Holiday Trash Collection Schedule Changes

E.J. Harrison & Sons is reminding customers of minor trash collection schedule changes during the Christmas and New Year’s holidays. In observance of Christmas Day and New Year’s Day, Harrison employees will be off on Thursday, Dec. 25, and Thursday, Jan. 1.

As a result, trash, recycling, and yard or organics waste will be collected one day later than usual during both holiday weeks for Thursday and Friday customers only. Customers with Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday service will not experience any delay. All routes will return to their regular schedule the following week.

See our full 2025 Holiday Schedule here.

Extra Holiday Trash Pickup at No Charge

To help customers manage additional waste during the holidays, Harrison is offering an extra holiday service. For two weeks following Christmas, customers may place up to twice the usual amount of residential trash at the curb at no additional cost.

From Friday, Dec. 26, through Monday, Jan. 16, extra trash bags may be placed alongside the regular trash cart on your scheduled pickup day. All extra trash must be bagged. Customers may also place additional recyclables next to their blue recycling cart, and all cardboard boxes should be flattened.

Easy Christmas Tree Recycling Program

Harrison also makes it easy to recycle Christmas trees after the holidays. From Dec. 26 through Jan. 16, customers can recycle their trees alongside their normal trash, recycling and organic waste pick-up.

The preferred method is to remove all decorations, including ornaments, hooks, lights, tinsel, and stands, then cut the tree into four-foot sections and place the pieces inside the organics or yard waste cart. Whole trees may also be placed at the curb on collection day if needed and flocked trees are also accepted.

Recycled Christmas trees are processed into mulch by Harrison’s partner, Agromin. The finished products support local farms, orchards, nurseries, landscaping projects, and home gardens, making tree recycling a simple way to give back to the environment.

Weekly Organics and Food Waste Collection Reminder

Remember, Harrison residential customers may place all three carts at the curb every week. Trash, recycling, and organics are collected weekly, including food waste.

Food waste should be placed in closed paper or plastic bags and then put into the organics waste cart. This helps prevent contamination, as food waste and yard waste are processed separately. Even if you only have food waste and no yard waste, the organics cart should still be placed curbside for weekly pickup.

Harrison thanks its customers, partners Agromin and Gold Coast Recycling, and local municipalities for participating in these holiday programs and helping keep Ventura County clean and sustainable.

Learn more about Food Waste Recycling here!

Thanksgiving Week Trash Collection Schedule for Harrison Customers

Harrison Industries will adjust service schedules for the Thanksgiving holiday. In observance of the holiday, employees will have Thursday, November 27 off. Because of this closure, customers with Thursday or Friday service will have their trash, recycling, and yard or organics collection delayed by one day during the week of November 23 to 29.

Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday customers will not experience any changes. Normal collection schedules for all customers will resume the following week.

Holiday Reminder: Keep Recycling Your Food Waste

As we enter the holiday season, Harrison encourages all customers to continue recycling their food waste. This time of year traditionally produces a significant increase in food waste from Thanksgiving through the new year, making proper disposal more important than ever.

Residential customers can place all three carts at the curb each week. Harrison collects trash, recyclables, and yard or organics waste weekly, including food scraps. All food waste should be placed inside paper or plastic bags, securely tied, and then placed in the yard or organics cart.

Recycling food waste is required by state law and is one of the most effective ways to reduce harmful methane emissions from landfills. When food waste decomposes at a landfill, it emits methane, a major contributor to climate change. By participating in food waste recycling, you help protect the environment and keep our communities sustainable.

Harrison Industries appreciates your continued commitment to proper recycling and waste reduction. Your efforts directly support the success of our food waste recycling program and help create a cleaner future for Ventura County.

For more information on Food Waste Recycling guidelines and tips, visit https://ejharrison.com/food-waste/.

A Major Step Forward in Local Sustainability

Ventura County has taken a major leap toward a greener future with the official opening of Agromin’s Mountain View Organic Waste Processing Facility in Oxnard. The new facility, built in partnership with E.J. Harrison & Sons and Gold Coast Recycling, significantly expands local food waste recycling and ensures compliance with California Senate Bill 1383.

The ribbon-cutting ceremony, held Tuesday, Nov. 4, was hosted by the Ventura Chamber of Commerce and the West Ventura County Business Alliance, with dozens of city and county leaders in attendance. 

Expanding Food Waste Recycling in Ventura County

The state-of-the-art Mountain View facility can process up to 300 tons of food waste per day. Using an advanced system of machinery, it separates contaminants such as glass, plastic, and metal before transforming the organic material into a clean slurry. This slurry is then repurposed for animal feed, organic fertilizer, or renewable energy production.

“This system allows Ventura County and all of its 10 cities to be in compliance with SB 1383,” said Agromin CEO Bill Camarillo. “It reduces greenhouse gas emissions and preserves the life of our landfills.”

