Recycling Opportunities in Concord
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Residential Curbside Recycling
Every single-family residence is provided a blue and a white recycling bin. The blue bin is for paper products: newspapers, colored paper, advertising inserts, white paper, computer paper, magazines, envelopes (without windows), phone books, and cardboard. Cardboard can also be tied, no larger than 24 inches, and placed alongside the bin. The white bin is for: all #1 and #2 container plastic (HDPE and PET); glass bottles and jars; clear or any color glass; aluminum cans; California redemption plastic soft drink bottles; PET #1, non-carbonated beverage containers; tin and steel-plated cans. Place bins at curbside on the day of your regular garbage collection or the evening before. If you need bins, please call Concord Disposal Service at (925) 682-9113.
Residential Green Waste Recycling
Every single-family residence is provided the green waste recycling service. Green waste is collected at curbside and taken to a composting facility. Place green waste at curbside on the day of your regular garbage collection or the evening before. Place in your container(s): yard trimmings, grass clippings, leaves, flowers, weeds, brush and prunings. You provide separate yard waste container(s) 32-gallons in size, plastic bags or bundles 4 feet in length, or less, and not heavier than 50 pounds for this weekly program. Do not place food waste, ashes, dirt, household trash, rocks or hazardous waste in the container(s). A separate recycling truck will pick up green waste for recycling.
Apartment Recycling
Apartment complexes can implement a recycling program at the cost of $1.00 per unit per month. All units in the complex must subscribe to the service and centralized recycling containers are provided. Call Concord Disposal Service at (925) 682-9113 for more information.
Commercial Recycling
Free business waste audits are available to businesses. Call Keith Nance at Mt. Diablo Recycling 682-4518 to have your businesses waste stream analyzed and recommendations provided for increasing recycling efforts. There is no charge for this service and you may be able to reduce your garbage bill by increasing recycling.
Grasscycling
Grasscycling is the simple practice of leaving lawn clippings on your lawn. These clippings decompose quickly and release valuable nutrients back into the soil. For more information, including a discount program for purchasing a mulching mower, visit http://www.wastediversion.org/grasscycling.htm.
Green Building Guidelines
Conventional home building and remodeling practices consume large quantities of wood, plastic, cardboard, paper, water and other natural resources. The City of Concord has joined with 18 other Contra Costa cities and the County to develop a comprehensive guide for home remodeling and new construction. View the Green Building Guidelines on line or call the City of Concord at (925) 671-3448 to receive your free copy.
Construction & Demolition Recycling
Construction and demolition, whether for a bathroom remodel or a new shopping center, creates considerable solid waste. The "Contra Costa Builder's Guide to Reuse and Recycling" lists local alternatives for recycling construction debris (scrap metal, tiles, concrete, porcelain, dry wall, wood, doors, windows, etc.). In some cases money can be received for used building materials and construction wastes. Download (19.5 Mb PDF file) the Guide here or call the City of Concord at (925) 671-3448 to receive your free copy.
Household Hazardous Waste Recycling
The City of Concord, in cooperation with other Central County cities, funds the Household Hazardous Waste Collection Facility. This facility accepts household hazardous waste from residences for recycling. There is no charge to use this service and no appointment is necessary. The facility is open to residents of Concord and other participating Central County jurisdictions from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Small businesses must make an appointment to use the facility and are charged a nominal fee based on the type and quantity of waste. The facility is located at 4797 Imhoff Place near the intersection of Highway 680 and Highway 4. Call 1-800-646-1431 for more information and detailed driving instructions or visit www.centralsan.org. Examples of household hazardous waste accepted include paint, motor oil, household cleaners, automotive care products, garden care and pest control products, pool chemicals, glues, resins and other materials.
Recycle Used Motor Oil
Central Contra Costa Sanitary District collects used motor oil at their Household Hazardous Waste collection facility located at 4797 Imhoff Place, Martinez (near the intersection of Highways 680 and 4). The facility is open to residents of Concord and other participating Central County jurisdictions from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. Personnel at the facility also recycle other Household Hazardous Waste, including transmission and brake fluids, cleaning solvents, paints, batteries, and pesticides, at no charge to the public. For more information call 1-800-646-1431 or visit www.centralsan.org.
Recycle Electronic Devices
Concord Disposal now provides curbside collection service for electronic devices including those with cathode ray tubes (CRTs) such as computer monitors, televisions, scanners and some camcorders. The service is available for all Concord Disposal customers.
There is a $25 recycling fee for each CRT collected. This fee is for disassembly and removal of hazardous materials. Any CRT found in residential garbage, cleanup debris or commercial garbage would be removed and left for proper disposal by the customer.
To schedule curbside collection of CRTs and electronic waste, customers should call Concord Disposal at (925) 682-9113 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. The public can also take CRTs and electronic waste for a fee to the recycling center and transfer station at 1300 Loveridge Road in Pittsburg, CA. The facility is open seven days a week from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. For more information, call (925) 473-0180.
Reduce, Reuse, Repair, and Recycle
We can each have an impact on the amount of garbage produced in our City by becoming aware of how much we throw out and by changing some of our habits about buying and using things. Environmentally-aware consumers produce less waste by practicing the "4Rs": Reduce, Reuse, Repair, and Recycle. They buy products that are less toxic or contain less packaging, use reusable containers and other reusable items, maintain and repair products, participate in recycling programs, and buy products made from recycled materials. Please visit the central Contra Costa County Solid Waste Authority Web site for detailed information on recycling and reuse.
For more information on any of these programs or to express comments and suggestions e-mail cityinfo@ci.concord.ca.us. The Contra Costa County 2005 Contra Costa Reuse & Recycling Guide is available in its entirety.
