January 2026

Effective January 1, 2026, the bag requirements at grocery and retail stores in California are changing! Senate Bill 1053 places a restriction on the types of bags distributed by most grocery stores, retail stores with a pharmacy, convenience stores, food marts, and liquor stores.

Beginning January 1, 2026, stores will only be allowed to distribute recycled carryout paper bags to customers for a minimum charge of ten cents ($0.10) per bag.

Beginning January 1, 2028, recycled paper bags distributed at stores must contain at least 50% postconsumer recycled materials.

SUPERSTAR CRAS

PURPLE TO BLUE RECYCLING CART TRANSITION

The exchange of recycling carts is part of the statewide transition required by SB 1383, which mandates standardized cart colors: black for trash, green for organics, and blue for recycling. While Long Beach has not yet completed a citywide swap, some residents have already received blue carts when their purple carts were lost or damaged. The broader replacement effort is scheduled to begin in early February.

Please join us on Thursday, January 29, 2026, from 5:30-6:30 pm for a special webinar regarding the upcoming transition. We will cover when the transition is happening, how it is happening, and what will become of the beloved purple carts in their new retirement. There will be a Q&A at the end to address any questions you, our CRAs, may have!

EVENTS & REMINDERS

Textile Recycling Event

Saturday, January 31, 2026

10 a.m.- 2 p.m. (or until capacity is reached)

Ripped jeans? Stained t-shirt? Drop off your unwanted textiles such as clothing, towels, and light blankets at this one-day event hosted in partnership with SUAY!

Bring your textiles to any of the drop-off locations:

• Michelle Obama Neighborhood Library (5870 Atlantic Ave.)
• Mark Twain Neighborhood Library (1401 E. Anaheim St.)
• El Dorado Park West (2760 E. Barrios St.)

Textiles collected will be recycled and remade into new products, diverting them from landfills.

Accepted Items:

• Clothing
• Towels
• Light blankets

Items with rips, stains, or holes are accepted (and encouraged!).

Not Accepted:

• Undergarments (socks, bras, underwear)
• Sheets, pillowcases, duvets
• Stuffed items (pillows, comforters)
• Animal furs
• Children's clothing

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.

In observance of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, many City of Long Beach facilities will be closed on Monday, January 19, 2026, and some services will be impacted.

🚛 ♻️ Refuse/Recycling/Organics 

Refuse, recycling, and organics collection will occur on January 19th. The collection will be delayed by one day. Thursday routes will be collected on Friday, and Friday routes will be collected on Saturday. The regular schedule resumes the following week.

🧹💨Street Sweeping

There will be no scheduled street sweeping or enforcement of street sweeping violations on January 19th.

🚗 Parking Enforcement

Read your parking meter: Citywide parking violations, including parking meters, will be enforced on January 19th, unless the meter states “Exempt on Holidays.” The days and hours of enforcement are displayed on the meters.

📞The Customer Call Center will be closed on January 19th.

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.

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.

@LBRecycles