“Earth Friendlier” Franchise Agreement to
Improve Recycling & Street Sweeping Services Beginning September 1
The City of Ventura and E.J. Harrison & Sons are pleased to announce a number of exciting improve-ments to Ventura’s recycling program that will increase the range of materials that can be recycled, provide larger recycle barrels for those that need them, reduce costs for extra green waste recycling, and coordinate street sweep-ing with trash/recycling collection. Recycling helps reduce greenhouse gasses, conserve natural resources and energy, and extends the life of costly landfi lls. The City Council approved these changes to its Franchise Agreement with Harrison on July 31 after a public input process in June and July that included a public hearing on July 24. The new services begin September 1st and will increase the overall trash rates to residents by 75 cents monthly and by about 4.6% for commercial customers. “These are substantial improvements at a modest cost to our trash, street sweeping and recycling services – and a great example of the close, benefi cial and long-term relationship developed between the City of Ventura and E. J. Harrison & Sons, a locallybased family-owned company that consistently gives back valuable benefi ts to our com-munity,” says Mayor Carl E. Morehouse. EXPANDED RECYCLING SERVICES: |
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LARGER RECYCLING CONTAINERS: Larger blue barrels – 50% larger than the existing standard-sized recycling container – are now available to customers who need and request them, at no extra cost to regular service! Call 647-1414 for a larger cart.
REDUCED COSTS FOR EXTRA YARD WASTE RECYCLING: The new Agreement also benefi ts those with large yards who need more yard waste recycling services. The price of an extra Yard Waste cart is reduced to $3 per month. Call 647-1414 to set up this extra service. STREET SWEEPING SERVICES ADDED: The new Agreement also gives Harrison the responsibility for street sweeping throughout the city. “Coordinating the trash/recycling collection with street sweeping will help keep our City cleaner and reduce stormwater pollution,” continued Morehouse. “Harrison will work with California Wood Recycling to ensure that the majority of street sweeping de-bris is not landfi lled, as it has been in the past.” Instead, the street sweepings– mostly leaves, dirt and other organics – will undergo several types of screening and com-posting until it is fit to be reused as a soil amendment. Harrison estimates that the amount of diversion from this program could reach several thousand tons per year.
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More materials than ever will now be accepted in the blue recycling carts – including rigid plastics, such as flowerpots, nursery flats, buckets, yogurt & margarine tubs and small toys. Even athletic shoes are now allowed - Gold Coast Recycling has an arrangement to provide Nike with old sho
es, which in turn will be converted into athletic playing surfaces. In general, the only plastics that cannot be placed in the blue recycling containers are film plastics. 
For further information and to request larger recycling carts at no cost or to setup up service for an extra Yard-Waste Cart for $3 monthly call 647-1414.Since February 8, state law no longer permits households and small businesses to put such hazardous “universal wastes” as batteries, electronic devices, mercury-containing thermostats and fluo-rescent light bulbs in the trash for curbside pickup. Called “universal” because they are generated by several sectors of industry rather than a single source, these hazardous wastes contain harmful materials, which, if disposed of improperly, may be released into the environment and harm people by contami-nating air, water, and food supply. For this reason, it is illegal to dispose of any hazardous wastes, such as used motor oil and paint, in the garbage. “The City of Ventura has been ahead of the curve on this issue for a number of years,” explained Envi-ronmental Services Specialist Joe Yahner. “We’ve been hosting Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) Collec-tion Events to retrieve these toxic items and keep them out of the general waste stream.” For a FREE HHW Collection Events calendar, please call 652-4525 or visit: www.venturasenvironment.com. Specific information pertaining to the new Universal Waste Law, the City’s Household Hazardous Waste Collection program and small business (CESQG) hazardous waste concerns are also available in English and Spanish, as well as a comprehensive list of local collection programs provided by some retailers for certain universal wastes, such as batteries. |
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Agromin Donates “Carrots” Kits to FOOD Share
Each kit contains carrot seeds, a planter box with tray, plant labels, a planting instruction book-mark, a green recycling activity booklet, a pencil made of recycled wood, stickers and two, two-quart bags of planting soil. The kits are designed to teach kids ages 6 through 12 how food is grown and the importance of green waste recycling. The kits retail for $24.95 and can be purchased by visiting www.agromin.com. For every kit pur-chased online and “FOOD Share” is typed in the coupon box, Agromin will donate $5 to the non-profi t organization that feeds 38,000 adults and children each month through 220 certifi ed chari-table agencies throughout the county. For more information, go to www.foodshare.com. |
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Sharing the “universal waste” title with household hazardous waste is Electronic Waste. Consisting of items such as computers (CPUs), tube-type and flat panel televisions, computer monitors, laptop comput-ers, printers, radios, microwave ovens, VCRs, cell phones, cordless phones, and telephone answering machines, these items are also prohibited from curbside disposal due to the high con-centrations of metals (e.g., lead and copper). However, electronic waste CANNOT be disposed of in the same manner as household haz-ardous waste, nor at HHW Collection Events. For the next City of Ventura Electronic Waste Collection Event please call 652-4525.New State Law Restricts Disposal of ‘Universal Wastes’
Bob Mcica, left, chairman of the FOOD Share Board of Directors, AND Agromin’s Bill Camarillo, visit with members of the Boys & Girls Club of Ventura who are learning how to grow veg-etables. Agromin has donated 300”Carrots for Kids” garden-ing kits that FOOD SHARE is distributing through its Share’s Kid’s Café, an after-school and summer program designed to feed boys and girls who may not get enough food at home. Children are receiving the kits at the Boys and Girls Clubs in Ventura and Oxnard as well as at the Many Mansions after-school program in Thousand Oaks.Fact Sheet – Universal Wastes That Shouldn’t Be Put in the Trash |
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The following are universal wastes that should not be placed in trash containers:
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For proper disposal options please see Page 2 or call the City of Ventura's Environmental Services Offi ce at 652-4525. Other resources:
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Batteries: Keep all batteries out of the trash. Bring to a household hazardous waste collection facility. Protect the environment and help recover resources. 
For specific requirements see Title 22 California Code of Regulations section 66273 et seq. or view the publications page on DTSC’s web site | E. J. Harrison & Sons Recycling, Yard Trimmings and Trash Guidelines |
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How to Place your Cart for Automated Collection The automated arm of the collection truck needs room to grab the cart. Carts should be placed 2-3 feet apart from each other and from objects such as mail boxes and cars. Carts should be out by 7:00 a.m. on collection days.
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