Waste Prevention Tips

To help reduce the environmental impact of human activities, adopt the hierarchy - Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle ("the 3 R's").

Reduce - to avoid unnecessary waste generation

Reuse - to use again

Recycle - to convert materials into useful and marketable recycled products

Click here for the residents' guide to recycling (.pdf)

What Can You Do? Read the 3 R's below and click here to take it with you! (.pdf)

Reduce

At Home

• Buy in bulk when possible.
• Buy only what you need.
• Buy and use cloth shopping bags instead of plastic or paper bags.
• Purchase durable items that will last a long time like rechargable batteries and compact fluorescent light bulbs.
• Use dish towels instead of paper towels.
• "Grass-cycle" your lawn trimmings by leaving them directly on the lawn after mowing.
• Compost your landscape trimmings and kitchen scraps with a backyard composting bin
• Turn off all water taps promptly; don't waste water.
• Wash only full loads of laundry.
• Have your name removed from mailing lists of companies you don't purchase from.

At work

• Make a few copies of a document to share instead of making one copy for each individual.
• Use electronic mail to communicate or to send messages. 
• Replace styrofoam cups/plates with ceramic or paper items.
• Proofread documents on screen before printing.

Reuse

At home

• When shopping, use a cloth bag instead of a plastic or paper bag for your groceries.
• Donate usable but unwanted items to charitable organizations.
• Convert scrap paper into memo pads.
• Reuse plastic food containers.
• Use old clothing as cleaning cloth.
• Donate wire coat hangers to participating dry cleaners.
• Donate food to local food banks.

At work

• Reuse used envelopes for sending internal mail.
• Use the other side of used paper for drafting, printing, and taking notes.

Recycle

• Newspapers, cardboard, mixed paper, junk mail, cereal boxes, magazines, phone books, aluminum cans, tin/steel cans, plastic bottles, glass/plastic food and beverage containers.
• Receive cash back for your beverage recyclables at participating buy back centers in Corona that can be found at http://www.bottlesandcans.com/dev/locator.cfm.
• Grass clippings, leaves, weeds, tree limbs/branches and small cuttings from bushes and shrubs.
• The Mercury Thermostat Collection Act of 2008
  • Requirements for Contractor and Demolition Professionals
• Used motor oil can be recycled in the City's residential curbside collection program or at participating recycle centers that can be found at http://www.ciwmb.ca.gov/UsedOil/Centers/.
  • Certified Collection Centers Brochure (.pdf)
  • Certificado de Centros de Colección de Catálogo (.pdf)
• Recycler Starter Kits

Confused about what can and cannot be recycled?  Click here for a handy helper. (.pdf)

E-mail the Public Works Department 

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