Programs
New Organics Recycling Program (SB 1383) is here!
SB 1383 Short-Lived Climate Pollutants (SLCP): Organic Waste Methane Emissions Reduction
SB 1383 now encourages residents and businesses to recycle all organics. Organics include yard waste and food scraps from your kitchen or restaurant.
Yard Waste includes:
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Grass clippings
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Weeds
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Leaves
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Plants
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Flowers
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Small branches
Kitchen Food scraps include:
Household Medical Recycling
Biohazards
What are Medical Sharps?
Home-generated medical sharps include needles, syringes, and lancets, used to administer home health care to residents and their pets.
What is the Problem?
Improper disposal of used sharps an injure children, home healthcare providers, sanitation workers, and pets through accidental "sticks". Needles can be contaminated with hepatitis, HIV or other communicable infections. City of San Bernardino Municipal Code 8.24.070 Section A expressly prohibits the disposal of hypodermic needles and syringes in refuse and recycling containers.
How should I discard my home-generated sharps?
Home-generated sharps can be safely and legally disposed by participating in a program offered by the City of San Bernardino Public Works Department. Home-generated sharps should be placed in a rigid-plastic BIOHAZARD sharps containers provided by the City. Do not collect sharps in any other type of container, including milk jugs and coffee cans.
Do not throw sharps in the trash or flush down the toilette
How can I get a collection container?
Free sharps collection containers are available to City of San Bernardino residents. Get a free container from The Public Works Department on the 3rd floor in City Hall.. Proof of residency will be required. Please provide a California ID, and a Municipal Water Department bill if your ID shows an out-of-town address. Home-bound residents may call 909.384.5140 for more information on collection containers.
How should I dispose of my container?
When your sharps container is 3/4 full, exchange it for a new one at the County of San Bernardino Fire Department, Household Hazardous Waste Collection Facility adjacent to the San Bernardino International Airport at 2824 East W Street. The Collection Facility is open Monday - Friday, 9 AM to 4 PM. Sharps will ONLY be accepted in a rigid-plastic BIOHAZARD sharps container.
DO NOT BRING SHARPS OR FULL COLLECTION CONTAINERS TO CITY HALL FOR DISPOSAL
Pharmaceuticals
What are pharmaceuticals?
Pharmaceuticals are prescribed or over-the-counter drugs and medications used for medical treatment of people and our animals.
What sort of environmental effects are caused by flushing medications?
Hormones found in medications may cause antibiotic resistant bacteria. Consequently, the bacteria survive and multiply, making it difficult to combat. Long-term health effects on marine life and humans are not yet determined, but it is clear that proactive measures need to be taken to keep medications out of the water.
How should I dispose of my unwanted medication?
Trashing medicine is a better option than flushing. However, precautions must be taken to ensure the safety of children and animals.
- Liquids
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Empty liquid medication onto absorbent paper towels or rags and dispose of with regular trash
- Propellant Inhaler
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Empty container by expelling all propellant. Dispose of small empty cylinder in trash.
- Pills
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Capsules and tablets should be made unusable and unattractive by wetting, breaking, and crushing. The remains should be placed in the original childproof container with all your personal information removed, sealed with tape and tossed in the trash. Or, another option is to mix the medication with decaying food, used coffee grounds, or kitty litter for disposal with your household trash.
The Household Hazardous Waste Collection Facility adjacent to the San Bernardino International Airport at 2824 East W Street will also accept medicines. The Collection Facility is open 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday - Friday.
Used Motor Oil & Filter Recycling
California Integrated Waste Management Board Used Oil Page
California State Law prohibits the disposal of oil by emptying it in the sewers or storm drains, putting it in the garbage, or pouring it on the ground!
Recycling your used motor oil & filters is easy, please follow these 3 simple steps.
1. Pick up your free collection container
Free reusable 15-quart used motor oil collection containers and used oil filter collection containers are available to City of San Bernardino residents. Containers may be picked up from the Public Works Department.
2. Drain the oil from your vehicle into the container.
The collection container is for used oil only. Never mix used oil with other automotive fluids, such as antifreeze or transmission fluid. Never dump used oil in the trash, down the drain or on the ground!
3. Recycling Used Motor Oil
Collection Centers
You can recycle used oil at a certified used oil collection center. Collection centers will accept up to 20 gallons of oil per day in containers no larger than 5 gallons. Please call for hours of operation.
Listing of certified collection centers located in San Bernardino. You can also call the State's used oil hotline 1-888-OIL-DROP.
Tips
Reduce
Waste reduction tips For:
Paper
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Use the following resources to help reduce junk mail and faxes:
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Use email for sending messages, invitations, letters, etc.
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Use online resources for reading the news, paying bills, etc.
Green Waste
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Grasscycling reduces the amount of yard waste disposed in landfills. Research has shown that lawns can generate approximately 300 pounds of grass clippings per 1000 square feet annually. This can be as much as 6 1/2 tons per acre each year! Grass clippings are too valuable to throw away, and grasscycling allows this green material to be reused in our urban landscapes.
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Grasscycling saves time, money, and protects the environment. Mowing time is reduced since the bagging and disposal of clippings is eliminated. Grass clippings add beneficial organic matter to the soil, which provides free fertilizer and produces healthy, green lawns. Grasscycling reduces turf grass fertilizer and water requirements, which can minimize toxic runoff entering storm drains and polluting lakes, creeks, and rivers. For more information, visit the Grasscycling section of the California Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery website at https://calrecycle.ca.gov/organics/grasscycling/.
Reuse
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Shopping Bags - Bring your own bags for shopping or reuse bags.
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Beverage Containers & Coffee Mugs - Next time you need a drink of water or crave a convenient coffee at work, remember to bring a reusable container or mug. Think of the amount materials used for one coffee cup: one paper cup with plastic lining, a plastic top, a cardboard sleeve and a stirrer---it can really add up!
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Use Re-refined Motor Oil for your Vehicle
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Re-what? That's right re-refined motor oil. Wonder where all that oil goes to that oil change shops collect, or that you do-it-yourselfers take to Certified Collection Centers? We've learned that unlike gasoline, motor oil doesn't get used up, just dirty. So used oil may be easily filtered and processed to meet API standards accepted by vehicle manufacturers such as Chrysler, General Motors, Ford Motor Company, and Mercedes Benz! It takes approximately 65 quarts of crude oil to produce one quart of base oil. But, since used oil has already been refined once, it only takes 9 quarts to produce the same! That's 86% less crude oil we'd have to depend on, not to mention the energy saved. Retail vendors are listed on https://www.calrecycle.ca.gov/UsedOil/ReRefined/. or you may call the CA Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery Used Oil Recycling Program at 916-341-6457.
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"Close the Loop" - BUY RECYCLED - USE A MINIMUM 30% POST CONSUMER RECYCLED-CONTENT - NOW THAT'S RECYCLING - That paper isn't truly recycled until you, the consumer, buys it again as a renewed product. PCRC paper products come in all sorts of bright colors, some sophisticated textures, and that tried and true clean white. Look for the highest content you can find - and make sure it says "POSTCONSUMER". Search the Cal Recycle Recycled-Content Product Database.