Santa Barbara County Public Works Department

May 2008

Free Composting Workshops

Composting is a great way to reduce your waste because up to 30% of your trash could be food and yard waste! To help you learn how to compost and what its benefits are, the County is providing free composting workshops. There are three workshops scheduled, in Solvang, Santa Maria and Santa Barbara! Click here for more information!

Spring Green Waste Recycling Campaign

The County of Santa Barbara has launched an outreach campaign to encourage people to recycle their green waste rather than throw it into their trash containers. The campaign is also designed to educate the public about the types of green waste that can and cannot be placed in green waste recycling containers.

To learn about the types of materials that can and cannot be placed in your green waste recycling container, please click on this link to access the Green Waste Guidelines: Green Waste Do's and Don't's

Have you heard our catchy green waste songs? Click on the links below to hear some music to put you into the mood for properly recycling your green waste (media player required):

Green Waste Blues.wma
Green Waste Rag.wma

If you have any questions about recycling green waste, please call (805) 882-3624.

Earth Machine Composting Bins on Sale

CURRENTLY OUT OF STOCK
Email your Name and Contact info to jsimeon@cosbpw.net to get on the Waiting List

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 69 Percent

Based on our most recent data for 2006, we have calculated that the County of Santa Barbara, encompassing the unincorporated areas of Santa Barbara County, has achieved a diversion rate of 69 percent. This diversion rate represents an increase of six percent from our diversion rate for 2004 and has been submitted to the California Integrated Waste Management Board (CIWMB) for formal certification. 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. Statewide, the diversion rate is 54 percent for calendar year 2006.

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 69 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: May 1, 2008