San Diego is making major headway with the new recycling ordinance. Starting this week, all apartments and condos with 100 units or more, single-family homes served by private recycling companies, commercial buildings with more than 20,000 square feet and events that require a permit from the city must provide recycling for plastic and glass bottles and jars, paper, newspapers, metal containers and cardboard.

The city’s goal is to increase recycling by 100,000 tons a year, reuse or recycle at least 50 percent of the city's waste stream and save space in Miramar Landfill who’s close date of 2013 is nearing. (If you can believe it, about two-thirds of the trash at that landfill is recyclable! And it is just chillin' in a landfill at the moment.)

The new San Diego recycling rules will affect 175 apartments. The city is ramping up to 2010, which at that point, the recycling ordinance will apply to all homes and businesses in the city with some exceptions.

Now, landlords are responsible for providing a place to recycle - so make sure your complex complies (if you have more than 100 units).  We, the tenants, are still responsible for taking advantage of this new ordinance - so don’t dump recyclables in the trash!