Skip to main content

Trash & Recycling

reduce, reuse, recycle

keeping it clean and sustainable

Allied Waste (Republic Services) is under contract with the City of imperial to collect garbage, curbside recycling and yard waste collection.

Imperial residents are provided with three toters/containers: garbage (black), recycling (blue), and yard waste (green or brown). All three are normally picked up on Wednesday mornings. 

The black toter is for regular household trash or any items that cannot be disposed of in your recycling or green waste carts. All waste disposed of as trash should be bagged before it is placed inside the cart.

Residential Green Waste

All residential customers should have their curbside organics green container (or blue container with green lid) by now. Haven’t received yours? Contact Republic Services at (760) 337-2418 to have your container delivered. Once it arrives, make composting a habit for your household and it will soon become second nature. Republic Services’ staff along with City staff will be monitoring your organic waste in the upcoming months. Any contaminants deposited in the organics container will be brought to your attention. Not sure of what goes in which bin? To assist you in properly sorting your trash, CalRecycle has compiled the following recycling informational flyer.

The City of Imperial will provide each household with one free countertop food scrap pail to assist you in recycling your organic waste. The 2-gallon countertop pails have a snap-tight lid, a locking seal to prevent odors, are dishwasher safe and will make discarding and storage of your organic waste convenient.  The countertop pails are available at the Community Development Department located at 400 S. Imperial Avenue.

Questions?

Yvonne Cordero, City of Imperial Planner
(760) 355-1152
ycordero@cityofimperial.org
Silvia Gerardo, Recycling Coordinator
(442) 271-0867
sgerardo@republicservices.com

 

Trash & Recycle - Green Waste

Dirty Paper

  • Greasy pizza boxes and paper bags
  • Paper coffee filters
  • Paper cups and plates
  • Paper ice cream containers (metal rim is OK)
  • Paper napkins, tissues, and paper towels
  • Paper take-out boxes and containers
  • Paper milk and juice cartons (no foil liner)

Food scraps

  • All fruits and vegetables (pits and shells too)
  • Coffee grounds
  • Dairy products (no liquids)
  • Eggshells and eggs
  • Leftovers and spoiled food
  • Meat (including bones)
  • Seafood (including shellfish)

Plants

  • House plants
  • All plant debris including flowers, leaves, weeds, and branches
  • Tree trimmings (less than 6” in diameter and 4’ long)

Other

  • Bags labeled “Compostable” only
  • Cooking grease: Small amounts can be soaked up with a paper towel and composted.
  • Corks (no plastic)
  • Cotton balls/cotton swabs with paper stems
  • Hair, fur, and feathers (non-synthetic/colored)
  • Plastic clearly labeled “Compostable”
  • Vegetable wood crates (metal wire OK)
  • Waxed cardboard and paper
  • Wood: small pieces of clean wood/sawdust (no plywood/pressboard/painted/stained/treated)
  • Wooden chopsticks, coffee stirrers, toothpicks

Put these in your Blue Recycling Bin instead

  • Aluminum foil or trays
  • Glass bottles and jars
  • Metal cans and lids
  • Plastic not labeled “Compostable”
  • Recyclable/clean cardboard or paper

Put these items in your Black Landfill Bin

  • Composite items made of multiple materials
  • Juice, soup, or soy milk type boxes with foil/plastic liner
  • Styrofoam meat trays or other dirty Styrofoam

These items don't belong in your green or blue bins, but should still be recycled.

  • Batteries: small residential quantities can be
  • recycled.
  • Cooking oil.
  • Electronics
  • Hangers: take to your local garment cleaner for reuse
  • Plastic bags and flm: recycle clean
  • plastic bags at California supermarkets.
  • Styrofoam: take packing peanuts to local shipping store for reuse.
Recycle Blue Bin

Paper (All clean and dry paper)

  • Cardboard (uncoated only)
  • Cereal boxes (remove plastic liner)
  • Egg cartons
  • Envelopes (windows OK)
  • Junk mail and magazines
  • Packing or craft paper
  • Paper bags
  • Phonebooks
  • Sticky notes
  • Shredded paper: place in sealed paper bag and label “Shredded Paper”
  • Wrapping paper (non-metallic)

Glass

  • Glass bottles and jars only (metal caps and lids too)

Metal

  • Aluminum cans
  • Aluminum foil/trays: ball foil up to softball size
  • Metal caps and lids
  • Paint cans (must be empty or dry)
  • Spray cans (must be empty)
  • Steel (tin) cans

Hard plastics (no plastic bags, wrappers, or Styrofoam)

  • Bottles: leave caps on
  • Buckets (metal handle OK)
  • Coffee cup lids
  • Containers and clamshells
  • Cups and plates (plastic only, no Styrofoam)
  • Flower pots and trays
  • Toys (no electronics, metal, or batteries)
  • Tubs and lids

 

Put these in your Green Composting Bin instead

  • Dirty paper (plates, napkins, tissues, take-out boxes)
  • Food
  • Paper coffee cups
  • Plastic labeled “Compostable”
  • Coated or greasy paper or cardboard
  • Wood: no plywood/pressboard or treated, stained, painted wood.

