A sofa and mattress on Warring Street in 2014. Jasper Burget

As classes end and UC Berkeley students prepare to leave their digs, the city of Berkeley posted the following request and resource list about how to keep neighborhoods tidy. It has been reposted below in its entirety.

As Cal students move out for the summer, tenants and landlords can help keep our streets clean by planning ahead, using City services and properly discarding what they don’t need.

Dumping mattresses and other items on the sidewalk doesn’t lead to re-use. It creates a mess. Please use mattress recyclers for mattress disposal. Use your building’s dumpsters or other resources listed below to discard, re-use or recycle what you don’t need. Avoid fines for illegal dumping.

Keep re-usable and recyclable goods out of landfills. There are a number of resources to help people thoughtfully and sustainably discard un-needed items.

Follow these easy steps for a smart, sustainable and socially responsible move-out:

  1. Plan Ahead. Don’t wait until the last minute and then throw everything in the trash or on the curb. Electronics contain hazardous waste and should never be placed on the sidewalk or in debris bins. Visit the CityofBerkeley.info/zerowaste or CalMoveOut.Berkeley.edu to learn how to properly dispose of e-waste and other unwanted items. Fines for illegal dumping can be $1,000 a day.
  2. Use City services on a mobile or landline phone by calling 311 (or 510-981-2489 when outside City limits):
    • Work with your landlord, who can schedule extra service during the month.
    • Visit  www.cityofberkeley.info/zerowaste for information on using prepaid 32 gallon extra trash debris bags to set out with your weekly garbage pick-up,  Bulky Waste Pickup or taking items directly to  the Transfer Station at 1201 Second Street. Dumpsters are also available for a short-term rental.
    • Report illegal dumping on public or private property at cityofberkeley.info/311 or by calling 311 (or 510-981-2489).
  3. Reuse. Download the City of Berkeley’s Reuse Guide (pdf), which lists local organizations that will accept reusable furniture, appliances, and clothing. Visit Alameda County Food Bank www.accfb.org  to donate canned goods.
  4. Recycle. Use the City’s blue bins to recycle cans and bottles. Newspapers and cardboard can be bundled and placed curbside on your recycling service day.  Visit www.StopWaste.org for more information on recycling services and how to keep your unwanted items like paper, cardboard, furniture, and electronics out of the landfill.  Computers, televisions, stereos and electronic gadgets are considered hazardous waste and must be disposed of properly. The Ewaste Collective picks up anything with a plug, working or not. Visit their website at www.ewastecollective.org for more information on scheduling pick-ups.

What you need to know about illegal dumping:

Don’t trash Berkeley!  Call 311 (or 510-981-2489) to help connect you to solutions.

Resources:

City of Berkeley Reuse Guide: ci.berkeley.ca.us/pw/swm/reuseguide.pdf Cal Move-Out: CalMoveOut.Berkeley.edu Stopwaste.org: stopwaste.org Computer and Technology Resource Center: ewastecollective.org DR3: mattress recycling and more: www.mattressrecycling.us Donate canned goods to Alameda County Community Food Bank http://www.accfb.org Recycle printers at local Staples      2352 Shattuck Ave, Berkeley, Ca 94704 Donate to Goodwill  2058 University Ave, Berkeley, CA 94704 Recycle with Berkeley Ecology Center Donate furniture to Urban Ore  900 Murray St Berkeley, CA 94710 RecycleWhere.org is a helpful tool to help guide you to where you can drop off goods to be recycled or re-used. WatersideWorkshops, takes used bicycles and repairs them into better condition as part of a job-training program. watersideworkshops.org

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nomail@nomail.com

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