5 Earth Day Tips for Reducing Food Waste

5 Earth Day Tips for Reducing Food Waste

   With the passing of Senate Bill 1383 (SB 1383), food waste recycling and recovery has been a hot topic. This Earth Day, we wanted to spotlight the 5 best tips for reducing food waste and how to practice dedicated food recovery programs. If you’re inspired to join EJ Harrison’s food recycling mission to help reduce your carbon footprint but don’t know where to start, these simple techniques and tips are aimed at helping you reduce your food waste at home and find creative ways to reduce, reuse and recycle your favorite foods.

  1. Meal Prep. Cook in Bulk and Freeze your Leftovers.

The issue with large batching your meals is the monotony of eating the same meals over and over again. We suggest choosing easy to customize recipes during reheating. Soup, noodle and rice dishes are good options that can be spiced up in many different and unique ways.

2. Use individual storage containers for easy packs and go lunches for you and your family.

The convenience and comfort of grabbing your own homemade lunch thats ready to go is unmatched, not to mention cutting your food costs from eating at restaurants.

3. Use leftover vegetable scraps to make your own homemade stocks.

Zucchini, carrots, celery and other root vegetables can be boiled with other scraps like bones to make delicious homemade stocks.

4. Add leftover meats to your favorite salad, wrap or stir-fry.

Make your salad a complete, nutritious meal by adding leftover meats.

Throwing-Away-Food-Waste-In-Brown-Yard-Waste-Cart-EJ-Harrison-Industries-Trash-Hauler-Ventura-County

5. Recycle your food waste and scraps at home.

Harrison has a simple, 4 step program for recycling your food waste. 

  1. Collect food waste in a clear plastic bag.
  2. Clean your scraps by removing any stickers, twist ties or rubberbands that can’t be recycled.
  3. Store food waste in a proper receptacle.
  4. Dispose of your food waste by placing your tied off bag into your yard waste cart for pick-up.

Learn More: Food Waste Recycling & Senate Bill 1383

Earth Day EcoFest 2023 with Ventura Charter School

Earth Day EcoFest 2023 with Ventura Charter School

As proud Sponsors for this year’s Ventura EcoFest, we invite you to join us for Earth Day EcoFest on Sunday, April 16th, 2023, from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at the Ventura Charter School Campus! This free event is fun for the whole family.

Ventura Charter School’s annual Earth Day EcoFest has grown each year since it began in 2007 and draws thousands of visitors who come to enjoy a beautiful day outdoors in celebration of Mother Earth, life, and green living. In addition to providing engaging entertainment, we are committed to help kindle awareness and appreciation for the Earth’s natural environment, as well as provide a showcase for local businesses engaged in green technologies and approaches to sustainable living. Ventura Charter School is proud to have received the “Globie” award from the City of Ventura two years in a row for Community Activism for our involvement and support of the environment.

 

Environmental Education at Ventura Charter School focuses on environmental literacy– learning about and caring for the total environment, understanding how humans interact with and are dependent on natural ecosystems, and developing critical-thinking skills to resolve environmental issues. Stewardship of the earth is a fundamental tenant of the School vision. An awareness of the fragility of the ecosystems is crucial as well as the development of a strong sense of responsibility for protecting, preserving, and restoring the earth for future generations. To learn more about this year’s Earth Day EcoFest, visit Facebook Ventura Earth Day 

 

A fun day for the whole family!

  • Over 80 Eco-friendly Vendors
  • Live, Family-fun Entertainment & Music
  • Children’s Games and Activities
  • Low waste Food & Drinks
  • Raffle with prices worth thousands of dollars!

See more at www.venturacharterschool.org

Organic Waste Recycling Facility Gets Permits

Organic Waste Recycling Facility Gets Permits

Expansion of commercial food waste recycling capacity recently received a big boost when the city of Oxnard approved permits needed for a new processing operation off Mountain View Avenue.

Our business partner Agromin secured permits for its Mountain View Organic Waste Processing Facility as it prepares to launch a facility that can process source-separated commercial food waste.

In the works since 2017, the facility will be able to process up to 300 tons a day of source-separated organic waste, helping to convert it into animal feed, organic fertilizer or bioenergy.

