Must be clean & dry. You can keep the caps on unless you are recycling these bottles at a buy back center.

Must be clean & dry. You can keep the caps on unless you are recycling these bottles at a buy back center.

Must be clean & dry. You can keep the caps on unless you are recycling these bottles at a buy back center.

Must be clean & dry. Rigid plastics greater than 6″ are still valuable recyclables.

Must be clean & dry. Rigid plastics greater than 6″ are still valuable recyclables.

Must be clean & dry. Rigid plastics greater than 6″ are still valuable recyclables.

Must be clean & dry. Rigid plastics greater than 6″ are still valuable recyclables.

If the empty pill bottle is smaller than 6″ it should be placed in the trash. If you wish to dispose of unwanted medication, please refer to this page for more information.

Coffee pods or capsules are comprised of multiple types of materials, like plastic and aluminum, so they are nearly impossible to recycle.

Plastic bags and other film plastics (plastic that easily crumples in your hand) are easily contaminated with food and liquid, so they need to go in the trash. Please do NOT use a plastic bag to contain your recyclables! To learn more about Ablitt’s film plastics drop off program, click here.

Snack wrappers are a type of film plastic (plastic that easily crumples in your hand) that are easily contaminated with food and liquid, so they need to go in the trash. Examples include candy, cookie, and chip wrappers.

These low-grade food plastics have a long history of being contaminated with food and liquid, so they are undesirable for recyclers, regardless of size. If you can’t avoid using this packaging altogether, then try to reuse them before throwing them away. Examples include yogurt, salsa, sour cream, and cream cheese.

Expanded Polystyrene foam, commonly referred to as Styrofoam, is extremely difficult to recycle from a curbside collection program because it is lightweight and easily breaks apart. Place Styrofoam in your trash unless you are able to drop it off at our Santa Barbara or Goleta recycling centers.

These low-grade plastics have a long history of being contaminated with liquid, so they are undesirable for recyclers, regardless of size. Reusable cups are the best option.

Many “compostable” plastics do not break down at The ReSource Center’s anaerobic digester. All “compostable” plastic belongs in your trash.

[Photo credit: “I am not a plastic cup” by aaron.bihari / CC BY-SA]

This cutlery is too small and weak to be worthwhile for recyclers. Switch to reusables, and be sure to keep a reusable travel set for carry out orders on the go.

Tapes are comprised of different types of plastics, so they are nearly impossible to recycle.

PVC pipes can be placed in your trash container as long as they fit inside with the lids closed. Large PVC pipes can be dropped off for a fee at our C&D recycling facility.