LessIsMore.org: Santa Barbara County's Recycling Resource

Free compost workshops will be taking place in Santa Maria, the Santa Ynez Valley and Santa Barbara in May and the beginning of June! Don't miss your chance to learn more about this amazing way to reduce your waste and improve your garden.

Santa Ynez Valley Workshop this Saturday, May 192th!

Visit LessIsMore.org/workshops for more information.

If you’re tired of seeing those old paint cans in the garage or that old jug of used motor oil in the back shed, bring them to the County's upcoming household hazardous waste collection event on Sunday, April 1st at the Santa Ynez Valley Recycling and Transfer Station.

Using County mulch could not only save you water and beautify your garden, you could get rebates from your water provider too!

County residents can participate in Mulch Madness by adding mulch to their landscapes to improve the health and water-saving capacity of their gardens - - and certain water providers offer cash rebates to help subsidize the cost of materials. Best of all, those rebates aren’t limited to mulch, but also pertain to other “smart landscaping” improvements such as switching to drip irrigation, turf removal, planting water-wise plants, and making other changes which reduce water usage in the garden.

The Green Business Program of Santa Barbara County celebrated the most recent Santa Barbara County businesses to achieve the Green Business certification at a luncheon February 15. The companies most recently certified are: Aqua-Flo Supply (Goleta), the Chumash Casino Resort –Hotel (Santa Ynez), Santa Barbara Airbus (Goleta), True Nature (Goleta), four UCSB Dining Commons, and Z Folio Gallery (Solvang).

blurb

With plastic bags a hot topic these days, we're happy to announce that local residents can now place all clean plastic bags in their curbside recycling bins. From grocery bags to sandwich bags, and lots of types in between, go ahead and toss your bags in the blue bin!

Christmas tree recycling is happening all over Santa Barbara County! Make sure your tree is included.

We have all the details for your area included in our video, by clicking "Read More" below or by visiting our Christmas tree recycling page!

As the Holidays and Black Friday approach, you may be wondering what can you get for the composter in your life? Lucky for you the County has our great $40 discounted Earth Machine composting bins in stock.

And one more thing. We have a limited supply of $25 compost aerators too!

California has always been a national leader in the recycling movement. One reason why is that in 1989 a statewide bill introduced the mandate of 50% materials recycling to the State. Yesterday, on October 6, 2011 the state got a new goal of 75%!

In Santa Barbara County, we have been at or close to 75% recycling for the last few years, as have several local cities. This bill challenges the rest of California to reach our recycling level. It also challenges us to keep up our great track record and continue to expand recycling opportunities in Santa Barbara County.

You can read more about this exciting change and more in a statement from Californians Against Waste. Or you can read the official bill, AB 341.

If you’re tired of seeing those old paint cans in the garage or that old jug of used motor oil in the back shed, bring them to an upcoming household hazardous waste collection event. The Santa Barbara County Public Works Department is holding two events in early October – on Saturday, October 1 in New Cuyama and on Sunday, October 2 in the Santa Ynez Valley.