It’s August, and for many people in Davis, that means it’s time to move! When moving, people typically try to downsize and get rid of items that are no longer wanted or needed, which can generate a lot of waste. To make it easier to reuse and recycle unwanted items (rather than add them to the landfill), see the information below on where you can donate or recycle typical household items.

Help keep our city beautiful by donating your unwanted items instead of leaving them on the street, sidewalk or in your front yard. Leaving furniture, mattresses and other household items in front of your property or on the street and sidewalk is a violation of city code and may be a safety hazard for bicycles and pedestrians.

Local thrift stores accept a wide variety of reusable goods, so please call to verify drop-off times and accepted items. Consider posting items online that you would like to sell or give away. There are a number of websites that provide free postings to give away or sell items, such as FreeCycle.org, Nextdoor, Davis Facebook groups (Buy Nothing Davis, Davis Sale or Trade, Davis Yard Sales, etc.) or Sacramento Craigslist.

Here are some other ways to recycle or reuse typically unwanted stuff:

Appliances: Refrigerators, stoves, ovens and other appliances in good condition can be donated to some nonprofits. Check out the online Recyclopedia at Where.DavisRecycling.org to search for reuse options. The Yolo County Central Landfill will recycle appliances that do not work (fees may apply).

Cardboard: Flatten and stack cardboard boxes on the ground next to your recycling cart on pick-up day, and Recology Davis will pick them up for recycling. You can also take your cardboard to the Recology Davis recycling center at 2727 Second St.

Electronics: It is illegal to throw computer monitors, TVs and laptops into the trash. These products contain toxic materials. Recycle these and other electronics for free at these locations in town:

* Goodwill, 2939 Spafford Drive, 417 Mace Blvd., 1351 W. Covell Blvd. and 1640 E 8th St.
* Yolo County Central Landfill, 44090 County Rd. 28H

Hazardous waste: It is illegal to place hazardous waste items into the trash. Bring batteries, fluorescent bulbs and tubes, household cleaners and other toxic products to the Yolo landfill for free and safe disposal every Friday and Saturday from 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

Mattresses and box springs:Mattresses and box springs can be recycled for free at Recology Davis, 2727 Second St., during the CRV center buy-back hours: Monday through Friday from 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., and Saturday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. The Yolo County Central Landfill (YoloCounty.org/Landfill) also accepts mattresses and box springs for free recycling every day.

Items not accepted include sleeping bags, pillows, unattached mattress pads and mattress toppers (even items with resilient filling intended to be used with or on top of a mattress), car beds, crib or bassinet mattresses, juvenile products or the pads used for such juvenile products, waterbeds, air mattresses that contain no upholstery material (such as a camping mattress), sofa beds and futons. In addition, severely damaged, twisted, wet or soiled mattresses, or mattresses with bed bugs or other organisms will not be accepted.

If you have too much trash and it won’t fit in your garbage cart, please bring it to the landfill. Better yet, you can take a moment to look closer at what you are throwing away. It’s possible that at least half of what you’re tossing out is actually recyclable. If your recycling cart is full, you can drop off recyclables for free 24/7 at the Recology Davis Recycling Center at 2727 Second St.

If there are no options to reuse or recycle what you have, and you no longer have room in your trash cans, please do not put your unwanted items into your neighbors’ trash cans or dumpsters. Leaving trash, mattresses, and furniture in and around others’ trash cans and dumpsters can be expensive for them to clean up and haul away and can prevent their trash from getting collected!

For more information, visit DavisRecycling.org or email PWWeb@CityofDavis.org.

Public Works Department reorganization

As of July 1, the city’s Public Works Department, formerly the city’s largest and most varied department, has split into two separate departments: Public Works — Utilities and Operations, and Public Works — Engineering and Transportation. The separation into two departments will allow for a more proactive and nimble response to public input and need and provide a tighter span of control for oversight of department responsibilities.

Public Works — Utilities and Operations includes wastewater, stormwater, water, solid waste, environmental resources, streets, facilities and fleet services. The main phone line is 530-757-5686 and the email address is PWWeb@CityofDavis.org.

Public Works — Engineering and Transportation includes engineering, traffic engineering and bike, pedestrian and transit programs, and will have the overall oversight of the capital improvement program. The main phone line is 530-747-5846 and the email address is PWETWeb@cityofdavis.org.

The city’s website is being revised to reflect these organizational changes.

— Jennifer Gilbert is a conservation coordinator with the city of Davis and can be reached at JGilbert@CityofDavis.org.

Crossposted from the Davis Enterprise

Printed in the August 14, 2019 edition on page B3 | Published online on August 14, 2019 |