New County On-Line Payment System Now Available  

A new on-line payment system is now available for customers who conduct business at the County's South Coast Recycling and Transfer Station, the Santa Ynez Valley Recycling and Transfer Station, and the Community Hazardous Waste Collection Center. This secure system accepts VISA and Mastercard credit card payments, and no login is needed. In addition to credit card information, a customer must provide either a customer account identification number or an invoice number. For more information and to access the payment system, please click here. 

 Free Composting Workshops in May and June 2013 

Have you ever wondered how to make compost?  Do you want to learn how to avoid creating a bad odor from the material?  What steps can be taken to minimize the attraction of flies?  If you want answers to these and other questions, we encourage you to attend one of the free composting workshops that will be held in Santa Barbara County in May and June 2013.  The workshops will be conducted by staff from the Resource Recovery & Waste Management Division at the following locations and on the following dates:

Solvang Branch Library
1745 Mission Drive 
May 18th (for more information click on this flyer:  Santa Ynez Valley Composting Workshop May 2013)

Santa Barbara City College
Lifescape Garden, east campus entrance past stadium
June 1st(for more information click on this flyer:  Santa Barbara Composting Workshop Flyer June 2013) 

Santa Maria Valley Sustainable Garden
624 West Foster Road, Santa Maria
June 8th (for more information click on this flyer:  Santa Maria Composting Workshop Flyer June 2013)  

Discounted Composting Bins Available Year-Round

 The Resource Recovery & Waste Management Division offers Earth Machine composting bins for sale year-round at a cost of $40.00, which is over 50 percent off the retail price.  These composting bins may be purchased between 7 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Saturday, at the South Coast Recycling and Transfer Station, located at 4430 Calle Real in Santa Barbara.  In the North County, these composting bins may be purchased between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, at the North County Public Works Building, located at 620 West Foster Road in Santa Maria.  For more information about the Earth Machine, visit the County's recycling website:  http://lessismore.org/materials/71-discount-compost-bins  

Summary of Regional Solid Waste Management Services for Fiscal Year 2012-13    

A summary of solid waste management services provided during fiscal year 2011-12 (July 1, 2011 through June 30, 2012) to the cities of Goleta, Santa Barbara, and Solvang, as well as the unincorporated areas is now available.  The summary notes that some services were also provided to the cities of Buellton, Lompoc, and Santa Maria.  To read the summary, please click here.                                   

Availability of 2011-12 Report on County's Hazardous Waste Collection Programs

The annual report describing the accomplishments of the County's Hazardous Waste Collection Programs for households and businesses, covering fiscal year 2011-12 (July 1, 2011 through June 30, 2012), is now available by clicking here.

 Conversion Technology--Resource Recovery Project 

Effective April 19, 2012, the following environmental documents pertaining to the proposed Resource Recovery Project at the Tajiguas Landfill have been released: 

Notice of Preparation for Resource Recovery Project Released 

Notice of Preparation.pdf 61.87 KB  

Environmental Impact Report Scoping Document Released 

TJ RRP NOP SCOPING 4_11_12 FINAL with figures.pdf 3.04 MB

For more information, please contact Joddi Leipner, Senior Engineering Environmental Planner, at (805) 882-3614 or Carlyle Johnston, Project Coordinator, at (805) 882-3617.

 Operation Medicine Cabinet Continues 

Safely dispose of unwanted household medications through Santa Barbara County’s Operation Medicine Cabinet.  Nine new drop-off sites are located throughout the county. Read More...

Earth Machine Composting Bins on Sale  

The County also has Earth Machine composting bins on sale for $40.00, a savings of over 50 percent off the retail price. To obtain more information, please click here: composting_bins.html 

Free Mulch Available  

Did you know that the County offers free mulch? To learn how you can obtain free mulch, please click here: mulch&green_waste.html 

County Waste Diversion Rate at 73 Percent 

Based on our most recent data for 2009, we have calculated that the County of Santa Barbara, encompassing the unincorporated areas of Santa Barbara County and the City of Goleta, has achieved a diversion rate of 73 percent. This diversion rate represents an increase of four percent from our diversion rate for 2006. This diversion rate exceeds the State mandate (AB 939) that all jurisdictions divert at least 50 percent of their waste from landfills by the end of 2000.

The County of Santa Barbara offers a wide variety of programs to encourage the community to reduce, reuse, and recycle its waste. Without the cooperation and participation of the community, however, the County of Santa Barbara could not have achieved such a high diversion rate. Although attaining a diversion rate of 73 percent is impressive, much more can be done. Therefore, the County of Santa Barbara Public Works Department, Resource Recovery and Waste Management Division, will continue working with the community to expand its existing programs and to add new programs wherever possible.

Last updated:  June 17, 2013