Tired Electronics and Unwanted Meds Accepted

Heading into the weekend, the City of Santa Barbara offers residents several chances to clean things out. E-waste can be conveniently recycled on Friday and Saturday, and it’s National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day on Saturday.

If it runs on batteries or a power cord — with several exceptions — the city will be set up in La Cumbre Plaza’s parking lot to collect old computers (hard drives will be destroyed), small appliances, tools, vacuum cleaners, and the like. Staffers will be on hand to move items from cars to recycle bins in a drive-thru marked by orange cones just off La Cumbre Road, near the Chevron station. They’ll be awaiting your junk from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. — all for free.

(The exceptions are large appliances and things like batteries, fluorescent light bulbs, printer cartridges. Those must be taken to the dump — aka the County Recycling and Transfer Station at 4430 Calle Real — or Marborg’s downtown recycling center at 132 Nopalitos Way.)

Drug Take-Back

Also conveniently at La Cumbre Plaza on Saturday, old and unused medications can be dropped off between Starbucks and the center court fountain. Sponsored by the Santa Barbara Police Department, the drug take-back helps get rid of pills and medicated patches safely, keeping them out of the ocean — should people be tempted to flush them — and prying hands. The event is anonymous, no questions asked, and please no liquids, needles, or sharps.