WESTLAKE : SIMI VALLEY : Recycling Center to Open Saturday

Residents of the unincorporated areas east of Simi Valley will soon be able to recycle everything from newspapers to fast-food containers when a long-planned recycling center is set up, Ventura County officials said.

Serving residents of Susana Knolls, Box Canyon and Lilac Lane, the recycling center will be located at Knolls Park, at the corner of Sylvan Drive and Katherine Road, right behind the fire station. The 30-cubic-yard bin that makes up the center will be installed in a ceremony Saturday at 10 a.m.

G.I. Recycling, a private company that hauls waste in Simi Valley, will pick up the bin weekly and haul the materials to its Los Angeles Avenue yard for sorting and shipping.

“This center will provide a recycling opportunity in a mountainous area not currently served by curbside recyclable collection,” Ventura County Supervisor Vicky Howard said in a prepared statement.

Toni Moran, a waste management analyst for the county, said area residents will pay $1.96 a month for the service or an additional $3.98 per bimonthly bill. The fee will increase bimonthly trash bills from the current $41 to $44.98.

“Recycling is expensive for the area because the cost for the bin is only being spread out over about 380 customers,” Moran said. “In other recycling programs, the cost is spread over thousands of users.”

A $12,845 state Department of Conservation grant will pay for recycling storage containers for the area’s residents, Moran said. Customers will have to transport the containers to the center themselves, however.

Residents can recycle glass and metal containers, aluminum cans, foil, plastic bottles, clear plastic bags, and some fast-food service containers.

The center, open daily from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m., also will accept cardboard, brown paper bags and newspapers.

The opening ceremony Oct. 30 will feature refreshments, a raffle and information on recycling.