Countywide : 2 Trash Recycling Facilities Considered

A plan to build two trash recycling facilities in Ventura County is under consideration by the Ventura Regional Sanitation District, the county and 10 cities.

Simi Valley on Monday signed the agreement that commits the agencies to sending all their trash to the regional facilities. The remaining 11 agencies are expected to sign the agreement by the end of April, said Craig Phillips, county program administrator.

The plan would help Ventura County satisfy a 1989 state law that forces jurisdictions to reduce landfill wastes by 25% by 1995 and 50% by 2000.

Under the plan, the centers could process a minimum of 250 tons of garbage, which would be separated, resold, and transferred to landfills, said Clint Whitney, the district’s general manager.

Plastic, bottles and aluminum cans would be redeemed for money. Cardboard, newspaper and other organic materials could also be redeemed, or composted with green waste to be resold later, Whitney said. Trucks would haul unusable refuse to landfills.

Money from the recyclables would be used to help offset the costs of the facilities, which would be operated by a private or public company under an agreement with the participating agencies, officials said.