If you find the inflow of junk mail irritating, you’ve got good reason.  EcoCycle estimates that we spend as much as 8 months of our lives sorting through the 41 pounds of it we receive each year.  Fully 62% of the mail delivered by the Post Office is direct mail.  That’s 63 billion pieces of mail which not only inconveniences us, it’s bad for the environment – cutting down 80-100 million trees to make the paper and generating greenhouse gases.  Why do we receive so much?  Because it’s more effective than email, social media, or digital display ads at getting you to spend your money.  It also costs cities $1 billion of your taxes to dispose of it every year. 

So, what can you do? 

One option to reducing junk mail is to use DMAChoice.org.  The cost is $4 per year and estimates to be able to reduce junk mail by 80%. You can also opt out the names of the deceased and opt out of email appeals. 

CatalogChoice.org is a non-profit that has compiled a list of 10,000 organizations – both for- and non-profit.  You can register with them for free and automatically send opt-out requests to the companies you want to stop hearing from. 

How to Dispose of Direct Mailers

In San Jose, direct mail flyers can go in the recycling cart.  

Because political speech is protected by the first amendment, you will continue to get political mailers as well as those addressed to “Current Resident.”  But using these tools will help you avoid wasting time managing these mailers for years to come.

We all play a role in keeping San José clean. One of the simplest yet impactful ways to contribute is by recycling properly. 

The cleanliness of the items we place in our recycling containers is often overlooked. While they don’t need to be spotless, it’s important to make sure they are clean enough to prevent liquids or solids from leaking onto other recyclables. The process is easy: a quick empty and scrape of containers will make them clean enough—no need to rinse. Whether it’s the last bit of peanut butter, pasta sauce, or remnants of food in your recyclable takeout container, a small effort goes a long way. When containers are not emptied and scraped, they can also contaminate the contents of the recycling truck that comes to pick it up. 

Emptying and scraping out liquids and solids go a long way in maintaining the value of our recycling systems and ensuring that our recyclables are clean enough to be made into new products. Your small actions add up to big changes, and combined with everyone else, we collectively create a cleaner environment for all of us. 

Want more recycling and waste-related content? Subscribe to our bi-monthly e-newsletter, The Loop, for the most current recycling, garbage and waste reduction news: bit.ly/TheLoop_signup

Have you ever had too much garbage to squeeze into your garbage cart? It can happen to all of us, especially after a party, barbeque, or a big cleaning day.

If this happens at your home, the extra garbage should never go in the recycling. Garbage, such as food, liquid or food and liquid-soiled items, can ruin otherwise good recyclables.

Here in San José, we have a few ways you can avoid an over-filled garbage cart:

• Think of ways to reduce waste in the first place. For example, using reusable items instead of single-use items such as plastic cutlery, paper plates and napkins can reduce the amount of garbage going in your cart.

• San José residents living in single-family homes have a choice among three garbage cart sizes: 32-gallon, 64-gallon and 96-gallon. If your garbage cart is often over filled, it may be time to consider increasing your cart size. Residents can change their cart size here.

• Purchase extra garbage stickers (scroll to the bottom of the page) for $7.00 at local Lucky and Safeway stores and San Jose Library branches. This is a great option if you only have extra garbage occasionally.  Affix the extra garbage sticker to a 32-gallon garbage bag and place it next to your garbage cart for pickup (see the set-out instructions here). Each bag must have a separate sticker.

• Use the City’s free Junk Pickup program to get rid of old junk and large items from your home. Make an appointment, set items out and we’ll pick up. It’s easy and free!

Want more recycling and waste-related content? Subscribe to our bi-monthly e-newsletter, The Loop, for the most current recycling, garbage and waste reduction news: bit.ly/TheLoop_signup

You may have heared a lot about new state regulations designed to keep food waste out of the landfill, where it creates greenhouse gases. You may be wondering what this means for your garbage and recycling services and whether you need to do anything differently.

The short answer is that you don’t need to change how you dispose of your garbage, recycling and yard trimmings. But it’s important to dispose of food waste correctly.

The City’s garbage processor does something called “backend processing.” This means that, before the garbage goes to the landfill, it is sorted much like recyclables are at a recycling facility. In this process, food waste and compostable food-soiled containers are separated out. This organic waste is sent to a composting facility in Gilroy – the same one that composts the City’s yard trimmings. This system put San José in compliance with these new regulations, known as SB 1383, before they even went into effect! And without you doing anything differently!

There are some things to keep in mind though:

-If you’ve got a recyclable food container such as clear plastic clamshells, be sure to empty and scrape the food residue into your garbage before you put the containers in the recycling. No need to rinse in this drought, but we do want to keep food and liquid from contaminating other recyclables in your cart.

-If you have paper packaging that’s food-soiled, it should go in the garbage so that it can be composted.

-Food waste does not go in your yard trimmings pile or cart – even if it’s from your trimmed fruit trees! That fruit also goes in your garbage container.

At Z-Best, the composting facility in Gilroy, food waste and yard trimmings are used to make two different grades of compost. Compost from food waste is used locally in landscaping and median projects. Compost generated by yard trimmings is higher quality and can be incorporated into soil, used in agriculture and for growing plants. Both help keep soil healthy, and healthy soil can sequester carbon underground. Since we need healthy soil everywhere, you may also consider composting at home. And to reduce the amount of food waste we create in the first place, visit our Waste Reduction webpage for some handy ideas.

