Curbside Recycling to Start in Some Areas

Weekly curbside recycling for yard debris starts June 1 in several unincorporated areas of Ventura County, including the Santa Rosa and Ventura River valleys, county officials announced Thursday.

The two trash companies that serve those areas, Ojai Rubbish and Rubbish Control, will be dropping off 95-gallon barrels for residents over the next month.

The weekly yard-debris program is part of a countywide plan to meet state-mandated goals to recycle 25% of waste by 1995 and 50% by 2000. A county ordinance requires trash collectors to provide all unincorporated communities with the service by Sept. 1.

Grass clippings and other yard debris, including leaves, weeds, branches and unpainted lumber, will be taken to a local processor, where it will be ground into mulch. The lumber must be small enough to fit in the provided barrel.

The cities of Simi Valley, Ojai and Fillmore already provide yard-debris pickup, while Thousand Oaks and Ventura are looking into establishing programs.

Items not accepted as part of the recycling program include tree stumps, roots, trash, food scraps, painted or treated lumber, rocks, dirt and heavily fibrous plants such as yucca and palm fronds. Livestock manure will be picked up only in the Santa Rosa Valley.

Rubbish haulers will offer reductions on trash bills for those who already do home composting.