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Single-Stream Blue Recycling Cart

What goes into my blue can?

Local jurisdictions have contracts with franchised garbage companies to provide service for collection of garbage, recycling and yard debris for residences and businesses.

Single-stream recycling means that cans, paper, glass, plastic and cartons can be mixed together. These items are then locally processed for recycling at a materials recovery facility.

Contaminated carts will not be serviced by your garbage company. If your cart is left behind, please remove the contamination and notify your garbage company for the blue single-stream cart to be serviced. Common contaminants are food, liquid, diapers, loose plastic bags, bubble wrap and shredded paper.

Plastic

Accepted in blue recycling carts

Paper

  • Newspaper and inserts
  • Magazines and junk mail (envelopes with windows okay)
  • Office paper
  • Telephone, paperback books and catalogs
  • Cardboard (flatten or cut boxes to fit loosely inside cart)
  • Frozen food packaging
  • Paper bags and egg cartons
  • Wrapping paper (nonmetallic only)

For options to recycle shredded paper, use the search function at the top of this web page. Choose the topic "Paper, shredded and confidential shredding service."

Plastic containers and rigid plastics

  • Empty household plastic containers (leave screw-top lids on containers)
  • Plastic items such as 5-gallon buckets
  • Laundry baskets
  • Plastic crates
  • Plastic lids larger than 4” in diameter
  • Nursery pots & plant 6-packs
  • Empty plastic quart-sized motor oil containers provided the containers have been drained for 48 hours (leave screw-top lids on containers)
  • Plastic jewel cases that hold CDs/DVDs provided that the front paper covers have been removed

How to prepare: Empty containers before recycling. Leave screw-top lids on containers. If lids are removed from the container, they must be larger than 4” in diameter. Leave labels on.

Glass

  • Bottles
  • Jars

How to prepare: Empty containers before recycling. Leave screw-top lids on containers. If lids are removed from the container, they must be larger than 4” in diameter. Leave labels on.

Cartons

  • Milk cartons
  • Soy/rice milk cartons and juice boxes (aseptic packaging)

How to prepare: Empty containers before recycling. Leave screw-top lids on containers. If lids are removed from the container, they must be larger than 4” in diameter. Leave labels on. Remove straws.

Cans

  • Aluminum, tin and steel/bi-metal cans
  • Foil
  • Aerosol cans empty & without pressure
  • Metal or plastic paint cans only if the paint residue is dry

How to prepare: Empty containers before recycling. Leave screw-top lids on containers. If lids are removed from the container, they must be larger than 4” in diameter. Leave labels on.

Metal, scrap

  • Small household scrap metal items not smaller than 4 inches long and not larger than 2 feet in any dimension and weighing less than 25 pounds.

How to prepare: Remove textile or rubber components. No freon-containing appliances. Metal items must fit loosely in the cart.

Household batteries - Santa Rosa and Windsor ONLY
(see special instructions for each city)

  • Household batteries (AAA, AA, C, D, 9-volt)

How to prepare: Pick up special yellow battery collection bags at Windsor Town Hall, Windsor Public Works Department or Windsor Refuse & Recycling office in Santa Rosa. Place batteries in bag and seal firmly. Place bag on top of blue recycling cart for pickup.

Not accepted in blue recycling carts

Many of the items listed below can be recycled, just not through the curbside program—some materials include links to additional content on our site:

Additional Resources

Poster for single-stream recycling (PDF: 1.4 MB)
Póster con información de reciclaje mixto (PDF: 502 kB)