If the kids at our local schools can do it, so can we! Both Palmquist Elementary and Lincoln Middle School are Zero Waste Schools – Lincoln diverts approximately 68% and Palmquist diverts about 85% of their waste from the landfill! And since landfills are a touchy subject, keeping as few items as possible from going into them is important, so we’ve put together some simple info to help you fulfill those new year’s resolutions to de-clutter and be more environmentally conscious.

1. Thinking Ahead: Christmas tree collection is available the first two weeks after Dec. 25th. After that you’ll need to cut it up so it fits into your green waste bin, otherwise, it will sit at your curb till 2015.

Hopefully by now everyone knows you can’t just throw things like batteries, electronics, and motor oil in the trash. You CAN, however, recycle them right out there on the curb with your waste bins! Here’s how:

2. Batteries and Cell Phones: Residents may place unwanted cell phones and used household batteries in a sealed clear plastic storage bag and place them on top of their blue recycle cart for collection. For added safety, remove any personal data from your phone before collection. Used batteries accepted for collection are AA, AAA, C, D, 9-volt, Alkaline, Rechargeable, Lithium and coin cells, and small button-size.3. E-Waste: Waste Management will retrieve up to five e-waste items three times annually. To schedule an e-waste pick up, please contact Waste Management at 1(800) DUMPSTER or (760) 439-2824 at least 24 hours in advance of your regular collection day, as pick up will occur on your collection day.

4. Hazardous Waste:  WM of North County operates a household hazardous waste (HHW) drop-off location, located in Oceanside for Oceanside residents to properly dispose of Household Hazardous Waste (HHW).  Proof of residency and an appointment is required.  HHW includes: used oil filters, motor oil and used motor oil, paint, antifreeze, batteries, propane tanks, pesticides, household cleaners, pool chemicals and sharps/needles. Contact customer service at 1(800) DUMPSTER or (760) 439-2824 to schedule an appointment.

5. Get Money Back: You can take your recycling to Waste Management’s Recycling Centers at 2880 Industry St. in Oceanside or 5960 El Camino Real in Carlsbad Tuesday through Saturday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. and yes, they still give you cash for bottles and cans.

6. Plastic Bags:  Most people these days take re-usable bags to the store (Don’t you hate it when you leave them in the car?!) or refuse plastic bags, which can only be recycled by taking them back to a grocery store recycle bin (be sure you take all your bags/film!) & instead ask for paper, which is generally already recycled and can be recycled or reused again.

7. Construction / Large Scale: One item we found for larger projects where you can’t put all the items on Freecyle or Craigslist – the Bagster, dumpster in a bag. If youhave a remodeling project or just want to purge your place, and don’t want to bring in a giant dumpster, pick up a Bagster at Home Depot or on Amazon.com for around $30.

8. The Waste Management website has some good suggestions for doing your part, like donating magazines to a local charity , joining Freecycle, or  buying items in bulk to cut back on packaging waste.

9. Holiday Schedule: Mark your calendars so you don’t forget when street sweeping and trash collection days are pushed back by a day. The City of Oceanside web site has the info right here.

10. Here’s a handy graphic showing what goes into which bin: (We put this up by our bins so we can refer to it while in the act of taking out the trash – and yes we re-used the b-side of a piece of paper to print it!). If you’d like additional info or need more detail, check the Oceanside Waste Management web site.