Memorial Day Holiday
(5/16/12)
Castro Valley Sanitary District offices will be closed Monday, May 28, 2012 in observance of the Memorial Day Holiday. Please call (510) 537-0757 with questions or for sewer emergencies. For information regarding District services and programs, visit www.cvsan.org.
Waste Management of Alameda County (WMAC) will not be observing May 28th as a Holiday. Therefore, recycling, organics, and garbage collection services will take place on their normal collection day. WMAC call center or pay station in Hayward will not be open on Monday, May 28, 2012.
CVSan Wins Two 1st Place Awards for the Reduce Your Waste Size Program
(4/27/12)
Castro Valley Sanitary District (CVSan)’s Reduce Your Waste Size Program has been selected by the California Association of Public Information Officials (CAPIO) to receive two 1st Place 2012 Communication in Excellence Awards in the categories of Innovation and Dollar Stretcher. CAPIO’s awards recognize and honor outstanding professional work and accomplishment, and the Reduce Your Waste Size Program represents standards of excellence and creativity.
With the initiation of the Reduce Your Waste Size Program June 1, 2011, up to 1,280 residences first come, first served were provided the opportunity to receive a cash incentive to do the right thing: right-size their garbage cart to represent what they actually send to landfill, recycle and compost more, save hundreds of dollars per year on their bill, and join over 4,400 residences in using 20-gallon garbage carts. Funding for the program came from a settlement check for $64,000.
General Manager Roland Williams stated, “CVSan is proud of our residential community’s efforts towards meeting the California State 75% Diversion Goal by the year 2020. We hope to give back the full $64,000 to our community, and continue topromote diversion through recycling, education, and practices.”
Solid Waste Supervisor Naomi Lue, who developed the program, stated, “763 residences have downsized their carts and $38,150 has been credited to their garbage and recycling bills. By June 2012, residents who made the switch will have realized over $110,000 in savings on their bills, and based on full carts, over 772,720 lbs. or 386 tons will have been diverted from landfill in the first year.”
Lue accepted the two 1st place awards at CAPIO’s annual conference on April 19, 2012 in Palm Springs, California.
Residents who are interested in signing up for the Reduce Your Waste Size Program may visit CVSan’s website www.cvsan.org for more information.
Castro Valley High School's First Ever Waste Audit
(4/18/12)
Saturday, March 17thmarked a historic day at Castro Valley High School (CVHS)! As a part of CVSan’s Green Ribbon Schools Program, CVHS completed its first ever waste audit. Green was the theme as it was St. Patrick’s Day. CVSan staff and the CVHS team of 40+ students from Leadership and the Smart Energy Club along with two teachers took on the challenge to sort through two days’ worth of garbage. The purpose of the audit was to see what could actually have been placed in the recycling or organics carts.
Starting at 9:00 a.m. it was a long process with garbage from the school of 3,000 students. But, thanks to the beat of the music and the spirit and determination of those in attendance, the audit was finished about four hours later.
In this great learning experience, students found that out of 2,816 gallons of garbage generated from CVHS the Thursday & Friday before (256 bags of 11 gallons each), only 20% was actually garbage and therefore a total of 80% could have gone in the recycling (34%) or organics cart (46%).
Here are some examples of what could have been recycled and composted instead of being sent to the landfill:
Recyclables in the garbage:plastic containers, plastic bags and plastic film, paper, cardboard, bottles, and cans
Organics in the garbage:food scraps, food-soiled paper, milk cartons, pencil shavings, napkins, paper towels, and tissues
Great job Castro Valley High School for committing to see what’s in the garbage and continuing to reduce your waste at school! A special thank you goes to Leadership Instructor Nicholas Whitaker and Leadership Student Su-Lin Terhell for putting it all together with CVSan to make the waste audit happen.
