Recycling 101: How and What to Recycle in Solana Beach

Although reducing plastic use is one of the most effective ways to address individual plastic pollution, sometimes creating waste can feel unavoidable; especially during the holiday season. In these instances, it is important to remember what items to recycle in each bin to ensure that the maximum amount of waste produced can be reused instead of going to the landfill.

Our local waste hauler, EDCO, accepts the following plastic items in their blue recycling bins:

• Rigid items such as bottles, jugs, and jars marked with recycling numbers 1 through 7
• Food and beverage containers
• Jars and Canisters - Peanut butter jars, aspirin bottles
• Cleaning products and detergents (Must be empty)
• Miscellaneous rigid plastics - plastic buckets, plastic milk crates, kitty litter buckets, laundry baskets, and more.

When recycling, make sure all items are clean and dry. Learn more at EDCO's website here. 

You may also cash in your CRV beverage containers at a nearby Beverage Container Recycling Center.
Search for the nearest recycling center!

What about plastic items that are not accepted by EDCO?

Other facilities specialize in recycling those hard-to-recycle plastics that can't go in your blue bin at home!

Solana Beach City Hall has a NexTrex plastic bag recycling bin for thin film plastics including plastic bags, bread bags, produce bags, and more. Learn more about NexTrex recycling rules, and make sure to collect your plastic bags and film to drop off at City Hall. 

Ridwell is another great option for recycling those odd plastics - including pill bottles, flat lids, and others. Solana Beach residents can order a Ridwell bag to add their plastic in, and drop off at a post-office. Ridwell partners with regional and local recycling companies to continue the plastics' life cycle.