Trash Flash

Recycling News for Carpinteria Businesses & Multi-Family Complexes

Spring 2009

Recycling Marketplace Update

As you are aware, we are in the midst of tough economic times. And just like

the stock and housing markets have been hit hard by the recession, so too has the recyclables market.

Production is down in the U.S. and worldwide, so the demand for recyclables – even in China – has dropped dramatically in the past year. As a result, the price Gold Coast Recycling and Transfer Station in Ventura receives for aluminum, glass, pa-per, electronic waste and other recyclables materials has dropped by as much as 75 percent in recent months.

Cardboard and paper fi ber prices, for ex-ample, have gone from $200 a ton to $40 to $60 a ton. It costs about $50 to separate and bale the material, so Gold Coast Recycling is about breaking even.

Still, our message to you is: Keep Reduc-ing. Keep Reusing. Keep Recycling.

Assembly Bill 939, the 1989 state law, re-quires all cities and counties to cut the trash they send to landfi lls in half. With your help, all the cities with exclusive franchises that are served by Harrison Industries serves have surpassed the state mandate, and their diversion rates continue to rise. Keep up the good work!

Economists predict that the recyclables market could remain down for the next two years. But Gold Coast Recycling will ride out the storm.

Again, Re-duce, Reuse and Recycle. Now, and always!

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‘Going Green’ Can Save Businesses Green

There are a number of im-portant reasons for your business to “Go Green.”

The most signifi cant being that preserving the world’s natural resources is the responsibil-ity of every individual, both at work and at home.

But “Going Green” also makes good business sense. In addition to helping save the environment, businesses that “Reduce, Reuse and Recycle” also save you money by improving ef-fi ciency and lowering operating costs.

It’s also easy to “Go Green.” Here are some tips: When ordering offi ce supplies, look for those

made with recycled content to “Close the Loop” and keep up the demand for recycled materials. Paper made with 100 percent recycled content works well and saves natural resources and energy in the manu-facturing. Look for binders, fi le folders and other sup-plies made with the highest “post consumer” percent-age.

When possible, set printers and copiers to “Dou-ble side” or “Duplex” as a default. This may cut your paper use and cost almost in half.

Make it easy to recycle by placing containers next to every trash container and copier. Make sure containers are clearly marked, perhaps with pictures of acceptable recyclable materials – paper, cardboard, glass, aluminum cans and plastics – on the recycling container.

Make it a policy to invest in energy-saving com-puters, monitors and printers, and make sure that your old equipment is properly recycled. You can dispose of your electronic waste, also known as “e-waste,” free of charge at Gold Coast Recycling (5275 Colt St. Ventura). Old computers that still work can be donated to orga-nizations that will refurbish them and fi nd them new homes. (You may even get a tax deduction).

Refi ll or recycle computer ink cartridges rather than add them to the landfi ll.

Post the back side of this “Trash Flash” that cov-

Continued on page 2

Bring Antifreeze, Batteries, Oil & Paint to ABOP

ABOP is an acronym for Anti-freeze, Batteries, Oil, and Paint (latex

only), used to describe materials that are collected, at no charge, for recycling throughout the year. Carpinteria City res-idents can bring in the following materi-als for recycling:

Antifreeze Batteries Motor oil and oil fi lters Water-based paints

The ABOP collection facility is locat-ed at City Hall, 5775 Carpinteria Avenue, and is open every second and fourth Saturday of the month, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The only exception is in November and December when the facility is open only the second Saturday of each month.

In addition, used oil, oil fi lters and anti-freeze can be brought to the same City Hall location, Monday through Fri-day, from 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

Please remember……when disposing of light bulbs, regular incandescent light bulbs can be thrown in the trash can (not the recycling container); however mercury vapor, fl uorescent and other gas-fi lled tubes cannot go in the trash or recycle cans.

For more information, call Public Works Director/City Engineer Paul Medel at 684-5405, ext. 443, or email him at PaulM@ci.carpinteria.ca.us.

Page 2Spring 2009 Trash Flash

‘Going Green’Continued from page 1

ers recycling on your offi ce’s bulletin board.“Going Green” also sets a positive example for

employees, and that can boost morale and company loyalty. In addition, it refl ects positively on your busi-ness, and that can help you maintain customers, as well as win over new ones.

Recycling Paper Saves Trees & Cuts Air Pollution

According to the Paper Industry As-sociation Council, more than 36

percent of the fi ber used to make new paper products in the United States comes from recycled sources. Recycled-content paper (new paper made from used and recovered paper) creates less air pollution, lowers greenhouse gas emissions and re-duces the volume of wastewater compared to making the same type of paper directly from trees.

Let’s work together to continue mak-ing improvements.

Here’s how you can help: Use less paper. Try adjusting

margins and using similar graphics to eliminate extra pages. Don’t print e-mail messages; instead, save them in electronic folders in your e-mail program.

Use paper more effi ciently by using both sides and reminding others to do the same.

Collect paper that has printing only on one side and reuse the back. Put this paper into your copier or printer for drafts and internal documents. Cut the paper into squares for use as scratch paper.