Save the Date for CVSan's Earth Day 2012 Events: CLEAN-UP, RECYCLE Event, and a COMPOST GIVE-AWAY for CVSan Customers
(3/19/12)
For many of us, Earth Day is every day. We conserve water and energy when we can, use reusable shopping bags and water bottles, and recycle and compost to reduce the amount of garbage we send to landfill. One day each year, Castro Valley Sanitary District (CVSan) hosts a Clean-Up and Recycle event in honor of Earth Day and to provide a local opportunity for volunteers to show their spirit.
Please save the date of Saturday, April 28, 2012 for CVSan’s Earth Day: Clean-Up, Recycle event, and Compost Give-Away.
CVSan Earth Day Clean-Up:Register online at www.cvsan.org/ED by April 16th to participate in the “Go Green. CV Clean!” event. Following a free continental breakfast, a clean-up and beautification will be held from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. at 5 community sites, or sign-up to volunteer for your school’s clean-up:
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Carlos Bee Park
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Palomares Hills Park
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Cull Canyon Regional Recreation Area
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C.V. Creek
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BART Parking Lot & Downtown Castro Valley
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Various Schools (contact your school to sign-up for their clean-up)
NEW! Volunteer and Support a Local Charity: In lieu of a free event t-shirt, a $5.00 donation to one of five local charities will be made on behalf of each volunteer. This year’s charity groups include Alameda County Library Foundation (Castro Valley Library), Castro Valley Arts Foundation, Castro Valley Educational Foundation, Castro Valley Soccer Club, and Save Our Schools CV! A brief description of each charity group is available on CVSan’s website, www.cvsan.org/ED. Charity groups were selected through a public process by CVSan’s Community Advisory Committee, a ten-member volunteer group that represents the community’s interests by providing a voice directly to the CVSan Board of Directors.
Recycle Event & Compost Give-Away: Held at Canyon Middle School from 8:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m., by CVSan and Waste Management of Alameda County, Inc. (WMAC) for CVSan customers only. The following materials will be accepted:
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Pharmaceuticals – Prescription and over the counter (Residents only)
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Reusable Goods
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Sensitive Documents – Limit 10 banker boxes or equivalent of paper documents for shredding.
The following will be distributed:
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Bagged Compost- Three 1-cubic foot bags per household or business. Supplies are limited and will be distributed 1st come 1st served. Vehicle loading assistance is available.
For complete details and instructions, visit www.cvsan.org/ED.
FREE Earth Day and Bay-Friendly Gardening Workshop
(3/19/12)
Gear up for Earth Day by attending Castro Valley Sanitary District’s (CVSan) informative workshop from 6:30-8:00 p.m. on Thursday, April 5th!
The presentation will begin with CVSan’s Jordan Figueiredo sharing a brief history of Earth Day and how CVSan’s Earth Day festivities have evolved over the years. Learn how you can participate in CVSan’s Earth Day event on Saturday, April 28th and learn about other volunteer opportunities in the area.
Are you ready to lose your thirsty lawn? Lori Caldwell of StopWaste.Org’s Bay-Friendly Gardening program, Master Composter since 2006, and avid edible gardener, will give a live demonstration of how you can replace your lawn with a healthy garden using a sheet mulching technique that allows you to plant directly on top of the lawn, saving time and money.
Lori will also get you ready for Spring – the best time to work in your garden, convert your lawn, design for and plant edibles, and add new California native and Mediterranean adapted plants. A list of local nurseries that carry Bay-Friendly (drought tolerant California native and Mediterranean) plants will be provided.
Register now for this free workshop at www.cvsan.org/learn-- Castro Valley Sanitary District Offices, 21040 Marshall Street. Refreshments will be served.
This workshop is part of CVSan’s “LeaR4n” workshop series. Additional workshops for 2012 include:
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Proper disposal of pharmaceuticals – Friday, 5/11 from 1:00 – 3:00 p.m.
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Where do your recyclables go? – Tuesday, 6/5 from 1:00 – 3:00 p.m.
