Getting Started Recycling in San Diego
Posted August 9, 2011, by 9, 2011 by Sheri McGregor
Are you giving money away?
You pay CRV fees each time you buy soda cans or bottles and water bottles. And if you’re like a lot of other San Diegans, you put your soda cans, plastic containers, and other recyclables in the bin for the trash company to haul away. We pay at the grocer, and then again to hand our recyclables to the professionals.
Here’s a getting-started recycling primer for San Diego on the Cheap readers who’d like to cash in on their glass, plastic, metal, and paper around San Diego. Read on for a few details you might not have guessed such as I.D. requirements for some recyclables, quantity limits, and sorting facts.
How much is my trash worth?
Prices fluctuate, so we’ll limit current buy-back specifics to two common recyclables: plastic water bottles, and aluminum soda cans.
As of this writing, your aluminum cans are worth $1.75 per pound (about 34 cans).
For small quantities of plastic water bottles (50 – 100) many recycling centers pay the full CA-CRV rate paid at the store where bottles are purchased – if they count each bottle. Current CA-CRV fees are five cents per bottle less than 20 ounces, and a dime for bottles 20 ounces or more. If you’re recycling large quantities, expect payment on a by-weight basis rather than per a time-consuming individual count (as of this writing, Escondido Recycling Yard paid ninety-one cents a pound).
Collection Basics
If a collection bin is quick and convenient to the rooms in your home where recycling materials are generated, family members are more likely to participate.
Indoors: In-house containers may be placed in the office (for paper recyclables), in or near the kitchen (for plastic and aluminum containers). Empty these containers into larger outdoor containers for more long-term storage. For indoor convenience, allow mixing of recyclable types. You’ll need to sort them for cash in, so separate each time you empty into larger outdoor containers. Depending on your family size and product use, a small bin or bucket is a good indoor choice.
Outdoors: Big garbage cans with lids work well. When choosing your storage bins, keep in mind how you will sort. According to Erick, an employee at Skyline Recycling in Escondido, straight newspaper without any of the shiny advertisement inserts currently pays a penny more per pound than papers that are considered “mixed.” See “What is recyclable?” below for more on paper types. Also think about how often you will recycle and where. Most full service centers have drive in stalls, which means you can back in your vehicle and unload a large haul (not more than $500.00 worth of recyclables at a time according to current State law). If you recycle more often, perhaps a small recycle station in a store parking lot, maybe you’ll walk up with plastic or aluminum beverage containers in a few small bags and need less room and fewer storage containers.
What’s recyclable for cash?
Here are some general guidelines about paper, aluminum, plastic, and scrap metal.
Paper
Pound for pound, paper is worth much less than aluminum and plastic, and since an endless tide arrives in the form of junk mail, newspapers, and other publications with no CRV fee, some skip paper recycling entirely and let it go to the trash company. For those who want to try, here are a few details:
Magazines, catalogs, and general paper are considered “mixed.” Shredded paper (also considered mixed) must be separated from any other paper. Newspaper presented alone pays a little more than other paper. Some recycle centers prefer bundling, pay less for loose paper, or don’t pay for paper at all right now. Check with your local recycling center.
Check with your local recycle center about specific bundling requirements for cardboard.
Plastic
In general, plastic comes in two types: CA-CRV and non-CA-CRV. For instance, soda and water bottles are CA-CRV. You pay this fee when you buy them. Gallon milk jugs are non-CA-CRV. These types are weighed and recycled separately. Also, CA-CRV gallon containers (like big juice bottles) are recycled separately from soda and water CA-CRV bottles. #2 plastic (which is not clear) is also recycled separately. Check with your recycle center to see whether caps can remain on bottles. Some don’t mind. Others want them off the bottles. Caps are recyclable though. No liquid may be in the containers.
Aluminum cans and other aluminum containers
Aluminum cans (soda, beer, etc) store and travel in less space if they are crushed first. Separate out other aluminums (such as a one-time-use roasting or baking pan). Food cans are not usually accepted at recycle centers. Check with your curbside recycling program, though. Edco, for instance, does take the food tins (might as well do your part to go green and put them out in the curbside recycling container).
Scrap metal
Scrap metal such as copper, brass, and stainless steel are valuable recyclables. Your local center may have specific requirements and preferences. Erick, at Skyline Recycling mentioned some State laws consumers should know for recycling scrap metal. For instance, customers must show a state government issued I.D. for scrap metal transactions. Vehicle information including license plate number is also recorded. Customers must sign, give a thumbprint, and a customer photo will be taken. In addition, for scrap metal transactions of more than $20, a three-day hold on payments applies. These regulations discourage theft of valuable recyclable metals.
Glass
Collect wine bottles separately. Other glass is sorted and recycled by color: green, brown, and white.
Although personnel at recycling centers will help, it is more convenient and saves a lot of time if you separate your items prior to arrival. These sites are often very busy (most are open seven days).
More on how much your recyclables are worth.
Pay-out pricing changes too frequently for recycling centers to update websites. Call your local center, or look for prices at the site. Copper and other scrap metal can garner quite a bit per pound. Aluminum and other household recyclables are worth considerably less, but every cent counts. Especially since we pay California CRV fees when we purchase recyclables at the store (check your receipt). Each individual weighs the cost of gathering, sorting and delivering bottles, cans, paper, and scrap metal to a recycle center against the money received in return.
You may be surprised at how much your recyclables are worth, Lori Hall-McNary of her Escondido horseback-riding lesson facility, the Rockin L & D Ranch, assigns the collection and cash-in to her three sons, and says $80.00 a month is the average return for their time.
If you’re not recycling, how much money are you throwing away?
More on the Basics of Recycling
This has been a very basic primer on San Diego County recycling. Find your closest recycling centers with a web search for “San Diego Recycling” or something similar. Some centers offer coupons and incentive bonuses on their websites, making research worth your time. Currently, Skyline Recycling in Escondido offers a 5-cent bonus per pound bonus with this coupon.
Just for fun — since we’re talking about copper recycling, this article on the cost of making a penny is fun.