Save and reuse paper products, such as shipping boxes, gift boxes, packing paper, and wrapping paper.

Recycle your offi ce or school pa-pers at work, school and home.

Buy recycled-content paper and pa-per products. Paperboard, corrugated card-board, and newsprint generally contain a higher level of recycled content than other papers. Help im-prove markets for our higher-grade offi ce pa-pers by buying post-consumer recycled-content copier and printer paper, notebooks and notebook paper, and stationery.

ecycled her-

ter s a dnd and

Trash FlashPage 3

Spring 2009

Carpinteria Beautiful shows off their reusable

grocery totes after touring Gold Coast Recycling.

Carpinteria Helps the Environment with Reusable Totes

Carpinteria Beautiful toured Gold Coast Recycling and afterwards showed off their reusable grocery bag totes (see photo).

During the month of April, 5000 of these reusable totes will be distributed free of charge outside of Carpinteria’s two major markets. Customers will be encouraged to bring the reusable totes back with them on their return shopping trips to the stores. The more customers do so, the less the stores have to rely on disposable plastic bags, and the better it will be for the environment.

Why are disposable plastic bags so harmful to the envi-ronment? For starters, they are made from a non-renewable natural resource: petroleum. Consequently, the manu-facturing of plastic bags contributes to the diminishing availability of our natural resources and the damage to the environment from the extraction of petroleum. Plastic bags are said to take up to 1,000 years to decompose on land and 450 years in water.

Plastic bags account for a major part of our waste in landfi lls. More importantly, plastic bags are one of the top items of litter on our community beaches, roads, sidewalks and vegetation. They are light and hard to contain. Because of their light weight, plastic bags fl y easily in wind, fl oat along readily in the currents of rivers and oceans and block

drainage.Harrison Industries encourages all to get in the habit

of bringing a tote bag to the store. It may take a little extra effort on your part, but it is well worth it.

Carpinteria’s Annual HHW Disposal Day is April 11

Got clutter around the home or offi ce? If so, the City of Carpinteria Public Works Department is hold-

ing its annual Household and Hazardous Waste Day on Saturday, April 11. From 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. that day, residents and small businesses are encouraged to bring their unwanted clutter and waste to the City Hall park-ing lot (5775 Carpinteria Ave.) for safe disposal, free of charge.

You can bring your worn-out furniture, broken home appliances, outdated computer screens and moni-tors, old televisions and stereo equipment, dead batter-ies and piled-up yard waste. You also can bring cleaning solvents and pesticides that you no longer need as well as leftover paint and chemicals that have been stored in your garage.

Note, however, that the city does not accept pro-pane tanks, tires, medical waste or explosives. Smoke detectors are not accepted, either.

The Salvation Army will be on hand to reclaim usable goods, while E.J. Harrison & Sons will

recycle or dispose of the remain-ing items. There will be a $10 charge to drop off refrigerators to take care of Freon disposal costs.

Small businesses are asked to call in advance and make an ap-

pointment at 684-5405, ext. 445.

Pay Bills On Line

You can now pay your bills on line with a credit card

or e-check. It’s easy. Go to www.ejharrison.com and

check out your payment options.

BusinessesHelp us keep green waste,

a natural resource, out

of the landfill.

Recycle Your Green Waste

Page 4Spring 2009 Trash Flash

Harrison Commercial CustomersRecycling and Yard Waste Guidelines

Magazines

NewspaperPaper/

Junk Mail

Aluminum & Metal CansGlass

Containers

Cardboard

PlasticsAll hard plastics including

nursery pots are recyclable.No Styrofoam, No film plastic.

City of CarpinteriaCity Manager: Dave Durflinger

Mayor: Al Clark

Vice-Mayor: Gregg Carty

council Members:Joe Armendariz, Michael

Ledbetter & Bradley Stein

TTTTTTrrraaaasssshhh FFFFFFlllaaaasssshhhPrinted on Recycled Paper

ABOP Recycling CenterRecycle:

Antifreeze

Batteries

Oil & Water-based

Paint

Open 2nd & 4th Saturdays10 a.m.—2 p.m.

at Carpinteria City Hall

Call 1-800-CLEANUP for more certified used oil re-cycling locations. Funded by a grant from the Cali-fornia Integrated Waste Management Board.

STOPNo Hazardous

Waste!!

These items are NOT accepted for Trash or Recycling.

Hazardous Waste Tires TVs/Computer Monitors Batteries Closed Containers Oil or Paints Flourescent Light Tubes Medical Needles

For information on how to dispose of these items, please call: Carpinteria 684-5405 ext.445

Got a lot of trash?Try a Harrison roll-off or bin rental. Convenient & Affordable.

Got a little bit of trash?Take it to Gold Coast Recycling & Transfer Station.

Got some yard waste or need some mulch?

Call Agromin.

5275 Colt St. • Ventura(805) 642-9236www.goldcoastrecycling.com

www.ejharrison.com

(805) 650-1616www.agromin.com

(805) 647-1414 1-800-41 TRASH