle. Over the years, the list of materials that can be recycled in the BLUE bin has increased, where many of us think if it fits in the container, someone will figure it out. This is called “Wishful Recycling.”

Wishful Recycling contaminates paper and cardboard materials that could have been recycled had they not been contaminated. Wishful Recycling items are items like diapers, batteries, garden hoses, liquids, food, toasters, plastic bags or packaging film, clothing or textiles, electronics, or appliances.
China is one of the biggest markets for recycled materials, and it has imposed strict limits on contamination going from 2% to 0.5%. All the content classified as “Contaminated” is disposed of in the landfill.
What goes into the BLUE bin: All jars, glass and plastic bottles, aluminum cans and metal cans, wrapping paper, clean plastic food containers and cups, mail, magazines, newspaper and phone books, cartons, empty aerosol cans, clean aluminum foil and trays, styrofoam packaging and clean food and drink containers**

if the provider is not the city of San Diego, check if your hauler accepts Styrofoam for Recycling, paper or frozen food boxes, flattened cardboard, paper bags, shredded paper, plastic buckets, tubs, pots, trays, and toys. Batteries, tablets, cameras, cell phones, laptops, they all have one thing in common. They use lithium-ion batteries. They have been the cause of significant fires on the trash and recycling trucks; even when they are considered no longer useful, they can still hold enough energy to create a spark if the terminal scrapes against metal. Batteries should not be placed in Blue containers.

Recycling is everyone’s responsibility; approximately 35,000 tons of recyclable material that should go in the blue bin is placed in the black trash bin and disposed of in the landfill.If you need extra BLUE bin space and the City of San Diego is your trash hauler, they are FREE as long as you pick them up.
Questions? #CallCristobal now!