The Los Osos Community Services District wants to remind you that this is the time of year we recommend you turn off your irrigation system.

As you know Los Osos is built on sandy soil. With this type of soil, water percolates into the ground. It doesn’t necessarily flow to the surface. Many times, the source of a high usage investigation is an irrigation system leak. So, it is important to maintain irrigation systems regularly.

There are not many lawns in our water service area. Many homeowners have chosen drought tolerant plants or native plants in their gardens. For watering guides please check out Slo Waterwise Landscaping at the following website: https://www.slowaterwiselandscaping.com/Watering-Guide/CoastalAreas.ph

From Our friends at IWMA

Plastics come in so many shapes and sizes, which can be confusing when you're trying to recycle. The best option is to refuse and reduce plastic use whenever possible, but how do you handle recycling plastics when it does come time to get rid of them? 

Recyclable types of plastic

In SLO County, all rigid plastics should be recycled in your blue bin. A rigid plastic is as opposed to a soft plastic. Rigid plastics include things like yogurt tubs, plastic bottles, takeout containers, etc.

Hard plastics are sorted out from the rest of our recyclables at the recycling facility in SLO

Soft plastics cannot be recycled in your blue bin. Soft plastic are the kind that you can easily crinkle in your hand: things like plastic bags, films and wraps. Soft plastics get tangled on equipment at the recycling facility, posing a safety hazard for facility workers. If you are looking for a way to recycle these, they might be eligible for grocery store drop-off. Although the best solution for these items is to avoid soft plastics whenever possible, they are the most challenging type of plastic to recycle and a major polluter in our environments. 

The numbers on plastics are called the resin code, and identifies what type of plastic an item is made of. Unfortunately, the numbers don't help us determine a plastic's recyclability. For instance, black plastic takeout containers are often labeled with a #6, and these may be recycled, while Styrofoam is also considered a #6, which is not recyclable. Rigid plastic vs soft plastic is the more accurate (and easier!) determinant.

What sizes of plastic should I recycle?

We often get questions about the sizing of plastics as well!

Any items smaller than about 4 inches in diameter cannot be recycled. These items will fall through the cracks of the equipment at the sorting facility, and end up as trash.  We like to use the palm of your hand as a guide-- if the item is smaller than the palm of your hand, it shouldn't be recycled. Things that are too small to recycle include bottle caps, condiment containers, and plastic forks. Pro tip: Leave the cap ON your bottles and jars when recycling!

Any items bigger than 3x3 ft are generally too big to be recycled, and will become a blocker on the sorting line at the facility. This includes things like laundry baskets or plastic storage bins. The best option for these items is to find a way to reuse or donate them.

Questions about recycling a specific plastic item? Check out IWMA's recycling guide!

For more information on plastic Recyclying, or on any recycling information, please see IWMA's website here: https://www.iwma.com/plastics-recycling

LOCSD is also continuing with their regularly scheduled Board, Utilities Advisory Committee, Finance Advisory Committee, Emergency Services Advisory Committee and Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee Meetings. 

Information for each meeting and how to get connected will be available on the Agenda for each meeting. Agendas can be found on the LOCSD Website (losososcsd.org) which is posted a minimum of 72 hours before the meeting time.

Our upcoming meetings are: 

• Utilities Advisory Committee Meeting - October 15 2025 @5:30PM 
• Finance Advisory Committee Meeting - Monday November 3, 2025 @ 5:30PM
• Board of Directors Meeting Open Session - November 6, 2025  @ 6:00PM
• Utilities Advisory Committee Meeting - November 19, 2025 @5:30PM
• Emergency Services Advisory Committee Meeting - November 20, 2025 @5:30PM

For more information about the upcoming meetings for LOCSD, please go to our website, or click here.