Petition County of Santa Barbara and MarBorg Industries to Provide and Promote Proper and Clear Guidelines for Proper Disposal of Recyclables and Compost

In the recycling process, contamination causes the diversion of recyclable products into landfills. Contamination occurs when items are not placed in the proper bin or are not cleaned properly. According to the U.S EPA, the US currently generates about 292.4 million tons of waste, with around 25% of recycled items entering landfills due to contamination. 

Currently the US has no federal law mandating recycling, leaving individual counties to set standards for their recycling procedures. Since each county has different recycling requirements, it should be up to the county to provide clear guidelines so that residents can properly dispose of their recycling and compost. Many residents are not aware of what goes in each bin (landfill, recyclable, compost, green waste) and unintentionally contaminate the recycling process, which unnecessarily fills landfills.

We call on the County of Santa Barbara and MarBorg Industries to generate, implement, and provide clearer guidelines to Santa Barbara County residents to promote proper recycling and composting practices, and reduce contamination throughout the recycling process. Furthermore, we suggest that the County of Santa Barbara and MarBorg Industries provide scannable QR codes on each bin so that residents can easily access guidelines for proper disposal of their waste, recyclables, and compost.  Since recycling and compost requirements update frequently, changeable QR codes will help residents adapt to the county’s current disposal requirements. By providing proper and clear guidelines, we can reduce contamination and stop diverting recyclable items into landfills. Moreover, the County of Santa Barbara and MarBorg Industries can be pioneers in addressing recycling contamination, making way for other counties across the US to follow.