I Love A Clean San Diego provides springtime waste reduction resources to San Diego County residents

SAN DIEGO COUNTY – With the spring season comes spring cleaning, I Love A Clean San Diego and San Diego County remind residents of the free http://WasteFreeSD.org database and proper recycling practices.

“Spring is a great time to downsize or part with items that you don’t use, have outgrown or simply don’t need,” Steve Weihe, a recycling specialist with the county, said. “Consider passing on usable items to neighbors through Facebook’s Buy Nothing or Marketplace groups, NextDoor, Offer Up, Craigslist or your local thrift store. You’ll be helping your neighbors as well as keeping items out of the landfill.”

WasteFreeSD.org database and hotline

As residents conduct their spring cleaning, they are encouraged to use I Love A Clean San Diego’s free online database, http://WasteFreeSD.org, which provides information on thousands of repair, recycling and donation centers throughout the region. The free database also includes a wealth of options on how to properly dispose of or recycle unwanted items. The R1 Earth hotline is available for residents who have questions or may need help locating a center near them. Hours run from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., Monday through Friday. Incorporated city residents should call 800-237-2583, while unincorporated residents may call 877-713-2784.

“During spring cleaning, we encourage residents to practice reuse, reduce, donate and repair to limit the number of items that end up in the landfill,” Ann Marie Sack, director of community engagement with ILACSD, said. “WasteFreeSD.org is a wonderful and free resource for residents to help them achieve their zero-waste journey this season.”

Use recycling best practices

As families continue their spring cleaning, having items to recycle is expected, but placing the correct items in the blue bin is important. Proper recycling practices ensure items remain valuable, make it through the recycling process and reduce the hazard to workers and machinery at recycling facilities. There are four main groups of materials that San Diego county residents can place in their blue recycling bins: paper, cardboard and cartons; plastic bottles and containers; glass bottles and jars and metal and aluminum cans and foil.

Plastic bags, bubble wrap and plastic mailers are recyclable but should never be placed in the blue bins. These materials can be returned to participating retailers or reused.

Recycle in three steps.

Empty – No or minimal food residue left.

Dry – No liquids remaining. Avoid getting items wet by closing bin lids.

Loose – Recyclables must be placed in the bin loose and not bagged.

Film plastics like grocery bags and bread bags; tanglers like textiles and hoses and household hazardous waste such as batteries, fluorescent bulbs and electronics do not belong in the blue bin.

Residents can also find recycling guides on the county’s website and learn about sustainable practices by registering for one of I Love A Clean San Diego’s workshops and webinars at http://cleansd.org/events.

Submitted by I Love A Clean San Diego.