Trash, Recycling, and Yard Waste

The following items are acceptable to place in the trash:

The following items are acceptable to place in the recycling:

• Paper food and beverage containers 
  • Paper cups
  • Dairy, soup, or juice cartons
  • "Tetra Pak" lined aseptic cartons (shelf-stable products like soy milk and soup cartons)
• All plastic bags and film plastics Plastic Bags are Trash Flyer (English) | Las Bolsas de Plástico Son Basura (Spanish)
  • Saran wrap or cling wrap
  • Pallet wrap
  • Peel-away seals on food containers, food bags, and wrappers, or any other type of flexible plastic wrapping
• Pizza boxes (even if the lid is clean)
• Plastic food containers 
  • Clear plastic produce containers
  • Yogurt cups
  • Frozen meal containers
  • Salsa cups
  • Peanut butter jars
• Plastic labeled "compostable" or "biodegradable" 
  • Businesses participating in the Foodscraps Program can place "compostable" items in their yellow foodscraps bin
  • "Biodegradable" is not a certified standard for any method of disposal and should be reused or placed in the trash
• Common disposable items (to go coffee cups, plastic utensils, plastic plates/cups, Styrofoam, etc.)
• Any food or liquid contaminated materials (grease stained, filled with liquid, impossible to clean all the food out, etc.)
• Ceramic dishware or glassware (place in the trash)
• Clothing, linens, and rags (donate, recycle, or place in the trash)
• Electronics
• Food (residents should place food in the trash or try backyard composting; businesses can sign up for our Foodscraps Program)

Other Items

• Batteries are acceptable in a sealed plastic bag placed on top of (not inside) your blue bin on your regular collection day, or in orange buckets available for apartment buildings.

Yard waste includes leaves, branches, and grass, but NOT pampas grass or palm fronds, please. More details on what's allowed in the yard waste containers below. Your yard waste is turned into mulch; find out how to Get Free Mulch.

Container Sizes

Yard waste containers are available in the following sizes:

• Cans: 32 gal
• Carts: 35 gal, 65 gal, 95 gal
• Dumpsters: 1.5, 2, 3, 4 cubic yards

Please place green waste loose in your yard waste container (no bags). The following items are acceptable for yard waste:

• Grass clippings
• Leaves
• Ivy
• Flowers
• Small branches and prunings
• Plants

• Plastic bags or pots (Plastic bags should be placed in your trash bin. Plastic pots can be placed in the recycling.)
• Agave
• Cactus
• Cannabis
• Castor bean
• Palm Fronds
• Poison oak
• Thistle
• Yucca
• Eucalyptus
• Oleander
• Succulents
• Invasive species like pampas grass (Pampas grass is an invasive species and is dangerous to use in mulched material. If you have plant material that might be an invasive species, please call (805) 882-3600 and double check before putting it in the yard waste bins.)
• Food waste (If you are a participant in the Foodscraps Program you may put food in your yellow bin.)
• Animal waste or manure 
• Sod or dirt
• Rocks

Residential Composting

In the City of Santa Barbara all organic material (foodscraps, paper, etc.) placed in the trash is processed into compost and green energy at the County's ReSource Center. Since we have this incredible system, there is no need for a separate residential compost bin. Please continue to discard these organic materials in the trash bin and we've got you covered! 

Business Foodscraps Composting Program

Up and running since 2009, Santa Barbara's commercial foodscraps composting program has over 200 participating businesses: coffee shops, restaurants, hotels, schools, plus a few office-based companies and multi-unit apartment buildings.

Did you know businesses that generate 2 cubic yards or more of organic waste per week are mandated to recycle their organic waste? Read about the Mandatory Commercial Organics Recycling Law (AB 1826) at CalRecycle.CA.gov. 

Where do we send our foodscraps? 

Our foodscraps go from the County Transfer Station to the County of Santa Barbara ReSource Center where they are processed into compost and green energy.

Container Sizes

Outdoor foodscraps containers are available in the following sizes:

• Carts: 35 gal, 65 gal
• Dumpsters: 1.5 & 2 cubic yards (made of heavy-duty plastic to prevent odors and leaking)

Contact us at TrashAndRecycling@SantaBarbaraCA.gov or (805) 564-5631 to schedule a preliminary meeting with a Recycling Specialist to discuss program and service changes.

Schedule training with a Recycling Specialist to educate your staff in foodscraps sorting.

Place colored bins in the kitchen. It is important to keep blue and yellow bins clearly marked and permanently placed. This will make sorting easy for your staff.

Acceptable: 

• Food Scraps
  • Bread, grains and pasta
  • Coffee grounds with paper filter
  • Dairy
  • Eggshells and eggs
  • Fruit (pits and shells too)
  • Leftovers and spoiled food
  • Meat (including bones)
  • Seafood (including shellfish)
  • Tea and tea bags
  • Vegetables
  • Food Soiled Paper
• Coffee filters
• Greasy pizza boxes
• Paper cups and plates
• Paper bags, napkins, tissues and towels
• Paper take-out boxes and container (metal handle OK)
• Parchment Paper
• Natural cork
• Compostable plastic bags and regular clear plastic bags (we allow these for collection but they are removed during processing)

Unacceptable:

• Aluminum foil and trays (Please rinse and recycle these)
• "Biodegradable" plastic ("Biodegradable" is not a certified standard for any method of disposal. Please reuse these materials or put them in the trash)
• Cat litter or animal feces
• Ceramic dishware or glassware
• Clothing linens and rags
• "Compostable" plastic cups, utensils, and plates (If it looks and feels like plastic, it's plastic)
• Cooking oil 
• Diapers 
• Flower pots or trays (If these are plastic and relatively clean they can be recycled)
• Foil-backed or plastic-backed paper 
• Glass, metal, or plastic not labeled "Compostable" (Please recycle these)
• Juice or soy milk type boxes with foil liner
• Liquids or ice 
• Plastic bags, wrappers
• Plastic corks (These can go in the recycling)
• Plastic labeled "compostable" 
• Recyclable/clean cardboard or paper (Please recycle these)
• Styrofoam (We are currently unable to recycle styrofoam. Although you might see a recycling symbol on it, and it is made of recyclable materials, it is made of so much air that there is currently not a viable market.)