Recycling FAQs

Question
Where do I recycle my plastic grocery bags?
Answer
Please take plastic grocery bags to your local supermarket. They should have a recycling receptacle for them. Unfortunately, plastic grocery bags cannot be placed in the commingled containers provided by the City because they are easily contaminated. Also, the City always encourages reducing and reusing before recycling anyway. Therefore we think the best option is to begin carrying your own canvas bags to the store. They save resources, money (you may receive a 5 cent rebate at some stores) and are stronger and bigger, making for less trips to and from the car.
Question
I live in an apartment complex in Ontario and would like to recycle my bottles and cans. But the complex does NOT have any recycling containers. Aren’t they required to provide them and recycle?
Answer

Thank you for your inquiry into the recycling program. There are a few locations for recycling in your area. These are the portable facilities located in grocery store parking lots. The sites have attendants that weigh the material, then they print a receipt and you can take the receipt into the store for cash. Please visit the California Department of Conservation at : www.bottlesandcans.com for locations.

The second part of your inquiry refers to recycling for multifamily dwellings. At this point, multifamily dwellings have the option to have a recycling program setup through the Apartment Manager. There are many issues involved in setting up a successful program with a multifamily complex. However, recycling costs less than disposal, and efforts can be made to implement changes in operations to have a recycling program on site. Assessments for multifamily locations may be set-up with the Apartment Manager.

Question
How should I set out my items for recycling collection?
Answer
Recyclable material such as bottles, cans, paper, and cardboard must be placed loosely and not in plastic bags in the blue commingled recycling container.
Question
My recycling was not picked up. Why?
Answer

Before calling to notify Customer Service that your recycling was not picked up, please check the following:

  • Your recycling container may not be collected if it is contaminated with trash or green waste. In this case, remove the contamination and place the container out the following week for collection.
  • Check to see if the other houses on your street have had their materials picked up. If your neighbors' material is still out, the collector may be running later than normal. If the material has not been picked up by 2:30 p.m. call Customer Service at 909-395-2050. The information will be given to a collection supervisor who will check into the situation.
  • If the recycling has been picked up from other houses on your street, were your containers set out by 6:00 a.m. on collection day? Collection of containers is normally between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. On any given day a collector may need to adjust its schedule and so could arrive earlier or later than normal.
Question
What type of plastics can be recycled?
Answer
All plastic bottles and containers with recycling # 1 through # 7. These containers typically include soda bottles; milk, water, juice containers, yogurt containers, shampoo bottles, detergent and soap bottles.
Question
Do I have to rinse out my cans and bottles before throwing them into the recycling bins?
Answer
No. Simply empty cans and jars of all food and debris and then place them in the curbside container. Make sure as much of the food debris is cleaned out as possible. For example, make sure the pickles and juice are emptied from the glass jar. Peanut butter, mayonnaise, and margarine should all be scraped clean from the sides of the container, but you don’t need to wash out the container. Please don’t waste valuable drinking water on recycling of glass, plastic, and metal. The recycling process will kill germs and eliminate small amounts of food debris left on recoverable materials.