FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Waste Disposal
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No, as of March 19, 2025, Solana Center for Environmental Innovation's e-waste collection program has been paused until further notice. You can find more information here: https://www.solanacenter.org/household-hazardous-waste
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We do not. Residents of North County cities are eligible for at-home hazardous waste pickup. It costs a nominal fee or is free for residents over 65. Call 1(800) 714-1195 to schedule an appointment. More information can be found here.
Other residents throughout San Diego County can search for their local hazardous waste programs here.
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We do not accept textiles at this time. We have textile waste awareness events periodically throughout the year where you can learn how to upcycle your old textiles instead of disposing of them.
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For battery recycling, please visit call2recycle.org/locator to find facilities and stores that accept batteries for drop-off, which includes most Staples locations. Please remember to click the "single-use batteries" checkbox for household batteries. For light bulb recycling in other locations, please visit wastefreesd.org and enter your zip code. Note- calling drop-off organizations before heading over might save you unnecessary driving time!
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Bags that are labeled “compostable” but look/feel like plastic will not break down properly at most composting facilities and should not be placed in the curbside bin. Instead, you can wrap food waste in newspapers or a paper bag, or freeze your food scraps until collection day to prevent odors.
Solana Center sells food waste bags. Please check with your municipality before purchasing because not all waste facilities can process them.
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There is free, 24/7 community food waste drop off at UC San Diego (La Jolla, https://www.rcgucsd.com/compost-drop-off), Borrego Art Institute (Borrego Springs), Community Roots Farm (Oceanside, https://www.communityrootsfarm.org/about-3). We are always searching for options in other areas, but we don’t know of any services at this time.
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You have three avenues. First, you should contact your City and report your property management as out of compliance. Second, you can contact your property manager directly to express your interest and provide them information about the regulations. And third, you can contact your landfill/recycling waste hauler to tell them that you would like organic waste services added.
Store
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You can view the items we sell on our online store. Go to https://solana-center.square.site/s/shop.
All items are sold online pre-order for in-store pickup only. Used inventory (used compost bins and rain barrels) are first-come, first-serve and must be purchased in person. Your order will not be shipped to you.
Rain barrels are sold through a third party, visit: https://solanacenter.org/rain-barrels/. They must be ordered online in advance and may be picked up at Solana Center after you receive a confirmation email from RainWater Solutions.
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Select residents are eligible for discounted rain barrels and compost bins. See each item’s sales page for up-to-date discounts and to see if you are eligible. Sometimes we have a stock of used rain barrels or compost bins available at a discounted price. Additionally, you can check Facebook marketplace
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The compost bins sold at Solana Center are discounted outright for unincorporated residents, no voucher needed. All we require is proof of residence at an eligible address. If you’d like to get a compost bin voucher for a store closer to you, you can find information on the County’s website.
Rain Barrels
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After you receive a confirmation email from Rainwater Solutions (not Solana Center), you can come to our next open store hours (Thursdays from 12 to 4 p.m. and Fridays from 12 to 4 p.m.). Please bring that email with you for verification.
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RainWater Solutions cannot customize the checkout page to exclude that field. Rain barrels are pickup only.
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The rain barrels are warranted for two years. If your purchase was within that time frame, you may contact RainWater Solutions directly to request a replacement. If they authorize it, they let us know and you are able to pick up a new barrel at our location during our store hours (Saturdays 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and Thursdays noon to 5 p.m.). Do not come to the Solana Center until you receive approval for return/exchange from RainWater Solutions.
To contact RainWater Solustions, call (919) 835-1699 or email them on their website. Please note that they may request documentation (i.e. a photo of the leak) and they are located in the Eastern Time Zone.
I need replacement parts for my rain barrel. Can I order those from you?
You can order replacement parts directly from RainWater Solutions, and they will be shipped to you. Their website is https://www.rainwatersolutions.com/.
Webinars, Workshops & Courses
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Recordings are sent out within two days following the webinar to eligible residents and are available for a short time. If you did not receive the recording or you didn’t watch the recording in time, you can find helpful resources on our website. Also, please keep an eye on our events page for future webinars that we offer.
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Check the event page ahead of time to ensure registration is not required. For all open workshops, seats are not guaranteed for walkins and priority goes to registrants.
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You can find out about upcoming workshops by joining our newsletter. We frequently update our events page with upcoming workshops, so check back regularly to find what you are interested in.
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Master Composter happens periodically, and you can find out about any upcoming courses on our website. You can be the first to hear about new MC courses by joining our interest list at the bottom of the Master Composter webpage. Joining the interest list doesn’t guarantee a spot in the course.
Lunch & Learns
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Visit our Lunch & Learn page in which lists out all the presentation topics we can present to your group.