Eight Years of Collaboration Pay Off

The Mountain View project represents nearly a decade of dedication and partnership between Agromin and Harrison Industries.
“We embarked on this journey in 2017,” Camarillo said. “We faced a pandemic, supply chain issues, and inflation—but we finished it. The system works fantastic.”

Local Leaders Applaud the Project

Officials from across Ventura County praised the milestone achievement.
“Oxnard has always been home to innovation, and this project proves it,” said Councilmember Bert Perello. “Harrison and Agromin never backed away from progress.”

Ventura Deputy Mayor Doug Halter added, “What Agromin and Harrison have done for our community and for sustainability gives me hope. They continue to lead by example.”

During the ceremony, proclamations were presented to Harrison President Jim Harrison, Nan Drake, and Agromin’s Bill Camarillo by the Ventura County Board of Supervisors and city officials from Ventura, Oxnard, Camarillo, and Fillmore.

Advancing SB 1383 Compliance and Environmental Goals

California’s SB 1383 requires a 75% reduction in organic waste sent to landfills by 2025. The Mountain View facility helps Ventura County meet this target by turning food waste into reusable resources that prevent methane emissions and contribute to a circular economy.

For residents and businesses served by E.J. Harrison & Sons, this expansion means greater local capacity for food waste processing—and a major step toward a cleaner, more sustainable Ventura County.

Learn More About Food Waste Recycling

To learn how to recycle food waste at home or at your business, visit ejharrison.com/food-waste.

Photos by Brendan Daly / WhizCom Marketing

Trash Collection Schedule to Remain Unchanged for Veterans Day

Harrison Industries will maintain its regular trash, recycling, and yard/organics waste collection schedule during the week of Veterans Day, November 9–15. The holiday falls on Tuesday, November 11, and all customers can expect normal pickup service on their regular collection day.

Weekly Waste and Food Waste Collection

Harrison’s residential customers are reminded that all three carts — trash, recycling, and yard/organics waste — are collected every week. This includes food waste, which is recyclable under California state law.

To help prevent contamination, place all food waste in closed paper or plastic bags before tossing it into your organics waste cart. This step ensures food waste and yard waste are processed separately and efficiently.

Even if you don’t have yard waste, please continue setting out your organics cart weekly with your bagged food waste inside. Every pickup helps keep waste out of landfills and supports local sustainability goals.

Why Food Waste Recycling Matters

Since 2022, California has required the diversion of food waste from landfills. This initiative is designed to reduce harmful methane emissions — a powerful greenhouse gas produced as food decomposes in landfills.

By recycling food waste every week, you help:

• Reduce greenhouse gases that contribute to global warming

• Protect local air quality

• Conserve natural resources

• Support a more sustainable future for Ventura County

Recycling your food waste isn’t just the law — it’s one of the most effective ways to protect the environment. Thank you for doing your part to make food waste recycling a regular habit.

Learn More

For more details about Harrison’s food waste recycling program, including tips on what can and cannot go in your organics waste cart, visit:
https://ejharrison.com/residential-food-waste/

Trash Collection to Continue as Scheduled on Indigenous Peoples Day

Harrison Industries will maintain its regular trash, recycling and yard/organics waste collection schedule in Ventura County for Indigenous Peoples Day, which falls on Monday, Oct. 13, 2025. The holiday is observed annually on the second Monday of October, and while many government offices and businesses close, Harrison’s collection schedule will remain uninterrupted.

This means customers can expect normal service on their regular collection day throughout the week.

Weekly Collection Reminder

Harrison’s residential customers can place all three carts — trash, recycling, and yard/organics waste — curbside every week. This includes the collection of food waste, which is recyclable and required to be kept out of landfills under California state law.

To help prevent contamination, food waste should always be placed in closed paper or plastic bags before being tossed into your organics waste cart. This ensures that food waste and yard waste can be processed separately and efficiently.

Why Food Waste Recycling Matters

In 2022, California enacted new requirements mandating the diversion of food waste from landfills. These rules are part of the state’s effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and fight climate change. When food waste sits in landfills, it produces methane gas — a potent greenhouse gas that damages our atmosphere and accelerates global warming.

By recycling food waste every week, Harrison customers are helping to:

• Reduce harmful emissions

• Support cleaner air in our communities

• Contribute to the creation of nutrient-rich compost and renewable energy

Even if you don’t have yard waste to set out, you can — and should — still place your bagged food waste in the organics cart every week for collection.

Your Role in a Sustainable Future

Food waste recycling isn’t just the law — it’s an everyday responsibility we all share to protect the environment. By consistently separating and recycling food waste, Harrison customers play a key role in making Ventura County a cleaner, greener place to live.

We thank you for doing your part and encourage you to keep building this simple but powerful habit into your weekly routine.

Learn More

For details about Harrison’s food waste recycling program and tips on proper separation,

visit: Harrison Residential Food Waste Program