At OC San, recycling happens every single day—not just on America Recycles Day! Through innovation and resource recovery, we turn waste into valuable resources that benefit our community and environment.

Here’s how we do it:

• Biosolids: Every day, we transform leftover solids recovered from the wastewater treatment into biosolids—a nutrient-rich soil amendment used for farms and compost facilities. Learn more by visiting our biosolids page.
• Energy: OC San generates energy by capturing and burning natural gas and methane gas (biogas) produced during treatment. This energy powers our facilities and saves approximately $15.9 million per year in power costs.
• Water: OC San sends 100% of our reclaimable flow to the Groundwater Replenishment System (GWRS), producing 130 million gallons a day of purified water. The GWRS produces enough high-quality water for one million residents in north and central Orange County.

Even though we recycle so much, there are certain materials that we can’t reuse and end up hurting our system, like wipes, floss, and sanitary products. These materials, and anything besides the 3 P’s (pee, poop, and toilet paper) should always be tossed in the trash, not the drain. Do your part and learn more about What 2 Flush!