The City of Brentwood is engaged in an ongoing effort to improve its management of local and regional resources through careful coordination, collaboration and communication. Partnering with residents and business owners is a cost-effective way to develop and implement public education while improving our environment. Below are some ways the city partners with residents and business owners to help improve the environment:

• The city hosts an annual Neighborhood Cleanup event that allows city residents to drop off wood, yard waste, appliances, e-waste, furniture and garbage free of charge. In 2010 a total of 1,546 city residents diverted 55 tons of metals, 13.88 tons of e-waste, 16 tons of wood and .71 tons of tires from the landfill. Additionally, the city offers a free cardboard drop-off site, located at 2300 Elkins Way off Sunset Road. The site is open Monday through Saturday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

• The city is hosting the annual Hazardous Waste Drop-off event Oct. 2 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Brentwood Solid Waste Transfer Station, 2300 Elkins Way. Residents can drop off such materials as oil, batteries, paints and e-waste.

• The city’s Water Conservation Program works with residents and business owners to promote water conservation by providing high-efficiency toilet rebates, weather-based irrigation controllers, water-wise gardening CDs, free water use surveys, and notification of high water use.

• The city works with residents and business owners to promote recycling. Residents can increase their recycling efforts by obtaining an additional blue or green cart, free of charge. The city continues to work with Brentwood Union School District (BUSD) to increase and improve the quality of its recycling material. Through grant funding received from CalRecycle, the city provides recycling containers, promotional materials and complimentary environmental educational assemblies. BUSD has increased its recycling by 100 percent since 2008.

The city’s Fleet/Facilities Maintenance Division is a certified Green Business, demonstrating compliance with environmental regulations and adopting water conservation, solid waste reduction and recycling, energy-conservation and pollution-prevention practices.

• Nineteen percent of the city’s fleet is composed of green vehicles. Green vehicles are hybrids or operate on electricity, compressed natural gas, or ethanol. The city continues to grow its green vehicle inventory and make it a priority to increase fuel savings and decrease emissions.