Thank You For Recycling Your Food Waste! It’s Helping!

Thank You For Recycling Your Food Waste! It’s Helping!

Photo: Put your yard/organics cart out weekly with your food waste in it, even if you don’t have any yard waste that week. (Interim yard/organic waste cart color shown here.)

You rock! Since Harrison started collecting residential food waste this year, hundreds of you have begun recycling your food waste for weekly collection.

For those who have not gotten on board – PLEASE DO.

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 food waste collection!)

It’s so important: Food waste that’s not recycled ends up in the landfill. When organic material, such as food and yard waste, is landfilled, it decomposes and produces methane, a potent greenhouse gas contributing to climate change. Recycled food waste becomes compost, energy, animal feed and other green products. With little effort, you can help reduce the impacts of climate change.

Questions? Visit our food waste recycling page here.

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.

Refuse Collection Delayed One Day for Memorial Day Holiday

Refuse Collection Delayed One Day for Memorial Day Holiday

In observance of the Memorial Day holiday, employees of Harrison Industries
will be taking the day off on Monday, May 30. As a result, Harrison will collect
trash, recycling and yard/organic waste one day later than usual during the
week of May 29 to June 4. The regular schedule will resume the following
week.

 To see EJ Harrison’s full Holiday Schedule, follow the link below.

Please Recycle Your Food Waste!

Please Recycle Your Food Waste!

As most of our customers know, Harrison is now accepting residential food waste for weekly collection and recycling. We hope everyone is taking advantage of this invaluable new service.

Simply place all of your food waste in plastic or paper bags; securely close the bags (tie off plastic bags and tightly fold paper bags); and place them in your yard waste carts, for collection along with your (loose) yard waste on your regular service day.

NOTE: FOOD WASTE MUST BE BAGGED, so we can separate it out for use as compost, fertilizer, animal feed and other green products.

Food waste recycling is not just the right thing to do; it’s the law, as set forth in California Senate Bill 1383, which took effect in January as a mandate to set our state on the right path toward reversing climate change. Food waste emits destructive methane gas as it decays, damaging our atmosphere and causing global warming.

ALL FOOD WASTE is accepted for recycling, including bones, peels, shells and coffee grounds. DO NOT place trash; non-organic recyclables (plastic, metal, glass); pet waste; or Styrofoam in yard waste carts.


Click here for all the information, including a complete Q&A, on food waste recycling.

Trash Collection Schedule Unchanged for MLK Day

Trash Collection Schedule Unchanged for MLK Day

E.J. Harrison & Sons will maintain its regular trash, recycling and green waste collection schedule in Ventura County during the week of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Jan. 16-22, 2022.

Also: Residents of cities served by Harrison, remember to RECYCLE YOUR FOOD WASTE. The program is simple: Just place all of your food waste in plastic bags (anything from bread bags to trash bags will do); tie the bags and place them in your yard waste carts, for collection along with your (loose) yard waste on your regular service day. You can find more information here.

 

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.

Food Waste Recycling Starts in the New Year!

Food Waste Recycling Starts in the New Year!

Starting Jan. 3, food waste recycling services begin for all residents of cities served by Harrison Industries. (Residents in unincorporated areas will begin in mid 2022.)

The program is simple: Just place all of your food waste in plastic bags (anything from bread bags to trash bags will do); tie the bags and place them in your yard waste carts, for collection along with your (loose) yard waste on your regular service day.

We will take it from there, to make sure it’s all turned into organic compost or other products.

Taking effect on Jan. 1, California Senate Bill 1383 requires communities statewide to prohibit organic waste from going
to landfills. Food and other organic waste emits destructive methane gas as it decays, damaging the Earth’s atmosphere
and causing global warming.

* ALL FOOD WASTE IS ACCEPTED FOR RECYCLING * including: bones, peels, egg shells and coffee grounds.

DO NOT place trash – including non-organic recyclables (plastic, metal, glass), pet waste or Styrofoam – in yard waste carts.

Visit Harrison, Gold Coast Recycling and Agromin for more information on their services.

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. 8 Just do this:

(Flocked Trees can now be recycled)

  • Remove all ornaments, hooks, lights, tinsel, nails and stands
  • Cut into 4 – foot sections
  • Place in Yard Waste Card on your scheduled pick-up day, or curbside if you have no Yard Waste Card

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 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 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 and Sons; Fillmore and surrounding unincorporated areas as Santa Clara Valley Disposal; and unincorporated areas of Newbury Park as Newbury Disposal. 

EJ Harrison & Sons, Inc. Celebrates 90 Years in Business!

EJ Harrison & Sons, Inc. Celebrates 90 Years in Business!

VENTURA, California (Dec. 6, 2021) – Harrison Industries is celebrating a remarkable 90 years in business by ushering in a new era in recycling.

Founded in 1932, the local trash and recycling hauler and processor will take recycling to the next level in 2022, when it introduces weekly residential food waste recycling as well as a program to ramp up the commercial recycling of food and other organic waste.

