Join us for our next Household Hazardous Waste and Electronics Collection Event on Sunday, April 11th at the Santa Ynez Valley Recycling and Transfer Station, located at 4004 Foxen Canyon Road in Los Olivos. The event runs from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. and is free for households. Businesses may also dispose of their hazardous waste and electronics but must make an appointment. For more details, call 882-3615 or download our flyer: Santa Ynez Event Flyer 4 11 10.pdf Santa Ynez Event Flyer (Spanish) 4 11 10.pdf
The Resource Recovery and Waste Management Division, in association with Growing Solutions Restoration Education Institute, is sponsoring several Community Planting Days at the Foothill Open Space (Foothill Closed Landfill).
The next community planting days for the Foothill Open Space are scheduled. Find out how to volunteer and see pictures at our Foothill Planting Day web page (on the County website).
Safely dispose of unwanted household medications through Santa Barbara County’s Operation Medicine Cabinet. Nine new drop-off sites are located throughout the county. Read More...
Kim Phelps is one of the first horse lovers in Santa Ynez to join the brand new manure/bedding recycling program.
In October of 2008 an innovative program to recycle horse manure began in the Santa Ynez Valley, due to the combined efforts of Valley Compost, Waste Management, and the County of Santa Barbara Resource Recovery and Waste Management Division (RRWMD). The first year of the program has seen more than 600 tons of horse manure turned into valuable compost. In the past all that material was buried in the landfill.
The idea for recycling horse manure in Santa Ynez is not a new one. There are lots of horses, and those horses produce plenty of manure, which often ends up in the trash and is ultimately buried in the landfill. The horses also go through a lot of bedding material which typically ends up in the landfill as well. Waste Management worked with the County’s RRWMD in order to set up a separate collection route for these materials. The program has depended on the proven ability of Valley Compost to transform the materials into valuable compost.
Lissa Landry, owner and operator of Valley Compost with her husband Don, is pleased by the load delivered by Waste Management driver Stan Bray. Program participants are keeping plastics and contaminants out of the manure/bedding containers.
The program also relies on the cooperation of customers who are willing to give the extra effort and keep their trash separate in order to see the manure & bedding find a beneficial local reuse. Waste Management provides extra containers for trash only to these customers to help keep the manure free from contamination. If you are interested in participating, please call Waste Management at 922-2121.
Valley Compost accepts the horse manure and bedding loads at their facility near Buellton. Don and Lissa Landry have operated Valley Compost since 1990. During that time their business has provided well over a hundred thousand tons of compost for local uses in farms, orchards , vineyards and in everyday backyard gardens. To find out more about their products call 688-3926 or 965-6617.
The County of Santa Barbara, specifically the Resource Recovery and Waste Management Division, has won an award for its excellence in integrated waste managment. The award is the highest honor presented by the Solid Waste Association of North America (SWANA).
"In 1995, our diversion rate was only 30 percent and today Santa Barbara County is at 69 percent, making us one of the leaders for waste management recycling in California," Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors’ Chair Salud Carbajal said. "Our Public Works employees who have worked so hard with the community to achieve this success are to be congratulated for receiving this award."
Read more about the about the SWANA award or view the winning document to find out more.
The County also has Earth Machine composting bins on sale for $40.00, a savings of over 50 percent off the retail price. To obtain more information, please click here: composting_bins.html
Did you know that the County offers free mulch? To learn how you can obtain free mulch, please click here: mulch&green_waste.html
Based on our most recent data for 2006, we have calculated that the County of Santa Barbara, encompassing the unincorporated areas of Santa Barbara County, has achieved a diversion rate of 69 percent. This diversion rate represents an increase of six percent from our diversion rate for 2004 and has been formally approved by the California Integrated Waste Management Board (CIWMB). This diversion rate exceeds the State mandate (AB 939) that all jurisdictions divert at least 50 percent of their waste from landfills by the end of 2000. Statewide, the diversion rate is 54 percent for calendar year 2006.
The County of Santa Barbara offers a wide variety of programs to encourage the community to reduce, reuse, and recycle its waste.Without the cooperation and participation of the community, however, the County of Santa Barbara could not have achieved such a high diversion rate. Although attaining a diversion rate of 69 percent is impressive, much more can be done. Therefore, the County of Santa Barbara Public Works Department, Resource Recovery and Waste Management Division, will continue working with the community to expand its existing programs and to add new programs wherever possible.
Send mail to: webmaster with questions or comments about this web site. Copyright © 2000 Santa Barbara County Public Works Department Resource Recovery and Waste Management Division
Last updated: March 3, 2010
