Commercial Food Waste Recycling Success

Commercial Food Waste Recycling Success

Harrison’s commercial customers did a great job last year as we expanded our food waste recycling program. Now we’re hoping to do even better in 2023.

State Senate Bill 1383 added food materials to the list of landscaping, agricultural and other green waste that should be recycled, effective last year. At Harrison, we’re actually entering our eighth year of food waste recycling, thanks to pilot commercial programs in the cities we serve.

The goal is to greatly reduce the amount of organic waste ending up at landfills, thereby reducing climate-harming methane emissions.

Under SB 1383, commercial customers must recycle all their organic waste, including food waste, unless they have a waiver. All businesses must provide organic and recycling bins next to each trash bin for their employees, contractors, tenants and customers, except in areas that do not generate any recycling or organic waste. Waste bins must be clearly labeled to show which materials go where. And they must be inspected quarterly for cross-contamination.

If you haven’t signed up, contact us immediately to determine your individual requirements and waiver eligibility. Email Harrison Contract Compliance Field Supervisor Donald Sealund at donalds@ejharrison.com or Contract Compliance Manager Daniel Harrison at danielh@ejharrison.com.  

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

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.