Sort right, reuse more to help Berkeley cut landfill waste

Berkeleyans know that green and blue bins are for compost and recycling, respectively. But paying attention to the details can divert more from landfills and even impact our climate.

Toss more of your pizza boxes, coffee grounds, yard trimmings, and compostable fiber foodware into your green bin – instead of your gray household trash bin. Discard into that gray bin the milk cartons, pet waste, diapers, grease, rocks, and many plastic-looking utensils labeled “compostable.”

Use one half of your blue recycling bin for clean paper and cardboard, and use the other half for foil as well as empty, scraped containers of glass, metal, and rigid plastics. And pitch into the trash bin common recycling mistakes we see: plastic bags, foam, small plastics smaller than a yogurt cup – like utensils, lids and medicine bottles.

These simple acts improve the way that Berkeley recycles and composts. They are good for reducing what goes to the landfill while also playing a key role in reducing global warming.

To help these efforts, City staff will also be doing quick visual checks of a small portion of curbside bins through September. If items are misplaced, you’ll get a note to help guide you.

If you want to learn more about the best ways to use your bins, check out our Waste Sorting Guide. To follow local foodware rules, businesses can also apply for a Reusable Foodware Grant to receive free technical help and up to $2,500.

Turn your scraps into soil, not methane gas at the landfill

Every time you compost food scraps, yard waste, or paper napkins, you keep organic waste out of landfills and help reduce climate-harming emissions.

Before throwing something into the trash, consider whether it can be composted in your green bin:

• Food scraps, including banana peels, shellfish, meat, and bones
• Uncoated paper napkins and fiber based disposable foodware
• Coffee grounds
• Food-soiled paper
• Yard trimmings
• Utensils: Fiber-based made from wood or bamboo, or labeled “BPI Certified"

Avoid common compost mistakes:

• Plastic bags and films
• Plastic-looking utensils (even if labeled compostable)
• Diapers or pet waste
• Milk cartons
• Liquids
• Fats, oils, and grease
• Electronics or hazardous waste
• Dirt, rock, or concrete

Not everything labeled “compostable” meets required standards. Only items labeled “BPI Certified” or “Compost Manufacturing Alliance (CMA)” can be composted.

What goes in your green bin can become compost for Berkeley gardens. When you sort food scraps and plant waste into the green bin, you help create compost. That compost is delivered weekly to the Berkeley Marina for residents through the City’s Free Compost Program.

Empty, scrape, and keep your recycling loose

Scrape or wipe off food with a napkin to keep items clean and recyclable.

Place recyclables loosely in your blue bin. Don’t put them in bags.

What goes in is fairly simple.

• One side is for clean paper and cardboard
• The other is for foil and empty, scraped containers made of glass, metal, and rigid plastics

But keep an eye out that you don’t add these to your recycling:

• Plastic bags and films
• Utensils and other small plastics smaller than a yogurt cup (like lids or medicine bottles)
• Food or food-related items like paper towels, paper cups, juice boxes, milk cartons
• Liquids, which may still be in their containers
• Foam
• Window glass, ceramics
• Electronics or hazardous waste

Berkeley recycling is sorted by hand. Clean, correctly sorted items protect workers and improve the chance that your items get recycled.

Landfill is the last resort

Only use your gray bin for items that can’t be composted or recycled:

• Plastic bags, wrappers, utensils, and foam
• Diapers, pet waste
• Coated cartons, and fats, oils, or grease

Putting compostables or recyclables in the landfill bin wastes resources and increases climate-harming emissions.

Keep these out of your gray bin:

• Food scraps, napkins, and yard waste
• Bottles, cans, and clean paper
• Liquids of any kind
• Electronics or hazardous waste

Use the Waste Sorting Guide to learn how to properly dispose of waste. For appliances, construction debris, or bulky items, drop off at the Transfer Station. Use the ewaste collective to recycle your electronic waste. For household hazardous waste like paint or motor oils, use designated facilities. Check the RE:Source guide for disposal or reuse options.

Grants for businesses to go reusable

Berkeley businesses can apply for a Reusable Foodware Grant to receive up to $2,500 and free technical help to follow local foodware rules.

Under City rules, dine-in meals must use reusables, and takeout must use certified compostables. Disposable accessories like straws, napkins, and utensils must be provided only on request. A $0.25 charge is required for disposable cups. The business keeps this fee to help offset the cost of switching to compliant foodware.

Learn more about the City’s food packaging requirements by visiting the Single-Use Foodware Rules. For questions or support, contact the Zero Waste team at recyclingprogram@berkeleyca.gov.

City staff check bins for sorting accuracy

Each summer, City staff conduct early morning visual checks of curbside bins to spot common sorting mistakes. They will leave a tag to help educate about misplaced items.

This work helps Berkeley follow SB 1383, a state law requiring cities to reduce food and yard waste in landfills. As food scraps, plants, and tree debris decompose, they create landfill gas. Fifty percent of those gases are methane, which traps heat in our atmosphere at a rate 28 times greater than carbon dioxide.

Berkeleyans currently divert 77% of our waste from landfills. The Zero Waste Division’s goal for Berkeley is to divert 90% by 2030.

Sort items with attention to detail. Purchase only what is necessary. Reuse whenever possible. These actions all help make a difference.

Help cut landfill waste and pollution by composting food scraps, recycling clean items, and sorting bins correctly.

Links

• Waste Disposal and Recycling Facilities
  • Waste Sorting Guide (City of Berkeley)
  • Transfer Station (City of Berkeley)
  • Berkeley Recycling (Operated by Community Conservation Centers, Inc.)
  • Hazardous household waste facilities
  • Electronics and computer recycling
• Free Compost Program (City of Berkeley)
• Reusable Foodware Grant for Businesses (City of Berkeley)
• Information about Landfill Gas (EPA.gov)