Put these items in your Black Landfill Bin instead

  • Broken ceramic dishware and glassware
  • Diapers and feminine products
  • Composite items made of multiple materials
  • Glass (other than bottles and jars)
  • Juice, soup, or soy milk type boxes with foil/plastic liner
  • Light bulbs: Incandescent only are OK for trash
  • Plastic items mixed with metal, fabric or rubber
  • Rubber or latex gloves
  • Styrofoam meat trays or other dirty Styrofoam

These don’t belong in your blue or green bins, but should still be recycled.

  • Batteries: small residential quantities can be recycled.
  • Cooking oil.
  • Construction and demolition debris
  • Electronics
  • Hangers: take to your local garment cleaner for reuse
  • Light bulbs containing mercury (fluorescent/HID)
  • Metals other than cans or lids (pots/pans/scrap metal)
  • Plastic bags and flm: recycle clean plastic bags at participating California supermarkets
  • Styrofoam: take packing peanuts to local shipping store for reuse.
  • Wood (pallets and other)
Landfill Black Bin

 

These items go in your black landfill bin because there are currently no recycling options:

  • Broken ceramic dishware and glassware
  • Diapers
  • Feminine products
  • Composite items made of multiple materials
  • Glass (other than bottles and jars)
  • Juice, soup, or soy milk type boxes with foil/plastic liner
  • Kitty litter and animal feces (bagged)
  • Light bulbs: incandescent only, no mercury-containing bulbs, i.e., fluorescent or HID
  • Plastic items mixed with metal, fabric, or rubber
  • Plastic labeled “biodegradable” because it cannot be composted or recycled
  • Plywood, pressboard, and painted, stained, or treated wood
  • Rubber or latex gloves or rubber bands
  • Styrofoam meat trays or other dirty Styrofoam
  • Food, dirty or waxy paper, waxy cardboard, or plants (compostables) or plastic labeled “compostable” — Green Composting Bin
  • Recyclable clean paper / cardboard, glass, metal, or hard plastic — Blue Recycling Bin

Find recycling options for these toxic or bulky items

  • Appliances
  • Asbestos
  • Batteries: small residential quantities can be recycled
  • Construction debris.
  • Electronics
  • Household hazardous waste or chemicals
  • Large items (furniture, metal, plastic, wood, etc.)
  • Light bulbs containing mercury (Fluorescent/HID)
  • Motor oil
  • Needles or syringes
  • Paint
  • Toys with electronics or batteries

Please do not dispose of the following items in your toter(s):

Construction debris, dirt, etc.

Debris from construction and demolition projects must be recycled. For more information, click here.

 

Hazardous materials (motor oil, cleaning products, pool chemicals, car batteries, etc.)

Used motor oil may be taken various local auto parts store for recycling. Other hazardous materials may be disposed of during special roundup events held throughout the year.

 

Hot ashes or hot coals are not acceptable.

They must be at room temperature before discarding in the cart.

 

Bulky items such as furniture, appliances, etc.

Items that are too large or too heavy to fit in the toters/containers can be picked up by Allied Waste at no charge.

Non-Recyclable Items

All items with the #3, #4, and #5 recycle markings. Clear plastic food tray covers. Microwaveable food trays. Chemicals. Paint cans. Oil cans. Auto glass. Disposable diapers. Styrofoam. Plastic toys. Plastic buckets. Plastic bags. Rubber products. Waxed paper. Wet or soiled paper. Ceramics. Mirrors. Window glass. Pyrex glass. Light bulbs. Fluorescent light tubes. Household trash. Food waste. Yard waste.

Stay
Connected

21513

Residents

89569

median household income

312176

median home price

571

building permits

About

The City of Imperial strives to be an economically vibrant and culturally rich community with a strong sense of identity, pride and prosperity. It's the people, it's the place. Welcome home.

Recent Posts

Contact info