Solid Waste & Recycling E-News July 2022

Did You Know?
Safety Meeting - Solid Waste Facility Closures
Rural Calendar Cards 22-23
Hot to Recycle Shipping Mailers
High Rock Renovations Update
Plastic Free July

Recycling inspectors for the Stars program have noticed a significant amount of plastic plant pots and trays in the recycling carts. Plastic plant pots are hard to avoid when purchasing new plants for your home and garden. These pots and trays are not recyclable in your blue recycling cart. Residents can bring the plastic pots to be recycled separately with rigid plastics at the Waste & Recycling Centers. Please make sure they are free of dirt and larger than one pint.

Plastic plant pots and trays can also be reused! The trays are perfect for growing seedlings. The pots come in varying sizes and can be useful when needing to repot a plant that has outgrown its current pot. Some garden shops or sellers at the farmer’s market may accept them back for reuse. Another option is to check with local community gardens to see if they have a need for these items.

Solid Waste Facility Closures on July 15

The administrative office, landfill and ALL waste & recycling centers will be closed from 11 am – 2pm on Friday, July 15^th for a safety meeting.

Rural Calendar Cards 22-23

The new calendar cards have been mailed out and they cover the recycling collection schedule from July 2022 to June 2023. If you have not received your calendar card, please call or email the Solid Waste office. Printable calendars for each route are also available online, click here to view the calendars.

How to Recycle Shipping Mailers

Shipping mailers come in a variety of sizes, materials, and colors. Follow the guide below for instructions on how to recycle/dispose of shipping mailers.

Plastic mailers: Can be recycled separately with plastic bag & film recycling, available at both the Eubanks Rd. and Walnut Grover Waste & Recycling Centers as well as select grocery stores. Make sure to peel or cut off the shipping label sticker on the package before recycling.
Plastic + paper mailers: These are paper on the outside with bubble wrap on the inside and can NOT be recycled. Please discard them in the trash. Items made with mixed materials, like paper and plastic, are difficult to recycle.
Paper mailers: Can be recycled with single-stream recycling in your blue recycling cart or at any County recycling site.

It is also great to reuse mailers! Keep some mailers handy in case you need to return an item or ship a package.

High Rock Renovations Update

High Rock Waste & Recycling Center is still under construction with plans to finish the renovations by the end of July. The site is now fully paved and a new booth for site attendants was built.

The improved High Rock Site will have additional disposal and recycling services including food waste, plastic bags/film, used cooking oil and textiles. For more information on other materials accepted at High Rock, click here.

Plastic Free July

Participate in Plastic-Free July and take the challenge to reduce single-use plastic waste! You may already be taking several steps to minimize your waste or maybe you are beginning your journey towards waste reduction – regardless, use this challenge to find new alternatives that can become new habits forever.
A great place to start is by looking in your bin! Assess the materials that you are currently throwing away and see how you can swap out or reduce those items.
Aside from bringing your own bag and bottle with you, there are various ways you can reduce your plastic usage:

At the grocery store:

Bring your own bags for produce or don’t use bags at all
- Many stores sell reusable lightweight produce bags to replace using the plastic ones at the store. If your produce doesn’t require a bag, opt out of using one.
Buy loose fruits and vegetables instead of pre-packaged ones
Swap liquid soap for bar soaps
Choose bulk or loose foods if available at your local store
- There are various items you can buy in bulk like nuts, flour, pasta, candy, and dishwashing detergent. Bring your own container to the store and choose the amount you’d like so you’re only buying what you need and avoiding single-use plastics.

At home:

Use reusable food wraps like beeswax wraps or silicone bowl covers to cut out sling wrap and aluminum foil
Choose dish scrubbers and sponges that are made with compostable materials
Have reusable containers to use in place of Ziploc bags or plastic wrap

At work:

Have a set of reusable items including a plate, bowl, utensils, cup and napkins
Bring a mug and a reusable water bottle to work with you
Make sure your office is sorting its waste and recycling properly

For more information on Plastic Free July and ideas on reducing plastic waste, visit plasticfreejuly.org

Follow Us On Social Media!

Follow our social media pages for important updates on waste and recycling programs in the County, upcoming events & webinars, answers to FAQ’s, facilities schedule changes (due to holidays or inclement weather) and other important recycling news you can use!

@ocncsolidwaste on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook

Can't Get Enough Trash Talk?

Listen to OC Solid Waste Representatives the second Tuesday of each month from 8:15 am to 8:45 am on the ‘3-D News’ on local radio WHUP 104.7 FM, over the air and streaming online. Visit this link to listen online. If you missed the show, you can listen online since shows are archived for a month after airing.