Thousand Oaks Hits 66% Recycling Rate

The City of Thousand Oaks, Calif., has been honored by the California Integrated Waste Management Board for diverting nearly two-thirds of its solid waste from the landfill.

The city has concentrated on recycling and diverting solid waste generated by both residents and businesses in Thousand Oaks to achieve its 66 percent diversion rate.

On the residential side, the city offers weekly curbside pick up of newspapers, phone books, cardboard, junk mail, paper bags, metal cans, glass jars and number one and two plastic bottles.

Additionally, the city encourages home composting; schedules large appliance pick ups; offers green waste recycling options; provides information on oil and oil filter recycling locations; hosts electronics recycling drop-off sites; and has a material exchange program for furniture and other large items.

On the commercial side, the city has programs to accept hazardous waste and obsolete electronics, and overseas a Resource Market Development Zone to attract companies that consume recyclables in the manufacturing process.

“We are particularly proud of our rate incentives for businesses to reduce their waste,” Thousand Oaks public works director Donald H. Nelson told Recyclescene, the newsletter of the California Resource Recovery Association. “Our collection companies offer reduced rates for businesses that recycle a certain percentage of their waste stream, and a majority of city businesses take advantage of these savings.”

The residential side has also done its share to encourage recycling. “Between 2000 and 2002, the residential curbside program grew 16 percent,” Thousand Oaks city manager MaryJane V. Lazz told Recyclescene. “And comparing landfill disposal in 1990 with that in 2000, the city reduced trash sent to landfills by 66 percent,” she added.