Want more recycling and waste-related content? Subscribe to our bi-monthly e-newsletter, The Loop, for the most current recycling, garbage and waste reduction news: bit.ly/TheLoop_signup

Image by Benjamin Balazs from Pixabay

This year, we may find ourselves returning to more normal holiday celebrations with family gatherings and traditions. That could mean a return to the holiday buying and the waste that it can generate. So, this year, maybe we can build the holidays back better, with a focus on experiences rather than things. With its disposable costumes and unrecyclable candy wrappings, let’s start with Halloween.

To reduce holiday waste, the waste hierarchy applies: reduce, reuse, recycle, rot.

Reduce: for what you buy, buy less. If you need a costume, instead of buying a new one that is primarily made from plastic designed for one use, put one together with items you or others have at home. If you’re having a Covid-friendly gathering, set out reusable cups, plates and napkins rather than disposables such as single-serve water bottles or plastic utensils.

Reuse:  if you don’t have to buy something disposable – for instance single-use decorations, don’t! Use reusable ones that gather sentimental value over the years. If you’re on a budget, many thrift stores offer reusable decorations and costumes at this time of year. You can swap used costumes or find them at thrift stores as well.  Alternatively, create costumes out of materials you already have at home.

Recycle: any clean paper, metal, glass and plastic products that are accepted in San Jose’s curbside program. See the Recycling Guide on SanJoseRecycles.org for details. Remember to keep food and liquid out of the recycling container. Make it easy for your partygoers by putting signs on your recycling and garbage containers to let them know what goes where.

Rot:  Halloween treats are fun, but their wrappers are not. Unfortunately, these tiny multi-material wrappers are garbage and can easily rot the landscape as litter. As an alternative, reduce candy wrapper waste by making your own or offering fruit (that comes in its own packaging) such as bananas or oranges.  Any leftovers can be composted along with your pumpkin jack-o-lanterns. (Just keep them out of the yard trimmings pile or cart!) Be sure to remove any candles or decorations from the pumpkins first.

If fruit is a step too far, look for candies that come in cardboard and paper packaging such as milk duds, rather than plastic wrappers.

The holidays can create a lot of waste along with all the merriment. With some careful planning and creativity, you can minimize the waste and still maximize the fun.

Want more recycling and waste-related content? Subscribe to our bi-monthly e-newsletter, The Loop, for the most current recycling, garbage and waste reduction news: bit.ly/TheLoop_signup

Photo Courtesy of Millenium Recycling, Sioux Falls, SD

When it comes to recycling, some materials that come in a variety of forms can make it confusing to know what goes in the recycling and what goes in the garbage. Last month, we discussed the confusing world of jar and bottle caps. This month, we tackle all the different types of paper we come across.

Is there a difference between plain paper and paper with coatings such as wax or plastic? What about papers with staples or plastic ‘windows’ or binding? Or that food-soiled wrapper your hamburger came in? We’re here to help you sort out the variations.

There are two main things to consider in recycling paper: the quality of the paper, and whether it’s coated with something.

Quality of Paper

Higher quality paper, such as writing or printing paper, has long paper fibers. This means it’s easy to recycle and should be placed in the recycling container. These papers may be recycled into lower quality papers such as paper towels, napkins, and tissues. Turning high quality paper into lower quality paper means the fibers become shorter and are no longer recyclable.

Lower quality papers such as tissue, paper napkins, or paper towels are not recyclable and should be placed in the garbage container. Besides, these types of papers are often contaminated with other substances such as food or grease or personal care products, which also renders them nonrecyclable. It’s important to keep recyclables clean and dry to ensure they’re recyclable.

Newspaper and advertising inserts, however, are recyclable.

Coatings

Now, if paper is coated with something like wax or plastic, such as the liner on a disposable coffee cup, then the coating makes it unrecyclable, and these items should be placed in the garbage container. This includes the coated paper that comes on the back of address labels or stamps as well as parchment or butcher paper that may be used for cooking.

Store receipts are also not recyclable because they are coated with something called BPA, so make sure to put these in the garbage.

Other Types of Paper

Paper that is otherwise recyclable often has other things on it, too.  A rogue staple here or there can be recycled with a printed document. Same with a paper clip, though we recommend removing paper clips to reuse. Window envelopes that you get in the mail or envelopes with clasps can be recycled as well as papers with adhesives such as post-its and envelopes.

Bound paper such as books and magazines can go in the recycling container though you may want to donate them to a local thrift shop or start a neighborhood free library.

As always, any food-soiled items, including paper food wrappings or paper food ‘boats’, should go in the garbage or your home compost bin.  Food residue can contaminate the clean paper you’re recycling so that it, too, could end up in the garbage.

Fortunately, you can minimize some of the paper waste you make by taking your own cloth napkin and containers when enjoying take-out food, having receipts emailed to you instead of printed, and reading newspapers and magazines online.

With this ‘ream’ of information, you should now be able to dispose of all your paper products correctly. But when something ‘stumps’ you, go to SanJoseRecycles.org to get the answer.

Want more recycling and waste-related content? Subscribe to our bi-monthly e-newsletter, The Loop, for the most current recycling, garbage and waste reduction news: bit.ly/TheLoop_signup