Ralph Harrison Dead at 89

Ralph Harrison Dead at 89

Local corporate leader was eldest son of pioneering family that
first brought trash collection and recycling to Ventura County

 

VENTURA, California – Local business and philanthropic icon Ralph Harrison has died. The longtime president of E.J. Harrison & Sons trash collection company died on Saturday of natural causes, his family announced. Funeral arrangements are pending.

Ralph was born in Ventura on Nov. 14, 1934, to E.J. and Myra Harrison, who founded Harrison Industries nearly 92 years ago, in 1932. Ralph later bought a ranch in Bardsdale, where he last lived.

The eldest of the Harrisons’ three sons, Ralph joined the family business in 1963 and watched it grow from a relatively small local company to the major corporation it is today. Working with local community partners at Gold Coast Recycling and Agromin, Harrison Industries currently serves 90,000 residential and commercial customers throughout Ventura County and in Carpinteria, in Santa Barbara County.

As corporate president, Ralph was in charge of Harrison’s fleet operations, the maintenance and service departments and inventory controls and he headed up an extensive research and development department. Most of Harrison Industries’ innovations are due to Ralph’s ingenuity and he held many patents.

 

Ralph’s son Lynn Ralph Harrison, a longtime Harrison employee, took over his father’s responsibilities eight months ago and will continue to do so. Ralph’s brothers, Jim and Myron, also will continue to run the business.

In addition to his leadership at Harrison Industries, Ralph was well known throughout the Ventura County community. He was longtime president of the Ventura County Waste Disposal Association, which was formed in the early 1970s by his father, and also served on the California Refuse Recycling Council. As a member of these and other professional trash/recycling organizations, Ralph attended many trash industry seminars and conferences throughout the United States and Canada. He was active in other ways in his community, as well. Among his many affiliations, he was a longtime board member of the Ventura County Fair Foundation.

Ralph along with his brothers gave generously over the years to countless community organizations and causes. Among their most notable donations, the Harrisons made the largest contribution to the building of the new Community Memorial Hospital, and the Ventura Boys & Girls Club has a clubhouse in Saticoy because of Ralph and his brothers’ generosity. The Santa Clara Valley Boys & Girls Club was also very close to Ralph’s heart, as were local 4-H clubs, to whom he often donated livestock to raise.

Holiday trash collection schedule to remain unchanged for the for MLK Day 2024

Holiday trash collection schedule to remain unchanged for the for MLK Day 2024

Trash collection schedule to remain unchanged for MLK Day in 2024

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. 14-20, 2024.

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 paper or plastic bags and the bags should be tossed in the organics waste cart.

EJ-Harrison-Extra-holiday-waste-trash-pickup

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.

Food waste recycling graphic july 2022

Harrison Industries serves the cities and surrounding unincorporated areas of Ventura, Ojai and Camarillo as well as the unincorporated areas of La Conchita, Lake Sherwood, Lynn Ranch, Ojai Valley (Ventura River Valley), Oxnard Plain, Newbury Park, Piru, Pt. Mugu, Rancho Matilija, Rincon, Santa Rosa Valley, Somis, Santa Paula, Upper Ojai, Yerba Buena, the Channel Islands Beach Community Services District, and the city of Carpinteria as E.J. Harrison & Sons; Fillmore and surrounding unincorporated areas as Santa Clara Valley Disposal.

 

Learn more about delays in your collection schedule and what holidays EJ Harrisons observes by visiting our holiday schedule.

2024 Holiday Schedule Page Header EJ Harrison - Industries - Trash Hauler
Trash collection schedule delayed for the Christmas and New Year’s Day holidays this season

Trash collection schedule delayed for the Christmas and New Year’s Day holidays this season

In observance of the Christmas and New Year’s Day holidays,

employees of Harrison Industries will be taking the day off on Monday, Dec. 25, and Monday, Jan. 1. As a result, Harrison will collect trash, recycling and yard/organic waste one day later than usual during those weeks. Look for the regular collection schedules to resume the weeks following each holiday.

 

As an extra holiday service,

Harrison’s existing customers in the cities of Ventura, Camarillo, Fillmore, Ojai and Carpinteria may put out extra holiday waste curbside on collection day – up to two 50-gallon bags – free of charge for two weeks after Christmas, from Tuesday, Dec. 26, through Saturday, Jan. 6. Customers in the unincorporated areas of Ventura County will have extra trash pickup through Saturday, Jan. 13.