To meet the challenges of California Senate Bill 1383, which mandates recycling of food and other organic waste to reduce climate-harming methane gas emissions from landfills, Agromin has spent years working with Harrison and local officials to launch the new Mountain View facility.

Mountain View will significantly expand our recycling capacity, as will Agromin’s project to expand its Limoneira compost facility in the Santa Clara River Valley to handle commercial and residential food waste.

Trash Collection Schedule Unchanged for the Presidents Day Weekend

Trash Collection Schedule Unchanged for the Presidents Day Weekend

Harrison Industries will maintain its regular trash, recycling and yard/organic waste collection schedules during the week of Presidents Day, Feb. 19-25. Remember that Harrison’s residential customers can place all three carts curbside every week, as Harrison collects all waste weekly. This includes food waste, which is now recyclable. All food waste should be placed in closed bags and the bags should be tossed in the yard waste cart.

Thank you for your role in the success of food waste recycling. Food waste recycling is the law, but more importantly, it’s vital for the environment. Food waste emits destructive methane gas as it decays, damaging our atmosphere and causing global warming.

American-Flags-in-a-field-for-memorial-day-ej-harrison-trash-hauler

We continue to be a statewide leader in developing the programs and infrastructure needed to implement this ambitious project and we wouldn’t be as successful without your participation.

Harrison Industries serves the cities and surrounding unincorporated areas of Ventura, Ojai and Camarillo as well as the unincorporated areas of El Rio, Somis, Ojai Valley, the Channel Islands beach communities and the city of Carpinteria as E.J. Harrison & Sons; Fillmore and surrounding unincorporated areas as Santa Clara Valley Disposal; and the unincorporated areas of Newbury Park as Newbury Disposal.

See our Full Holiday Schedule

Holiday Schedule

Holiday trash collection schedule to remain unchanged for the for MLK Day 2023

Holiday trash collection schedule to remain unchanged for the for MLK Day 2023

Trash collection schedule to remain unchanged for MLK Day in 2023
Harrison Industries will maintain its regular trash, recycling and yard/organic waste collection
schedule in Ventura County during the week of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Jan. 15-21, 2023.

Remember that Harrison’s residential customers can place all three carts curbside every week, as
Harrison collects all waste weekly – including food waste, which is now recyclable. All food
waste should be placed in closed bags and the bags should be tossed in the yard waste cart.Thank you for your role in the success of food waste recycling. Food waste recycling is the law,
but more importantly, it’s vital for the environment. Food waste emits destructive methane gas as
it decays, damaging our atmosphere and causing global warming.

We continue to be a statewide leader in developing the programs and infrastructure needed to
implement this ambitious project and we wouldn’t be as successful without your participation.
Harrison Industries serves the cities and surrounding unincorporated areas of Ventura, Ojai and
Camarillo as well as the unincorporated areas of El Rio, Somis, Ojai Valley, the Channel Islands
beach communities and the city of Carpinteria as E.J. Harrison & Sons; Fillmore and
surrounding unincorporated areas as Santa Clara Valley Disposal; and the unincorporated areas
of Newbury Park as Newbury Disposal.

Holiday trash collection schedule to remain unchanged for the Christmas and New Years holidays

Holiday trash collection schedule to remain unchanged for the Christmas and New Years holidays

With Christmas and New Year’s Day falling on Sunday this holiday season, in the weeks before and after the holidays, trash, recyclables and organic/yard waste collection by E.J. Harrison & Sons will not be delayed.

Special holiday features offered

For two weeks after Christmas, from Monday, Dec. 26 through Saturday, Jan. 7, residents may put out extra holiday waste curbside on collection day – up to two 50-gallon bags – free of charge!

As another special holiday feature, Harrison is making it easy for customers to recycle their Christmas trees. Just remove the ornaments, hooks, lights, tinsel, bows, nails and tree stands, then cut the trees into sections no more than 4 feet long and place them in your organic/yard waste cart on your scheduled pickup day. Or, if you have NO organic/yard waste cart, place the whole Christmas tree curbside on collection day. Flocked trees also are accepted for recycling.

The recycled trees will be processed into mulch by our partner Agromin. These products benefit our farmlands, orchards, nurseries, landscape projects and home gardens, so recycling your tree truly is a holiday gift to Mother Earth! We appreciate your help and thanks also to Agromin and our local municipalities for participating in this program.

