OXNARD : Council OKs Curbside Plan for Recycling

Joining the recycling efforts of six other cities in the county, the Oxnard City Council voted Tuesday to start a curbside recycling program for 3,000 residents beginning in December.

At the same meeting, the council voted unanimously to share with the city of Port Hueneme the cost and services of a full-time recycling officer.

The actions were part of Oxnard’s efforts to meet the mandates of a recently adopted state law that requires every city to reduce waste by 25% by the year 1995 and 50% by the year 2000.

The annual salary of the recycling officer will be $53,280. Because Port Hueneme is a much smaller city and will generate less waste, it will only pay 12.5% of that cost, according to a city report.

In March, the City Council had approved the hiring of the recycling officer, but the position remains vacant. City officials said the position will be filled within two months.

The cities of Ventura, Simi Valley, Thousand Oaks, Santa Paula, Fillmore and Ojai operate some type of curbside recycling program.

According to a city report, the pilot curbside recycling program in Oxnard will begin in December and be evaluated after six months.

Under the program, residents will be asked to separate aluminum cans, newspaper, glass and plastic beverage bottles from other waste and place the recyclables in containers provided by the city at a cost of $12,000, according to the report.

City staff members will implement the program in selected neighborhoods that represent a demographic cross-section of the city’s residents, the report said.