Morongo Environmental Protection Department

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Banning, CA
Morongo Environmental Protection Department

Environmental Protection

06/01/2026

Morongo Public Works will be collecting curbside recycling on Wednesdays, June 10th, and 24th! Please make sure your bins are easily accessible and ready for pick up!

Place recyclables including cardboard in your curbside bin. As always, make sure recyclables are free of any food debris.

05/21/2026

Summer is almost here! Here are some fun facts on how we may expect our air quality to be impacted.

- Heat and sunlight act like ingredients that help create ozone pollution. So hotter and long sunny days = more ozone
- Dry conditions make dust easier to kick into the air = higher PM levels
- Some pollutants become more concentrated during long stretches of hot weather as they often get “trapped” in the air and cannot get dispersed
- The hottest days are often some of the toughest days for air quality

To see the current air quality on the Morongo Reservation, go to morongoair.com!

05/19/2026

Flimsy plastics like plastic bags, plastic wrap, produce bags, and bubble wrap should never go in your recycling bin. These materials can tangle and jam recycling equipment, contaminate recyclable materials, and slow down the recycling process. Even though they are made of plastic, most curbside recycling programs cannot properly process them. Keeping flimsy plastics out of recycling bins helps protect workers, reduce contamination, and ensure recyclable items can actually be turned into new products.
If you have questions on what can be recycled in the recycle bins around the Morongo Reservation, please reference our waste and recycling guide,https://morongo.sfo2.digitaloceanspaces.com/morongo.com/WasteRecyclingGuide2025_web.pdf

05/15/2026

Morongo’s Environmental Department has a subsection dedicated to our tribal surface water. During the year, we go to predetermined sites on the reservation that have surface water to collect samples for benthic macroinvertebrates (BMI).

BMI are very small animals that lack a backbone and are found in waterways. BMI’s mainly include the larva stages of many insects like dragonflies, snails, and beetles. BMI don’t move a lot, so they must endure what comes their way in the waterway. If a lot of pollution is found in the waterway, you will see less BMI. The opposite is also true, with less pollution you will see more BMI. They are a great indicator of the biological health of the waterway.

To learn more about BMI, check out EPA’s https://www.epa.gov/national-aquatic-resource-surveys/indicators-benthic-macroinvertebrates

05/13/2026

The 2026 Spring EPD Newsletter is now available!

https://morongo.sfo2.digitaloceanspaces.com/morongo.com/EPD_Newsletter_April2026.pdf

Visit our website above to read the latest edition of our department’s quarterly newsletter! In this issue, we discuss snake safety, backyard compositing benefits, heavy metals in water, how to measure particulate matter, Morongo’s sovereignty over our water quality standards, pollinators and native plants, and our upcoming events.

If you would like to be added to our mailing list to receive a paper or digital copy every quarter, request on our website at
https://morongonation.org/environmental/ or contact us at [email protected] or give us a call at 951-755-5127.

Visit our link tree to find the rest of our social media to stay up to date on other platforms!

05/11/2026

Morongo Public Works will be collecting curbside recycling on Wednesdays, May 13th and 27th! Please make sure your bins are easily accessible and ready for pick up!

Place recyclables including paper, chipboard, and cardboard in your bin. Mixed recyclables (such as envelopes with plastic windows) need the plastic removed before placing them in the recycle bin. As always, make sure they are free of food debris..

04/29/2026

Morongo’s Environmental Department has a subsection dedicated to our Tribal Surface Water. During the year, we visited predetermined sites on the Reservation with surface water to collect samples for chemical analysis of Mercury. Mercury is toxic to humans, normal exposure comes from eating fish that has bioaccumulation with high levels of Mercury.

How does Mercury enter our waterway? Mainly it comes from human involvement actives like coal-fired power plants and incinerators that release contaminates into the air that then find their way into our waterways. Other sources of Mercury come from non-point source pollution like improper disposal of electronics, light bulbs, car parts and sporting equipment.

Ways to Help:
- Dispose of electronics properly, some Staples, Home Depots and Dollar Trees accept certain types of e-waste.
- The Morongo Reservation has a cage specific for e-waste out at Public works *Specific to the Reservation only*

To learn more about Mercury, check out EPA’s https://www.epa.gov/mercury/how-people-are-exposed-mercury

04/27/2026

Please join us Wednesday, May 6th for our annual Earth Day Event. Environmentally themed booths are scheduled from 10:00am-2:00pm at the Morongo Administration Building, 12700 Pumarra Rd, Banning CA 92220.

This free event will feature local environmental groups, games, activities, lunch, raffle prizes, & much more!

**Open to Morongo Tribal Members, Descendants, Residents, Students, and Employees only**

04/24/2026

Targeted Airshed Grant Update

The Morongo Tribal Air Program continues making progress to improve air quality and strengthen community resilience.

Two new, cleaner emergency generators have been successfully installed at Public Works and Well 4:
At Public Works, the upgraded generator now provides backup power to key portions of the facility that were previously down during outages—keeping essential operations running when they’re needed most.
At Well 4, the new generator ensures that water continues to flow to the community even when power is lost.

These upgrades not only improve reliability during emergencies but also reduce harmful emissions compared to older equipment—supporting healthier air for our community.

This is part of Morongo’s broader effort, funded through the U.S. EPA Targeted Airshed Program, to replace outdated equipment, reduce ozone-forming pollution, and protect community health. In total, nine outdated generators have been replace with Tier 3, more efficient generators.
Clean air. Reliable infrastructure. Stronger community.

Thanks Morongo PW Staff-Left to right: Keith, Gabe and Miguel!

04/23/2026

We encourage all Tribal Members, descendants, and those living on the Morongo Reservation to explore our website and discover resources you may not know are available.

Be sure to check out our recently updated Waste and Resource Guide, created specifically for the Morongo Reservation. It provides detailed information about services available to residents.

We also offer helpful information and guidance on topics such as composting, vermicomposting, harm reduction, and how to properly dispose of difficult items like used oil, e-waste, and sharps.

Visit our website to explore these resources, https://morongonation.org/environmental/

Address

12700 Pumarra Road
Banning, CA
92220

Website

https://morongonation.org/environmental/

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