Eath-Friendly Practices

Ventura’s Earth-Friendly Practices

The City of Ventura Public Works Department uses a number of earth-friendly practices to divert waste from landfill including but not limited to:

Concrete/Asphalt Recycling - More than 26,000 tons of concrete, asphalt and soil are recycled during City construction projects each year. Contractors who perform construction and demolition work for the City are directed to divert the materials from landfill disposal.

Green Waste and Wood Recycling - Public Works recycles almost 24,000 tons of green waste and wood each year. Tree trimmings, beach storm debris, and wood from demolition projects are either chipped by City crews or separated and delivered directly to Cal Wood, a local company that processes the materials into soil amendment products. Public Works also gives away free mulch to residents at the Ventura College Compost site.

BioSolids Recycling - Public Works diverts 17,000 tons of biosolids annually from landfill disposal. The biosolids are generated at the City of Ventura Wastewater Treatment Plant and used as agricultural soil amendments. In the past, such biosolids were disposed of in landfills.

Grasscycling - Public Works no longer collects and bags grasses cut at City parks. By allowing grass clippings to decompose naturally, the City saves almost 1,000 tons per year of grass clipping disposal.

Maintenance Services - Public Works reduces waste through a variety of methods including recapping and reusing old tires, reconditioning and reusing antifreeze collected from City vehicles, recycling all motor oil and filters collected from City vehicles, using re-refined motor oil in City vehicles, recycling all automotive batteries, and recycling wood pallets.

Air Quality - The City of Ventura has demonstrated its commitment to clean air by using electric and alternative fuel vehicles in its fleet. The City currently uses 2 electric vehicles and 5 gas- electric hybrid vehicles. Additionally, in cooperation with its Franchise Refuse and Recycling collector (E. J. Harrison and Sons), the City of Ventura has begun implementation of a rigorous Clean Air Plan that replaces diesel with cleaner Liquid Natural Gas (LNG) fuels. A LNG fueling station was installed in 2003 with help from a grant awarded by the Air Quality Control Board, thus allowing for an increasing number of converted trash trucks (diesel to LNG) to run cleanly.