Harrison officially kicked off its 90th anniversary on Friday, at the Ventura Chamber of Commerce’s monthly Connection Breakfast, which Harrison hosted at Four Points Sheraton at Ventura Harbor. With 10 members of the Harrison team in attendance, the company used the opportunity to share news and literature about the big changes ahead.

“Food waste recycling is coming, and soon,” said Harrison’s Nan Drake, who addressed the more than 100 local businesspeople at the event. “It’s great news for the Earth, and it’s a great time for us all to become better recyclers.”

Harrison was well received at the event, with many attendees lavishing praise on the company that’s been a solid fixture in the community. “I can’t believe Harrison is turning 90,” said Ashley Pope, membership development manager for the Ventura Chamber. “I grew up in Ventura, so I’ve never known a time without those green trucks – and those awesome, incredible drivers. I have literally never seen an unsafe truck or an unreliable driver. … Here’s to another 90 years!”

Harrison unveiled a new two-minute video at the event; created to honor its milestone anniversary, the video noted Harrison’s deep roots and philanthropy in the community but also looked ahead, to a consequential year that will affect all of its 90,000 customers in Ventura and Santa Barbara counties, as residential customers are asked to start bagging their food waste and placing it in their yard waste carts for weekly curbside pickup.

The food waste recycling program complies with California Senate Bill 1383. A highly ambitious measure, SB 1383 aims to reduce harmful greenhouse gas emissions by greatly decreasing the landfilled organic waste that generates it. According to the bill, organic waste in 2025 must be cut to 75% of 2014 levels.

To accommodate the new law, Harrison has spent years working with its community partners Gold Coast Recycling and Agromin to build world-class facilities in Ventura County to process and reuse the food and other organic waste. “As we’ve always been, for 90 years now, we’re ready for what’s next,” Drake said at the Chamber event.

The Harrison team wrapped up the event with anniversary cake and a special gift to everyone in attendance: bags of organic potting soil from Agromin, delivered by company CEO Bill Camarillo.

Visit Harrison, Gold Coast and Agromin for more information on their services.

Prevent Food Waste; Save Money and Resources

Prevent Food Waste; Save Money and Resources

We Americans waste a lot of food. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, each of us tosses out about a pound of food each day, on average.

That amounts to about a third of all the food that’s produced in our country – and about 150,000 tons of food EVERY DAY. Fruits and vegetables are the most likely to be discarded, followed by dairy and meat.

What a massive waste of resources – and money! In dollars, it’s estimated to equal $218 billion a year – more than the state of California’s annual budget.

Even as we look ahead to the coming of curbside food waste recycling, we all should do our part to shop smarter and waste less. Here are some easy tips to reduce food waste:

Shop smart

  • Browse at home first. Before you shop, survey your fridge and cupboards to avoid buying food you already have.
  • Eat before you shop. Impulse food buying goes through the roof when we’re hungry. We shop much smarter when our bellies are full.
  • Have a menu. Make a list of the meal and snack ingredients you’ll need to feed your household until your next shopping trip. (Pro tip: Include a “leftovers night.”) This will greatly help you buy only what you need.
  • Buy fresh foods in small quantities. Perishables are, of course, the most wasted foods. Seriously consider how much you really eat. Don’t buy four salad meals if you’re only likely to eat two. Don’t buy a dozen bananas for one person.

Store food effectively

  • Prominently display perishables. Before you put your fresh food items away, take the time to wash, dry and prep them and then place them in clear storage containers for easy use.
  • Consider your containers. Use storage bags or filtered bins designed to help extend the life of your produce.
  • Check sell-by dates. Eat the food in order of stated or likely expiration.
  • Do your homework. Learn which fruits and vegetables stay fresh longer inside or outside the fridge.
  • Use your freezer. Whenever possible, freeze items for later. Many perishables can be frozen – including a lot that may surprise you. Here’s a partial list: nuts; fresh fruits including seedless grapes, bananas, berries and avocados; fresh veggies including onions, peppers, spinach, mushrooms and corn; fresh herbs; tomato paste, purees and sauces; soups and chili; mashed potatoes; rice and other grains; cooked pasta; fresh milk and buttermilk; yogurt; butter; eggs; cheese; and bacon. Note: Many foods will need to be stored specially and thawed in particular ways; Google it for details.

Give back to the Earth!

  • Compost. Even without your trash hauler’s help, a lot of your food waste, as well as yard and other waste, can bypass your trash, recycling and yard waste barrels – via home compost systems. Backyard composting bins can be simple, but you have to pay attention to the instructions, as they do require particular amounts of heat, moisture, content balance and care.

What’s compostable? Here’s a partial list: produce; eggshells; coffee grounds and filters; tea bags; nutshells; shredded newspaper; yard trimmings and grass clippings; houseplants, hay and straw; leaves; sawdust and wood chips; cotton and wool rags; dryer and vacuum lint; hair and fur; and fireplace ashes.Contact your local city or garden center for details and any available incentives to set up a home composter.

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