Don't trash that old skirt that no longer fits or throw away that old paint in your shed.
There are places in and around El Cerrito where you can ditch things you don't use anymore without filling up the landfills.
East Bay Sanitary Company is El Cerrito's franchised curbside hauler of garbage and green waste. You can go here for more details about the service provided by East Bay Sanitary or call 510-237-4321. The City of El Cerrito also owns and operates a drop-off recycling collection center. If you want more local information check out a new brochure called "Everything you ever wanted to know about recycling and garbage services in El Cerrito". It is available in English, Spanish and Chinese.
Paper and Plastic:
Drop-off Locations and Hours Contra Costa County Waste Reduction and Recycling Program's website provides information where to recycle paper, plastic and much more. Visit it here or call its hotline at 1-800-750-4096 for information.
Clothing:
Drop-off Location and Hours Goodwill Industries (Click here and type in your zip code to find the location and hours of the Goodwill store nearest you.) Other area charities that accept clothing include St. Vincent de Paul and Salvation Army.
Urban Ore in Berkeley accepts donations of clothing along with building materials, furniture and much more. Good Stuff Thrift Shop is one of the places to donate items conveniently located in El Cerrito. The Bambino Thrift Shop in Oakland, that benefits Children's Hospital of Northern California, has a list of donations it accepts here. Another thrift store in the East Bay is Clausen House in Oakland. Clausen House offers guidelines for donations it will accept. Out of the Closet, which benefits AIDS patients, has stores in both Oakland and Berkeley that accept donations. Oakand and Berkeley also have an American Cancer Society Discovery Thrift Shop.
The Contra Costa County Waste Reduction and Recycling Program created a long list of thrift stores in the region you can find here.
Consignment stores are also a good option to recycle gently used clothing. Little Raspberries and Ruby's Garden buy and sell children's clothing. L'Armoire, Rockridge Rags, Sola Lucy, Dress Best for Less , Pretty Penny, and Crossroads Trading Company are just a few of many others in the East Bay where you can sell your items on consignment.
Electronics, Computers, Cellphones:
Drop-off Location and Hours
Staples Office Supply Stores located throughout the Bay Area, also accept computers and electronic devices for recycling. You can find out about their recycling program here.
Paint: (Hazardous Waste)
Drop-off Location and Hours Information about what is considered hazardous waste and how to dispose of paint and other toxic materials in the county can be found here. There are hazardous waste drop-off sites in Martinez, Antioch and Richmond serving Contra Costa County residents. Keeping hazardous materials such as paint, pesticides, solvents and other chemicals out of the waste stream (where it can pollute water, air and soil) is essential.
Household Goods, Furniture:
Drop-off Location and Hours of Operation In addition to the obvious purveyors of used household items, such as Goodwill, Salvation Army and St. Vincent de Paul, where you can donate goods. you might also try recycling your housewares at consignment stores.
In the East Bay you can consign your gently used household goods and furniture at one of the many places like, Chameleon Consignment, Second Home, and Urban Island .
You might also try listing your items for sale on EBay or Craig's List. Post your items free of charge on Craig's List or the Freecycle network.
