February 2026

CRA Offered in English and Spanish this Spring!

The Spring 2026 Compost and Recycling Ambassador (CRA) application is open and now available in both English and Spanish! 🌱

We are very excited to offer this seven-week program, offered at no cost to residents. It combines lectures, hands-on experiences, and collaboration to teach community members about waste reduction strategies, recycling history, systems, and practices. It also provides training on two primary methods of home composting: vermicomposting and backyard composting. In addition, residents will learn about the City’s Organics Collection program, which helps households separate yard trimmings and food scraps that are not suitable for home composting.

Provided in two languages this Spring, English and Spanish, to support greater language access and inclusion. Puente Latino will be presenting the Spanish CRA program!

Share this opportunity with your friends, families, and colleagues who live in Long Beach. When they apply, you'll receive one hour of volunteer credit for the referral.

Learn More

English Session Dates

(Thursdays from 9 am - 12 pm):

February 19, 26

March 5, 12, 19, 26

April 16

Volunteer for English Session

Spanish Session Dates (Saturdays from 9 am - 12 pm):

February 21, 28

March 7, 14, 21, 28

April 18

Volunteer for Spanish Session

SUPERSTAR CRAS

We want to recognize Alicia Gaitan ('25), pictured left, for her efforts in supporting the new Spanish CRA program. She completed the CRA program in fall 2025, where she connected with Puente Latino and learned about the opportunity to assist with the spring Spanish session. She will be co-presenting the program in February. We are delighted to see Alicia in this new role!

We also want to congratulate Derek Allen ('25), pictured center, on being selected for a grant through the City's Love Your Block Mini-Grant. Derek's proposal was for a Community Bee Apiary. It will be a new community led bee sanctuary located in West Long Beach that will focus on supporting plant health, contributing to cleaner air with urban beekeeping, and educational resources. Great work, Derek!

PURPLE TO BLUE RECYCLING CART TRANSITION

On January 29th, we hosted a special webinar about the upcoming purple to blue recycling cart transition. We covered when the transition will take place, how it will happen, and what will become of the beloved purple carts in their retirement. Thank you to those who attended. If you were unable to join, use the link below to watch the recording.

Passcode: =Nv8x%Qt

Webinar Recording

EVENTS & REMINDERS

Don't forget to log your volunteer hours on MyImpact! If you are having any trouble, please reach out to us at cra@longbeach.gov

Additionally, you can email us your hours for us to log them for you. Logging your hours is important and helps us show the community all the positive impact you are all making.

VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES

Here are the current volunteer opportunities, which are also listed on the CRA Portal. For a refresher on how to report your volunteer hours, click here to find the Volunteer Portal Guide.

Date	Opportunity	Sign-Up Link
Every 1st Saturday of the Month 10 am - 12 pm	Stewards El Dorado Nature Center Cleanup	Click here
Every 2nd Friday of the Month 2:00 pm - 3:30 pm	Restoration & Native Gardening 2025 Restoration Fridays	Click here
Every 3rd Saturday of the Month 9 - 10 am	Wetland Warrior Cleanup at Jack Dunster Reserve	Click here
Every 4th Saturday of the Month 9 - 10 am	Clean Up Day at El Dorado Regional Park Center	Click here
Every Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday Times vary per day	LB Community Table Food Distribution	Click here
Every Wednesday 12 pm - 5 pm (you do not need to stay the whole time)	Grow2Zero Farm Food Distribution	Click here
Every Friday and Sunday Click link to view times	LB Community Compost	Click here

View Volunteer Opportunities

CONTINUING EDUCATION

You can complete a continuing education assignment for a 1-hour volunteer credit with a limit of 5 assignments. These are the continuing education assignments currently available. Please respond to this email if you have any questions.

Assignment	Link
LBRecycles Website Review	Click here
Ologies Podcast Review	Click here
How to Save a Planet Podcast Review	Click here
Write a Newsletter Article	Click here

View Assignments

FAQs

Q: Where can I access the CRA Portal?

A: The CRA Portal is linked here.

Q: Can I access My Impact Page to report hours without going through the CRA Portal?

A: Yes! Please visit MyImpactPage.com and log in to report your hours.

Q: What if I get asked a question that is not about waste reduction, recycling, or composting?

A: At events led by us there should always be a staff member available to answer questions. If someone is asking questions unrelated to the topics we have covered in class, let the community member know you are a volunteer and please ask a staff member to answer the question. If staff is not available, please give them a business card to contact us.

Q: What if the event that I want to volunteer at is not related to waste reduction, recycling, or composting, can I still count that towards my hours?

A: Only events related to waste reduction, recycling, or composting count toward volunteer hours. Please email the Program Coordinator to get a volunteer activity approved with an organization that is not on our list of current partnerships.

Q: What should I wear when volunteering?

A: Please wear your name tag and t-shirt so that community members can easily identify you as a CRA.

Q: Are there incentives for volunteering?

A: Yes! We appreciate your time spent volunteering. We will be entering folks for a chance to win a gift pack for each milestone of hours you've completed (5,10, and on). So, if you've completed 10 hours, you get two entries.

Do you have a question for us about waste reduction, recycling, composting, and/or volunteering? Ask us here!

@LBRecycles