THOUSAND OAKS : Recycled Jugs to Make Debut as Trash Bins
If you recycle a can or toss a candy wrapper at this week’s Conejo Valley Days festival, sneak a peek at Thousand Oaks’ latest pet: light blue trash bins made entirely from recycled milk jugs.
More durable than concrete, the so-called “plastic lumber” has been fashioned into 40 dual-compartment bins for use throughout the city.
Five of the bins, which will be used to collect both ordinary trash and recyclables, will make their debut at the Conejo Valley Days carnival.
After the festival, the bins will be distributed throughout the city. City employees will be in the Conejo Valley Days children’s tent all weekend to ask residents where the bins should be placed.
The resilient plastic lumber will also be used in the Civic Arts Plaza, replacing the low concrete slabs that traditionally serve as barriers in front of each parking spot.
The plastic costs slightly more than concrete--about $48 per parking stop, whereas concrete would run $40 to $44, said Civic Arts Plaza Project Manager Ed Johnduff.
But the plastic “is a much better product in the long run,” Recycling Coordinator Grahame Watts said. “We have not seen any deterioration with the plastic lumber.”
Unlike concrete, the plastic lumber does not chip or crumble. And graffiti washes easily off the parking stops, Watts said.
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