EJ-Harrison-Extra-holiday-waste-trash-pickup

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 yard/organics waste cart on your scheduled pickup day. Or, place the whole Christmas tree at the curb 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.

 

EJ-Harrison-Industries-Christmas-tree-recycling-2023-logo

 

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 paper or plastic bags and the bags should be tossed in the organics 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 your participation helps us succeed.

Tying-a-Plastic-Bag-with-food-waste-EJ-Harrison-Industries-Trash-Hauler-Ventura-County

Harrison Industries serves the cities and surrounding unincorporated areas of Ventura, Ojai and Camarillo as well as the unincorporated areas of La Conchita, Lake Sherwood, Lynn Ranch, Ojai Valley (Ventura River Valley), Oxnard Plain, Newbury Park, Piru, Pt. Mugu, Rancho Matilija, Rincon, Santa Rosa Valley, Somis, Santa Paula, Upper Ojai, Yerba Buena, the Channel Islands Beach Community Services District, and the city of Carpinteria as E.J. Harrison & Sons; Fillmore and surrounding unincorporated areas as Santa Clara Valley Disposal.

 

Click Here for our Holiday Schedule!

Harrison’s Thursday and Friday customers will have trash collection delayed one day for Thanksgiving Holiday

Harrison’s Thursday and Friday customers will have trash collection delayed one day for Thanksgiving Holiday

Don’t forget to recycle all that holiday season food waste!

In observance of Thanksgiving this year, Harrison Industries employees are taking the day off on Thursday, Nov. 23.

 

As a result, customers who normally have their trash, recyclables and yard/organic waste collected on Thursday or Friday will have it collected one day later than usual. The Thanksgiving holiday will not affect customers who have their trash, recyclables and yard/organic waste collected on Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday. The regular schedule for all customers will resume the following week.

We’d also like to remind folks as the holiday season approaches to keep up the good work recycling your food waste. Residential customers can place all three carts curbside every week, as Harrison collects all waste weekly – including food waste, which by now you should be accustomed to recycling. All food waste should be put into paper or plastic bags, and the bags should be closed tightly and tossed into your yard/organic waste cart.

Remembering to recycle your food waste is especially important during the holiday season from Thanksgiving through the New Year when people tend to generate extra food waste.

 

Thank you for your role in the success of our food waste recycling program. Food waste recycling is the law, but more importantly, it’s vital for the environment. Food waste emits destructive methane gas when it decays at a landfill, damaging our atmosphere and causing global warming. Harrison is proud to be a part of the solution and we remain grateful for your assistance.

Happy Thanksgiving table - EJ Harrison Industries Trash Hauler Ventura County

What’s Up With Waste Cart Colors?

What’s Up With Waste Cart Colors?

If you see a black trash cart instead of the usual green this summer,

don’t fret – it’s just part of an ongoing statewide effort toward a uniform color system for residential waste bins.

State law mandates the uniform colors but gives trash haulers until 2036 for full implementation. Harrison Industries developed an orderly delivery plan that began with new developments. When your turn comes, you will be notified and receive instructions.

Based on the state rules:

* New black carts will replace the green ones now used for trash.

* Green carts will replace the tan ones now used for yard and food waste.

* Blue recycle carts will remain blue.

In the meantime, please choose the correct cart for disposal. Remember, the blue cart is for recyclables ONLY. Yard and food waste goes in the tan cart (first put food waste in plastic or paper bags and secure them tightly). All other trash goes in the green cart, or the new black cart if you have one of those.

We’re now picking up all three carts weekly, giving you more room to recycle all that you can.

For more information about waste cart guidelines and the state legislation that mandates it, visit ejharrison.com/guidelines

 

Food Waste Recycling: An Urgent Matter

Food Waste Recycling: An Urgent Matter

Food Waste Recycling: An Urgent Matter

Within the next 10 years, our planet’s temperature is likely to reach the point of no return unless we take widespread action to reduce global warming, the U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change warned in a March report. Heat waves, famines and other extreme climate disasters could kill millions of people, and at that point there will be little we can do about it, the report found.

Food waste recycling graphic july 2022

So, what can you do immediately and easily to fight climate change? The answer is simple: Recycle food waste and other organic materials.

The state of California began last year to require the diversion of food waste from landfills, because anaerobic decomposition of organic materials at landfills creates methane, a greenhouse gas 84 times more potent than carbon dioxide when it comes to global warming.

