Ad Campaign to Urge More Steel Recycling

Even avid recyclers often don’t know that steel is recyclable, so Ventura County cities and waste haulers are getting the word out this month through an advertising blitz featuring prizes.

Residents can win one of several prizes if they most closely guess the number of steel cans processed each month by their local recycling center, officials said. Prizes include one free month of refuse service or free dump service for a three-cubic-yard bin.

Children with the closest guess can win a T-shirt or steel lunch pail, officials said.

Up to now, efforts to increase recycling have focused on getting more people to participate, said David Goldstein, an analyst with the Ventura County Solid Waste Department. But the emphasis has shifted to increasing the amount and types of products that each individual recycles, Goldstein said.

The Steel Recycling Institute, an organization of steel producers, estimates that only 34% of steel cans were recycled in 1991, Goldstein said. The goal is to raise that figure to 66% by 1995.

All California cities have been mandated to decrease the amount of trash they send to landfills by 25% in 1995 and by 50% in 2000. Cities that do not meet those mandates could face fines of up to $10,000 per day.

For information about entering the steel recycling contest, residents should call the company responsible for hauling recyclables in their area. Contacts are:

* Ojai Rubbish and Rubbish Control service areas; call Dawn at 646-5577.

* GI Rubbish service areas; call Tony at 529-5871.

* Gold Coast intermediate processing center; call Lisa at 642-9236.

* Block Disposal; call Janet at (818) 889-3502.