Education/Outreach Toolkit: Customizable Outreach Materials

CalRecycle has developed customizable materials to assist jurisdictions with education and outreach campaigns for California’s Mandatory Commercial Recycling law (AB 341, Chesbro, Chapter 476, Statutes of 2011) and Mandatory Commercial Organics Recycling law (AB 1826, Chesbro, Chapter 727, Statutes of 2014).

This includes:

• A multi-language brochure
• A multi-language poster/flyer for schools
• A multi-language poster/flyer for businesses
• PSAs, promotional tools

It is critical that jurisdictions and haulers/service providers work together to customize these materials to reflect the program and services of the community. The items provided here include a broad scope of included materials, which may not be in your local program. Several local jurisdictions have also provided  examples of their promotional materials for other jurisdictions to use (as appropriate relative to offered local programs).

If you require special accommodation to access these materials pursuant to California accessibility requirements, please contact the Office of Public Affairs at (916) 341-6300.

Flyers, Posters, and Signs/Stickers

Effective July 1, 2020, MCR and MORe regulated businesses must provide recycling and organics recycling containers at front-of-house to collect waste generated from the products purchased and consumed on the premises (AB 827, McCarty). These containers must be placed adjacent to trash containers and be visible, easily accessible, and clearly marked. Businesses and school districts may contact their local government or waste hauler for signage and assistance, or use CalRecycle’s customizable signage below.

The flyers, posters, and signs/stickers below indicate acceptable materials for each container. Each sign is fully customizable using Adobe Acrobat Pro.  For detailed instructions, please consult the Instructions for Customizing Model Signage. Adobe offers a free one-week trial available on their website. Most professional printers will also provide these editing services. To print on 8.5×11” paper, choose “Fit” when printing.

• Business Flyer: Recycling and Organics Recycling Guide for Businesses (Available in English, Spanish, Mandarin, Korean, Punjabi, and Russian)
• Business Flyer: Recycling and Organics Recycling Guide for Businesses including information on Edible Food Recovery (Available in English)
• Schools Flyer: Recycling and Organics Recycling Guide for Schools (Available in English, Spanish, Mandarin, Korean, Punjabi, and Russian)
• Business Brochure: Recycling and Organics Recycling Guide for Business—trifold (Available in English, Spanish, Mandarin, Korean, Punjabi, and Russian)
• Where to Put It: Recycling, Composting, and Trash Bin Signage
  All signs are available in English, Spanish, Mandarin, Russian, Korean, and Punjabi at the following hyperlinks:
  • 3 container system (Gray/Blue/Green)
    • Style A (Landfill, Recycling, Compost)
    • Style B (Landfill Recycling,  Compost)
  • 2 container systems (Gray/Blue)
    • Style A (Mixed Materials, Recycling)
    • Style B (Mixed Materials, Recycling)
  • 2 container systems (Gray/Green)
    • Style A (Mixed Materials, Compost)
    • Style B (Mixed Materials, Compost)
  • Single container system (Gray)
    • Style A (Mixed Materials)
    • Style B (Mixed Materials)

Other examples:

• No Merging Sign. This file includes two 11″ x 17″ signs–one for trash/recyclables, and the other for trash/recyclables/compost.
• Double-Sided “What to Put in Recycling, Composting, and Trash Bins” Flyers. Three double-sided, 8.5″ x 11″ flyers in one file. Front of each is pictorial and includes English, Spanish, and Chinese. Reverse includes bulleted lists in English only.

Public Service Announcements (PSA)

PSAs can be posted online, emailed to local businesses, sent to local press for coverage, played at presentations, or submitted to local television broadcasters by contacting the station’s community affairs/public affairs/public service director.

• 1-Minute Public Service Announcement Video on Mandatory Commercial Organics Recycling. YouTube (00:01:00) | PDF Transcript. This short PSA video highlights the new law, starting in 2016, that requires commercial business owners to recycle their organic waste. Customize this PSA by adding your contact information to the upper 1/3 of the screen @ 0:24-0:30 seconds (over video, above CalRecycle web information).
• 30-Second Public Service Announcement Video on Mandatory Commercial Organics Recycling. YouTube (00:00:30) | PDF Transcript. This PSA video highlights the new law requiring California commercial business to recycle organic material, like yard waste, food waste and food soiled paper.

Recycling Service Concerns

Use this form to report if there is no recycling or composting service at your workplace or business.