Greenhouse gas pollution emitted by U.S. landfills is equivalent to that produced by 66 million gas-powered passenger vehicles a year, or by 79 coal-fired power plants, the nonprofit, nonpartisan Environmental Integrity Project said in a May report called “Trashing the Climate: Methane from Municipal Landfills.”

“Food waste, in particular, is a growing problem that can be addressed,” says the report, noting Americans throw out about 40 percent of their food. “If wasted food were a country, it would be the third-largest emitter of global greenhouse gases, behind China (21 percent) and the United States (13 percent),” the report says.

Knife-cutting-Food-waste-recycling-kitchen-scraps

Harrison Industries began a pilot program

for commercial food waste recycling years ago and added a residential program in 2022. Participation is not only mandatory – it’s an urgent necessity.

“We’ve faced two droughts in 10 years, fires and now floods. We have to work together to fight climate change in every way we can,” Rachel Machi Wagoner, director of the California Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery, recently told the Sacramento News & Review.

“Not everybody’s going to be able to go out and buy an electric vehicle tomorrow,” she said, but “everybody can throw their organic waste” in a recycling bin.

For more information about food waste recycling and the state legislation that mandates it, visit ejharrison.com/food-waste.

 

Help Make Our Planet Happy, Recycle your Food Waste Weekly

Help Make Our Planet Happy, Recycle your Food Waste Weekly

Help Make Our Planet Happy – Recycle your Food Waste Weekly

Please do your part. It’s so easy: Instead of throwing your food waste in the trash, drop it into plastic or paper bags, seal the bags securely and toss them into your organic/yard waste cart. REMEMBER: Yard waste should be loose in the cart, but food waste MUST BE BAGGED. (No yard waste? No problem. Put the cart out by the curb anyway, for weekly food waste collection.)

Make-our-planet-happy-Recycle-your-food-waste-weekly-ej-harrison

Food waste in the landfill creates methane, which escapes into the air. Methane is a potent greenhouse gas that contributes to disastrous climate change events.

Please “Do Your Part” to create compost, energy and other green products while also slowing climate change. Put your yard/organics cart out weekly with your bagged food waste in it, even if you don’t have any yard waste that week.

JUST DO IT!

 Questions? Visit our food waste recycling page online, at ejharrison.com/food-waste.

Fruits-and vegetabels-Food-Waste-Recycling-ej-harrison

 

 

 

Fourth of July Holiday Delays Trash Pickup for Most Customers

Fourth of July Holiday Delays Trash Pickup for Most Customers

Fourth of July holiday delays trash pickup for most customers

 

In observance of the Independence Day holiday, employees of Harrison Industries will be taking the day off on Tuesday, July 4. As a result, Harrison will collect trash, recycling and yard/organic waste one day later than usual for Tuesday through Friday customers during the week of July 2-8. Monday customers are not affected.

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 or placed in the yard/organic waste cart.

Thank you for your role in the success of our food waste recycling program. 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.

 

You can find the full EJ Harrison holiday schedule here

E.J. Harrison Industries Earns New County Agreements

E.J. Harrison Industries Earns New County Agreements

The Ventura County Board of Supervisors has chosen E.J. Harrison & Sons, Inc. to provide residential waste collection in most of the county’s unincorporated areas after a long, thorough selection process.

The board at its May 16 meeting approved the county Public Works Agency’s recommendation to choose Harrison to serve three of the county’s four unincorporated zones.

Supervisor Jeff Gorell praised Harrison’s local roots and community involvement since its founding 91 years ago and made the motion to approve the staff recommendation. Gorell said Harrison “has a reputation for excellence and for service, and they are so connected to the community.”

Board Chairman Matt LaVere seconded the motion, and the board passed it unanimously. “I don’t know that there is another business in this entire county that gives more back to the community it serves,” LaVere said.

Harrison was chosen for the northern zone that includes the Rincon, unincorporated areas of Ventura and the Ojai Valley, and the remote northeastern part of the county; the central zone of unincorporated areas around Santa Paula, Fillmore, Camarillo and Oxnard; and the southwest zone between Thousand Oaks, Point Mugu and the ocean. Athens Services, Inc. won the fourth zone, which includes unincorporated areas around Moorpark, Simi Valley and east Thousand Oaks.

The new residential solid waste collection agreements will begin Jan. 1, 2024, and run for 10 years, with options for two 5-year extensions. Final details still need to be worked out and approved by the board, possibly on June 20.

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