wHAT GOES WHERE?
We provide residential and commercial organics, recycling, and garbage collection in the City of American Canyon. Whether you are a business owner, property manager, or resident, we work with you to tailor recycling programs based on your needs. Find out how to properly dispose of your items below. Customers may also drop off recyclables, hazardous waste, and bulky items at the Recology Vallejo-American Canyon Recycling Facility.
Wondering what stream your waste goes in? Visit What Bin and find out!
Need to change the size of any of your carts, or order a new kitchen compost pail? Contact us.
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ORGANICS
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RECYCLE
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LANDFILL
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NO BIN
We accept all food scraps, soiled paper, and plants in the green organics cart. All compostable plastics, including BPI Certified Compostable Plastics, and bioplastics, will not be accepted.
Acceptable Composting Materials
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Unacceptable Materials
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Food Scraps:
- All fruits and vegetables (including pits and shells)
- Coffee grounds and tea leaves
- Dairy products (no liquids)
- Eggshells and eggs
- Leftovers and spoiled food
- Cooked meat (including bones)
- Seafood (including shellfish)
Dirty, Soiled Paper:
- Greasy pizza boxes and paper bags
- Paper coffee filters and tea bags
- Paper plates
- Paper napkins, tissues, and paper towels
- Paper take-out boxes and containers
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Plants:
- All plant debris, including flowers, leaves, weeds, and
branches
- Tree trimmings (less than 6” in diameter and 4’ long)
Other:
- Cooking grease: Small amounts can be soaked up with a paper towel and composted.
- Corks (no plastic)
- Cotton balls, cotton swabs with paper stems
- Hair, fur, and feathers (non-synthetic/colored)
- Vegetable wood crates (metal wire OK)
- Waxed cardboard and paper
- Wood: small pieces of clean wood/sawdust (no plywood/
pressboard/painted/stained/treated)
- Wooden chopsticks, coffee stirrers, toothpicks
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- Aluminum foil or trays
- “Biodegradable” plastic
- Cat litter or animal feces
- Ceramic dishware or glassware
- Clothing, linens, and rags
- Cooking oil
- Corks – plastic
- Diapers
- Dirt, rocks, or stone
- Flower pots or trays
- Foil-backed or plastic-backed paper
- Glass, metal, or plastic
- Soup cartons and juice boxes
- Paper milk, juice, and other beverage cartons
- Liquids or ice
- Plastic bags, wrappers, or film
- Recyclable/clean cardboard or paper
- Styrofoam
- Wood – plywood, pressboard, painted or stained wood
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Recycling must be loose, and free of a plastic bag liner. Recycling must be clean and dry. Give food and beverage containers a light rinse.
| Acceptable Recycling Materials |
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Unacceptable Recycling Materials |
Metal (no liquids or food):
- Aluminum cans
- Aluminum foil and trays (ball foil up to softball size)
- Caps and lids from bottles, jars, and steel (tin) cans
- Paint cans (must be empty or dry)
- Aerosol spray cans (must be empty)
- Steel (tin) cans
Plastics:
- Bottles (leave caps on)
- Buckets (metal handle ok)
- Containers
- Laundry detergent bottles
- Molded plastic packaging
- Toys (no electronics, metal, or batteries)
- Tubs and lids (i.e., yogurt containers and Tupperware)
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Paper (clean, dry and unsoiled):
- Bags (paper only)
- Cardboard
- Cereal boxes and Paperboard (remove plastic liner)
- Computer and office paper
- Egg cartons (paper)
- Envelopes (windows okay)
- Junk mail and magazines
- Newspapers
- Packing or Kraft paper
- Sticky notes
- Shredded paper (place in sealed paper bag and label “Shredded Paper”)
Glass (no liquids or food):
- Glass bottles and jars only
(metal caps and lids too)
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- Batteries
- Ceramic dishware or glassware
- Clothing/Fabric ( we suggest donating to a shelter or thrift store)
- Coat hangers
- Electronics
- Food scraps
- Glass mirrors and windows
- Incandescent light bulbs,
Fluorescent light bulbs and HIDs
- Plastic labeled “Compostable” or “Biodegradable”
- Scrap metal
- Soiled paper (paper plates, napkins, tissues, towels, take-out boxes, and greasy pizza boxes)
- Styrofoam
- Waxed cardboard
- Wood
- Yard trimmings
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Few things, once they are used, are actually garbage and need to be sent to a landfill. Among such things are non-recyclable plastics and other complex materials that were not designed to be recycled. Only place materials that cannot be reused or recycled in your trash.
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Unacceptable Trash Materials
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- Cat litter and animal feces (bagged)
- Broken ceramic dishware or glassware
- Cigarette Butts (extinguished – run underwater prior to disposal)
- Coffee pods (Keurig k cups)
- Dental floss
- Diapers and other sanitary products
- Drink Pouches
- Feminine Hygiene Products
- Foil-backed or plastic-backed paper
- Glass mirrors and windows
- Juice boxes and other shelf-stable cartons
- Mylar (shiny metal) bags (potato chips, candy bars, balloons, etc)
- Pens and pencils
- Porcelain
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- Polystyrene foam
- Pet food plastic bags
- Plastic bags
- Plastic wrappers
- Plastic film
- Plastic items mixed with metal, fabric, or rubber
- Rubber bands
- Plastic labeled “Biodegradable” only
- Plastic utensils and straws
- Rubber bands
- Six-pack ring holder – please cut up
- Sponges
- Thermal receipt paper
- Twist Ties
- Wood – small pieces of untreated wood waste.
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- Appliances
- Asbestos
- Batteries
- Construction debris
- Cooking oil and grease
- Dirt, rocks, or stone
- Electronics
- Fluorescent or HID light bulbs
- Food scraps, soiled paper, or yard trimmings
- Household hazardous waste or chemicals
- Large items (furniture, metal, plastic, wood)
- Liquids or ice
- Motor oil
- Needles or syringes
- Paint
- Plastic labeled “Compostable”
- Recyclable cardboard, glass, metal, paper, or plastic
- Toys with electronics or batteries
- Waxed cardboard and paper
- Paper milk or juice cartons
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It is illegal to put items such as electronics, batteries, fluorescent bulbs, pesticides, and other chemicals in the trash. When household hazardous wastes end up in a landfill, they can cause serious threats to humans, wildlife, and the environment.
Effective January 1, 2021, treated wood (any wood that has been treated with a chemical preservative to protect the wood against attacks from insects, microorganisms, or fungi) is considered hazardous waste per California State law. Recology is no longer able to haul treated wood waste.
For information about the quantities accepted at our facility, Contact us. Find out how to properly dispose of your mattresses, bulky, hazardous, and electronic & universal items below:
- Bulky items: appliances, furniture, textiles, metal, electronics…
- Household hazardous waste: Batteries (household and automotive), oil (motor and cooking), paint, antifreeze, and fluorescent bulbs.
- Electronic & universal waste: computers, monitors, cords, phones, TVs, VCRs, DVD players, stereos, microwave ovens, or iPods…
- Mattresses™: Up to three units of mattresses can be dropped off at the Recology Vallejo-American Canyon Recycling Facility
Please contact the Napa-Vallejo Household Hazardous Waste Collection Facility for:
- Other types of household hazardous waste
- Quantities over our limit
