It’s time to replace some of Berkeley’s old recycling carts! PLUS new lid colors

Published May 7, 2024 · Written by McNeilly Fieweger

Image of an Ecology Center truck driver in high vis loading a recycling cart into an Ecology Center hauling truck. Cart is mid air.

Dear Neighbor,

Thank you for being great recyclers! With your help, Berkeley is a leading recycler that produces high-quality, higher value materials diverted from household waste. Together we can fight back against pollution, regional ecosystem destruction, and the global climate crisis.

The City of Berkeley has approved a phased program to replace older residential recycling carts serviced by the Ecology Center. This replacement project is funded by the City of Berkeley’s Zero Waste Division/Public Works Department through the Ecology Center’s Residential Curbside Recycling Services City Contract.

Your cart will be replaced if you receive a copy of this letter in the mail. The map below displays neighborhoods where carts will be replaced during this phase.  

Map of Berkeley with dots in neighborhoods: between Shattuck and College, south of Dwight; between Fourth St and San Pablo, south of Cedar St; and between Fourth St and MLK Jr Way, South of University.

In adherence to California’s Senate Bill 1383 (SB 1383), residential recycling carts now uniformly sport blue lids, replacing the previous brown/blue scheme. While both lids will be blue henceforth, identifying the correct compartment for recycling will be facilitated through labels on the top of each cart. These labels will denote whether the compartment is designated for containers or paper products, streamlining recycling segregation efforts and promoting environmental sustainability.

A recycling cart lid viewed from the top. Though it is a split lid, both sides are blue, with one side labeled "Paper & Cardboard" and the other "Cans & Bottles"

Carts are scheduled to be replaced during 05/09/2024 and 05/31/2024. 

For more information on recycling in Berkeley visit our recycling resource site, https://ecologycenter.org/recycling/, or the City of Berkeley Zero Waste Services Site, https://berkeleyca.gov/city-services/trash-recycling

Also, please sign up via email for future recycling updates at recycling@ecologycenter.org,  and follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram.

Thank you for Recycling!

The Ecology Center

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