Reinforcing the Resolution
Make Reuse Part of Your Resolution!
New Year’s Eve may have come and gone, but you can still stay resolute with your resolutions—especially if they help reduce your eco-footprint!
One way to stay on track with your New Year’s goal of reducing waste is reuse. Whether you’re repurposing a worn-out t-shirt as a work rag, fixing an old bike or discovering that a vintage dress is much cooler than a new fast-fashion one you found online, there are tons of ways to give new life to old stuff.
Think Before You Toss or Buy New:
- When shopping for household supplies, look for opportunities to buy refillable soap and detergent, and reusable alternatives to paper products like cloth napkins and dish towels to reduce packaging waste.
- Instead of buying new clothes, go thrifting! You can find some great one-of-a-kind options that are still in good condition.
- When appliances break down, consider repairing them—our new “Reuse, Repair and Thrift” tool can get you started: RecycleSmart.org/reuse
By supporting local waste prevention efforts, we can protect the environment and save money in the process. Let’s make a difference together!
Save the Planet in Your Kitchen
Reducing the amount of organic material—such as food scraps, uncoated food soiled paper and yard trimmings—sent to landfill is part of California’s SB1383 law.
Composting your organics reduces greenhouse gas emissions and helps meet our statewide 75% landfill diversion goal! To help with this effort, here are some ways you can keep organics from ending up in landfills:
- Reduce your food waste: Make a shopping list or use all the leftovers in your fridge, before buying more food or eating out, to help reduce your food waste.
- Sort your materials: As you clear your plate, see what can be composted. RecycleSmart’s green cart guide is a great way to get started: RecycleSmart.org/houses-green-cart
- Request a kitchen food scraps container: Residents can call Republic Services at 925-685-4711 to request a kitchen food scraps container at no cost every two years.
Want to do more? Visit the Food Waste and Recovery page on our website to find local food recovery organizations and services to donate food or to volunteer: RecycleSmart.org/food-recovery
Keep it Local,
Keep it Green
Did You Know? Our website, RecycleSmart.org offers a helpful resource list of local businesses and organizations that are leading the way in waste reduction. The list includes options for repair services, donation centers, thrift and consignment shops.
Visit today: RecycleSmart.org/reuse
Get Thrifty with It!
Make thrifting a part of your New Year’s resolution! Shopping secondhand is a great way for you to find unique and one-of-a-kind clothing and household items. Plus, it helps divert items from going to landfill. Thrift stores, vintage markets, even online at Facebook Marketplace or Craigslist all have tons of treasures waiting for you. Or, you can be the one to give the next unique find by donating your gently used items to your local thrift store. It’s a win-win!
Get Featured in RecycleSmart
Calling all households! We’re looking for local recyclers to feature in our 2025 newsletters, and YOU can be one of them!
We want to partner with households who want to practice better composting and recycling habits in the new year and share their journey in the upcoming newsletters.
To get the conversation started, all you have to do is email us at Authority@RecycleSmart.org with the subject line “Recycle Smarter,” and let us know why you want to work with us. If selected, we will collaborate with your household throughout the year on recycling and composting best practices—you’ll be the best-informed and most prepared home in the neighborhood in no time!
We’ll accept inquiries through March. We can’t wait to hear from you!
Route Review Results Are In
In 2024, RecycleSmart completed residential and multifamily cart audits. Our auditors did “lid flips” to find out what kinds of contaminants—materials that do not belong—were the most common in each cart.
The team found a lot of missed opportunities for recycling and composting in the black landfill carts, including food scraps and uncoated food-soiled paper which belong in the green organics cart, and jugs, tubs and bottles which belong in the blue recycling cart.
In the blue recycling carts, the sorting team saw too many black bags. If you’re putting your recyclables in a black bag, it won’t get sorted. Instead, place your recycling loose in the blue cart or, if a bag is absolutely necessary, use a clear plastic liner. That way, staff sorting at the fast-moving conveyor belt can quickly see what’s in your clear bag.
A peek in the green organics carts revealed that some folks are contaminating food scraps and yard trimmings with plastic film and plastic packaging. Yep, even if you sort your food scraps, it cannot be composted if it’s in a plastic bag; those bags—and all the food scraps inside them—get pulled out and landfilled. Instead, switch to using a paper bag or a piece of newspaper to keep your kitchen pail clean. Remember to remove all packaging from food (and stickers!) before placing it in your green organics cart.
For more information, click on either the “Houses” or” Apts/Condos” tab at the top of our website to find a printable guide for each cart.
Give Your Black Cart a Break
When items are not properly sorted and end up in the landfill, it’s a waste of valuable resources. We’ve gathered a list of common materials that end up in the black landfill cart to show you which cart they should go in to:
The following items do not belong in ANY cart and should be disposed of separately.
See RecycleSmart.org/hhw for details:
- Batteries
- Electronics
- Fluorescent bulbs
- Heavy construction debris (concrete, rocks, dirt, fiberglass insulation, etc.)
- Medicine and medical sharps
- Treated wood
- Motor oil/filers
- Paint
Resolutions for All
What’s your resolution this new year? Making sure all your recyclables are empty, clean and dry? Being a better sorter when it comes to food scraps? Committing to one sustainable switch this year (goodbye, plastic straws!)?
Whatever it is, now is the time to commit! Gather your household and think of three resolutions you want to achieve this year. Write them down and post your list up in a place everyone can see it.
Remember, resolutions take time. Keep at it and don’t get discouraged. You got this!
Do you have any tips you’d like to share?
Send your ideas to Authority@RecycleSmart.org
ReThink Single-Use Plastic
Restaurants all over Central Contra Costa County have been rethinking their single-use packaging and plastics with the help of ReThink Disposable!
Corner of Brazil in Danville started using reusable foodware for dine-in customers and is expected to save around $2,600 every year! “Before implementing the reusables, we regularly had overflowing trash,” said Corner of Brazil owner Nickolas Guido. “Now, it’s not only no longer overflowing, but we have already seen a reduction in full trash bags by at least one bag a week!”
Casa Orinda was already using reusable dishes, but when they replaced their disposable plastic sauce cups with reusable stainless-steel ones, they were able to stop purchasing and disposing of an average of 300 single-use sauce cups per day (or 6,000+ per month).
Moraga Valley Presbyterian Church reported that their two women’s ministries have loved the switch to reusables and have used them for events like a high school concert reception and a memorial service. They plan to gradually phase-in reusables to replace disposables in more meetings, services and events.
In addition to the ones above, these other restaurants have also partnered with ReThink Disposable: La Chamba Taqueria (Moraga), Lou’s Chicken Shop (Moraga), Los Panchos Restaurant (Danville), Nilo Restaurant (Danville), Blue Sakana Blackhawk (Blackhawk), Pennini’s (Moraga) and Brown Butter (Blackhawk).
Don’t see your favorite restaurant or business on the list? RecycleSmart has funding available to help them join the Reuse Revolution. Have them reach out to us at Authority@RecycleSmart.org.
Spread the Love!
Cut out these fun recycling Valentines to give to your friends and family on February 14!
to download PDF