Finally, a reminder that our residential customers can place all three carts curbside every week, as Harrison collects all waste weekly – including food waste, which is now recyclable. All food waste should be placed in closed bags and the bags should be tossed in the yard waste cart.

Thank you for your role in the success of food waste recycling. Food waste recycling is the law, but more importantly, it’s vital for the environment. Food waste emits destructive methane gas as it decays, damaging our atmosphere and causing global warming. We continue to be a statewide leader in developing the programs and infrastructure needed to implement this ambitious project and we wouldn’t be as successful without your participation.

Recycle Your Christmas Tree

Recycle Your Christmas Tree

E.J. Harrison & Sons, Newbury Disposal and Santa Clara Valley Disposal ask “Why not turn your Christmas tree into a gift to Mother Earth by recycling it?”

After Christmas, from Dec. 26 to Jan, 7, just do this:

  • Remove all ornaments, hooks, lights, tinsel, nails and stands
  • Cut into 4-foot sections and place in Organics/Yard Waste Cart on your scheduled pick-up day
  • If you have NO Organics/Yard Waste Cart place the whole Christmas tree curbside on your collection day
  • Flocked Trees also are accepted for recycling.

Apartment and condo dwellers, please contact your management to make sure they have arranged for Christmas tree collection.

Trees that are collected will be processed into various sizes of mulch by Agromin. The material is used to make several products that benefit our farmlands, orchards, nurseries, landscape projects and home gardens.

You can buy a wide array of Agromin soil amendments at a number of businesses in Ventura County. For locations, visit www.agromin.com, where you also can order Agromin products online. Do so and you’re giving a holiday gift that keeps on giving.

Harrison Earns New Contract in Carpinteria

Harrison Earns New Contract in Carpinteria

The Carpinteria City Council voted 4-0 on May 23 to approve a new Solid Waste Handling Services Franchise Agreement with E.J. Harrison & Sons, Inc.

The new 15-year contract, with the option for two 5-year extensions, will take effect July 1. Renegotiation of the existing contract, set to expire Dec. 31, was spurred by state Senate Bill 1383, which requires food waste recycling and other measures to combat climate change.

Existing programs, including community cleanups and free bulky item pickups for single-family homes, will continue under the new contract. New or expanded programs will include free bulky item pickups for multi-family residences, collection of residential and commercial organic waste, and SB 1383 compliance monitoring.

“The new contract allows the city of Carpinteria the comfort of knowing they will be in compliance with SB 1383,” said Daniel Harrison, the company’s contract compliance manager. “The contract negotiations went well because it was the ultimate team effort. We trust each other and have open communication. We are excited to service the city of Carpinteria for the next 25 years.” 

E.J. Harrison, which is celebrating its 90th anniversary this year and has served Carpinteria since 1993, earned praise from the four council members May 23 (Councilwoman Natalia Alarcon was absent). “It’s great to see you guys again, and thank you for being part of Carpinteria,” Vice Mayor Al Clark told Harrison representatives. “We really appreciate your services.”

Harrison Industries does business throughout Ventura County, as well as in Carpinteria in Santa Barbara County, as E.J. Harrison & Sons, Santa Clara Valley Disposal and Newbury Disposal.

Agromin in the Spotlight

Agromin in the Spotlight

The incredible work being done by Agromin is no secret to us at Harrison Industries, and now the word about our Oxnard-based partner is being spread across the world by BioCycle.

Agromin, one of California’s largest organic waste recyclers, was featured in the May 10 online issue of BioCycle, a worldwide authority on organics recycling since 1960. 

Written by Nora Goldstein, the in-depth article tells the whole story of Agromin – from its early days trimming trees for utility companies to its current efforts to meet the demands created by new state rules on recycling food and other organic waste.

“Agromin is poised to increase its organic waste processing capacity considerably in 2022 to help cities, counties and other jurisdictions throughout California meet the organic waste mandates,” Agromin CEO Bill Camarillo tells BioCycle. Agromin last year composted more than 1 million tons of organics, now manages 21 processing and composting facilities throughout the state, and has three more in the works, the BioCycle story says.

It’s a great, well-written article, and I encourage you to read it at biocycle.net/california-composter-poised-to-process-more-organics.