Recycling Opportunities in Concord
Residential Recycling
Each single-family household in Concord has one blue, 64 gallon wheeled recycling container; one green, 96 gallon wheeled yard waste container; and one brown, wheeled garbage container. Residents can choose a 96-gallon garbage container, a 64-gallon garbage container, or a 32-gallon garbage container. Weekly collection of additional wheeled recycling containers or green waste containers is available from Concord Disposal for $7.85 per month each.
All three containers should be wheeled to the curb on the evening before or by 5 a.m. on the day of garbage collection service. All wheeled containers should be placed at the curb, three-feet apart from one another – not obstructed by or close to any parked vehicle or any other object. This will allow Concord Disposal's new automated trucks to pick-up and empty the containers without damage to any property.
All grass and yard clippings will be disposed of directly into the wheeled green yard waste container. Please do not place plastic bags into the green waste containers, as they are not recyclable. No wood, treated lumber, dirt, rocks or pet waste can be recycled as greenwaste. If you have a gardener who mows your lawn, please be sure to advise him/her when the new service begins to place all yard clippings directly into the green container, without bagging it. The following items can be recycled as green waste:
| Yard Debris | Ground clippings |
| Leaves | Tree trimmings |
| Wood Chips | Weeds |
| Brush | House Plants |
| Hay | Straw |
| Cactus | Garden Trimmings |
| Flower & Flower Cuttings | Grass |
| Shrubbery | Pruning |
| Tree Twigs & Branches 6" or less in diameter & 3ft or less in length | |
| * Everything must be in the green container as shown in the photograph | |
All recyclable items should be placed together in the blue, wheeled 64-gallon blue container. Here is a list of the items that can be recycled:
| Loose newspaper | Newspaper inserts |
| White paper | Office paper |
| Colored paper | Magazines |
| Cardboard | Telephone books |
| Junk mail | Boxes |
| Packages (no polystyrene foam, please) | Carbonless paper |
| Catalogs | Construction paper |
| Copy paper, coupons | Envelopes with metal clasps |
| Envelopes with plastic windows | Manila folders |
| Paper bags | Paper packaging with remnant tape |
| Shredded paper (in a paper bag, please) | Aluminum cans |
| Tin cans | Glass bottles |
| Glass jars | Detergent bottles |
| Soft drink bottles – PET #1 | Milk jugs |
| Shampoo bottles | Bleach bottles |
| Colored plastics – HDPE #2 | Aluminum foil (clean) |
| Aluminum pie plates | Food cans (clean) |
| Pet food cans (clean) | Steel cans |
| Narrow neck plastic bottles PET #1 (please remove all caps and lids). | |
| California redemption plastic #1 through #7 | |
| plastic milk/water jugs – HDPE #2 (containers only, empty and rinsed) | |
| * Everything must be in the blue container as shown in the photograph | |
WARNING: Many products in your home contain hazardous materials. It is illegal and unsafe to throw away household hazardous waste in your garbage container, on the ground or down storm drains. If you need to dispose of any of these materials, please call the central sanitation household hazardous waste facility at 1-800-646-1431. Examples of household hazardous waste are:
| Fluorescent bulbs | Batteries | Cements |
| Syringes | Gasoline | Insecticides |
| Pool chemicals | Fungicides | Fuel additives |
| Carburetor cleaners | Wood preservatives | Grease and rust solvents |
| Cosmetics | Glues | Drain openers |
| Lighter fluid | Polishers and cleaners | Oven cleaners |
| Herbicides | Paint | Antifreeze |
| Paint thinner and strippers | Wood and metal cleaners | Used oil and oil filters |
| Photo chemicals | Transmission fuels |
Mt. Diablo Recycling has the largest new, state-of-the-art recycling center in Contra Costa County. Mt. Diablo Recycling Center, located at 1300 Loveridge Road in Pittsburg, provides state-of-the-art, ultra-efficient new equipment which will automatically sort all of your recyclables. If you would like a tour of Mt. Diablo Recycling when it is up and operating, please contact Nicole Adler at Nicole@Garaventaent.com or call Nicole at 925-692-2224.
If you have extra garbage or appliances, please call Concord Disposal Service to schedule a special pick up or bring it to the Recycling Center and Transfer Station at 1300 Loveridge Road in Pittsburg. The Recycling Center and Transfer Station is open 7:00 am to 6:00 pm every day of the year, except Christmas and New Years. Please call for prices at (925) 473-0180.
If you have questions about garbage service, please call Concord Disposal's new service hotline at 925-692-2229.
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 Monday, 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. Monday 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.