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The City of San Diego has a bold Climate Action Plan that is a principal component of the municipality’s efforts towards sustainability.
The action plan establishes a community-wide goal of net zero by 2035, committing San Diego to an accelerated trajectory for greenhouse gas reductions, according to the official city website. The website goes on to point out,
“In 2015, the City Council approved San Diego’s Climate Action Plan, which calls for the City to cut half of all greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 2035. The Climate Action Plan’s strategies include 100 percent renewable electricity; water and energy efficiency; zero waste; bicycling, walking, transit and land use; and resiliency measures.”
But what about recycling when it comes to sustainability?
We all know that junk removal, for example, means junk hauling which results in some form of junk disposal. And a real concern for many residents and business owners in the San Diego area is where all the junk ends up after it’s hauled away?
According to the EPA, close to 75 percent of the solid waste materials that we toss out and are recyclable.
Which is why Junk King San Diego prides itself on being part of the pioneers of green junk removal. We regularly recycle as much as 60 percent or more of everything we pick up on a daily basis.
San Diego’s Commitment to Recycling
When it comes to recycling, San Diego has long been on the forefront of the movement to “reduce, reuse, and recycle.” And because recycling is a significant component of being sustainable, San Diego residents and businesses have been encouraged – and required – to recycle for years.
One source relates how the City of San Diego rose to the challenge of recycling back in 2007,
“After many years of voluntary recycling programs, San Diego found its voluntary recycling efforts were not meeting its diversion goals and the city’s only landfill was scheduled to close by 2013. As a result, San Diego adopted a mandatory recycling policy for four primary reasons:
- help to extend the life of the landfill
- reduce greenhouse gas emissions
- meet the state recycling requirements
- increase the recycling of materials
Thanks in part to the mandatory recycling policy, the landfill life has been extended…”
The City of San Diego requires everyone in the city to recycle plastic and glass bottles and jars, paper, newspaper, metal containers and cardboard. This applies to all households, apartments, businesses, government agencies and schools, as well as special events.
How San Diego is Doing
The sobering truth is that the vast majority of junk and other solid waste still ends up in landfills. And this is true for San Diego County, as well as for most of California and the rest of the country.
However, many communities, including San Diego, are making great strides towards greater recycling and sustainability. A recent report from CalRecycle noted that,
“An estimated 32.6 million tons of waste were recycled or diverted in California in 2020, resulting in a statewide recycling rate of 42 percent, up from 37 percent in 2019 but lower than the peak of 50 percent in 2014.”
Waste diversion is the process of diverting waste from landfills through recycling and source reduction activities.
In 2015, the City of San Diego launched its Zero Waste Plan with the goals of achieving 75 percent waste diversion by 2020, 90 percent diversion by 2035, and “zero” by 2040. In order to increase the City’s waste diversion rate to 75 percent requires that an estimated additional 332,000 tons per
year to be diverted from landfill disposal.
According to the most recent recycling statistics in San Diego, despite the efforts behind the City’s Zero Waste Plan, its trash diversion rate has hovered at around 65 percent since 2017.
If we consider the questions of how many people recycle in San Diego, or what percent of people recycle in San Diego, the “official” answer is 100 percent. This is because the City of San Diego has mandatory recycling for all residents, businesses, and organizations with very few exceptions.
However, the process is not perfect and substantial amounts of materials are put into recycling bins that cannot be recycled. As one local newspaper reported in 2019, about 10,000 tons – or 15 to 17 percent – of the recycling collected from homes in San Diego each year is disposed of in landfills.
Challenges Faced by San Diego
One of the challenges for recycling in San Diego is its growth. More people means more trash, which means more recycling and trash diversion capabilities are required.
According to World Population Review, San Diego has a 2022 population of 1,429,650 and is currently growing at a rate of 0.14 percent annually. San Diego’s population increased by 9.48 percent since the most recent census, which recorded a population of 1,305,910 in 2010.
Another challenge that has faced San Diego and has impacted the environment of our country is the ongoing need to find sources for diverted solid waste. Much of this is due to the fact that, in 2018, China implemented it’s “National Sword” policy which halted the import of plastics and other materials to its recycling processors.
This diversion source represented the removal of more than seven million tons of plastic waste, for example. Cities, states, and other waste management entities have had to find alternative solutions for the diversion of waste that used to go to China until just three years ago.
Helpful Information for San Diego Residents
Most recycling in San Diego is managed by the city’s Environmental Services Department. For those residents who do not receive municipal recycling service, contracted haulers are used.
For detailed information regarding garbage recycling and garbage pickup, San Diego residents can visit the City of San Diego official website and go to the Environmental Services tab. Here you can learn helpful information such as what can you recycle in San Diego as well as what is not recyclable.
Another great resource for helpful recycling information for San Diego residents is the sustainability and recycling pages at the University of San Diego website.
For example, did you know that when recycling products of any material, the item must be rinsed and free of residue or liquid? And that includes bottles, cans, and food containers. If the item still has food remnants it can contaminate the entire bin and then none of the items inside the bin can be recycled.
Also, plastic bags are not recyclable and should be kept out of recycling bins.
Where to Find the Best Places for Solid Waste Disposal in San Diego?
One of the issues that often arise for both residents and businesses in San Diego is the need to recycle enormous amounts of waste materials. In other words, when you have far more recyclables than you can fit into your municipal recycling container, finding a suitable place for disposal can be a challenge.
Of course, you could just go to your smart phone and search something like “best places to take trash near me.”
But in many situations, the clean up and removal of large quantities of junk and other debris can be a larger task than most people have the time, resources, or ability to take on by themselves.
Which is why at Junk King San Diego, cleanout projects are something we specialize in.
How Can I Get Rid of My Old Electronics or Appliances?
old tv disposal near me, e-waste, old appliances recycling
While most folks in San Diego are intimately familiar with recycling paper, plastic, glass, and metal trash like aluminum cans, old electronics and appliances are something else altogether.
In the waste management industry these items are often referred to as electronic waste or e-waste. And, while this category of waste typically includes items such as cell phones, printers, computers, DVD players, televisions, video game consoles, and so on, it can also refer to larger items containing electronics.
For example, when it comes to old appliances, recycling of these items falls under the heading of e-waste recycling, as well.
The challenge for residents is not whether these materials can be recycled but where and how?
If you find yourself looking up “old tv disposal near me” we would suggest you simply combine your old television that you want to get rid of with any other e-waste and junk items you need to have removed. Then make a call to Junk King San Diego for quick, easy, and affordable electronics and appliance removal and disposal.
And, yes, they will be recycled!
Why You Should Pick a Professional Junk Removal Service Like Junk King
For one, we make it easy with one quick call to Junk King San Diego to take care of your junk removal needs.
And we offer professional junk removal, hauling, and recycling services to the entire San Diego area, including Santee, Bonita, El Cajon, Lakeside, Ramona, and our “hometown” of Spring Valley.
So, for junk removal services that are reliable, affordable, sustainable, and green, you can always depend on Junk King San Diego.
Call us, text us, or go online and let us know what junk items you need to have removed from your home or your workplace. And our expert customer service folks will walk you through our effortless process and book your session.
After that, our professional and insured junk removal team will call 15 to 30 minutes before we arrive at your home or place of work. And once we’re there, we’ll give you a free estimate based on how much room your junk takes up in our truck.
So, are you ready to get rid of your junk sustainably? It’s as easy as 1, 2, 3!
The best part is that all you have to do is simply point and we’ll haul your junk items into our junk removal trucks – and do it all without any hidden fees.
You can make an appointment by booking online or by calling us at 1.888.888.JUNK (5865).