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Jobs in the recycling field – Saturday, 6/9 from 10:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
High-Performance Recyclers recognized through "4R Business, 4R Planet" Award Program
(3/12/12)
Castro Valley Sanitary District’s (CVSan’s) “4R Business, 4R Planet” award program recognizes Castro Valley businesses where green practices are business as usual. Businesses that recycle start down the path to becoming “4R Stars,” earning one star and a window decal indicating participation in the program. They can go on to collect 3 more Stars by implementing additional waste reduction programs in the categories of Reduce, Reuse, and Rot (or Reciprocate).
4R Star businesses are then recognized for their achievements with an ad in the Castro Valley Forum, and periodically through news releases, events, and CVSan’s website, www.cvsan.org. These 17 Castro Valley businesses have already taken the steps to reduce waste and are now certified 4R Star businesses:
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Advanced Pain Management & Rehab Medical Group, Inc.
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Al’s Food Market
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Big Apple Bagels
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Castro Valley Parent Nursery
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Don’s Body Shop
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Doss Sheet Metal
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Eden Medical Center
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His Growing Grove Preschool and Child Care Center
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Jenny's Café
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Knudsen's Ice Creamery
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Pete's ACE Hardware
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Portales Taqueria
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R&J Quick Clean
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Redwood Animal Hospital
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Rudy's Donut House
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Swiss Delices
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Tom and Tina's Deli
“The 4R Business, 4R Planet award program encourages businesses to do the right thing and reduce the amount of garbage they send to landfill. As a result, 4R Star businesses are recognized in the community as high-performance recyclers,” says General Manager, Roland Williams.
If your business is interested in becoming a 4R Star, please visit www.cvsan.org/4RStarsto view the complete guidelines and download an application. For questions, contact Waste Management of Alameda County, Inc. at 510-613-8751.
Residential & Business Survey Results on CVSan's Used Oil Recycling Program
(3/12/12)
Do you know what percentage of the population in Unincorporated Alameda County changes their own motor oil…maybe 10 or 20 percent? A recent survey of more than 1,000 residents in Castro Valley Sanitary District, Oro Loma Sanitary District, and neighboring unincorporated areas, found that nearly 30% of households change their motor oil at home at least occasionally. 51% of home motor oil changers recycle used motor oil and filters via curbside pickup or collection centers.
However, only 23% of home motor oil changes say they are “very familiar” with the available used motor oil and filter recycling options and 14% of home motor oil changers admit to throwing motor oil filters in the trash.
Did you know that used motor oil AND used motor oil filters are recyclable? For those of you who are in the 30% and change your own motor oil at home, “don’t forget the filter!”
Simply drain the used oil filter into a pan for 24 hours (an important step, since filters can hold up to a quart of oil), and place the filter in the zippered bag that comes with the free recycling kit from Waste Management of Alameda County, Inc. (WMAC). Set the sealed bag next to your used motor oil at the curb, and WMAC will collect the filter and oil on your regular collection day. An empty bag and jug(s) will be left for your next oil change. It’s that easy!
Call WMAC at (510) 537-5500 to request a free used motor oil jug and filter bag recycling kit. Single-family residents can set out up to 3 jugs and 3 filters curbside on your collection day. Multi-family residents can visit www.cvsan.org/usedoil for Certified Collection Centers.
Castro Valley Sanitary District (CVSan) initiated the professional survey, funded by a CalRecycle grant specifically for used motor oil and filter recycling programs, to give CVSan real data on used motor oil recycling practices and to develop a targeted approach for spending the grant funding.
Telephone interviews with Used Oil & Filter Certified Collection Centers within CVSan’s and Oro Loma Sanitary District’s boundaries were also conducted to learn more about what’s happening at the drop-off centers.
President's Day Holiday
(2/9/12)
Castro Valley Sanitary District (CVSan) offices will be closed Monday, February 20, 2012 in observance of the President’s Day Holiday. Please call (510) 537-0757 with questions or for sewer emergencies. For information regarding CVSan services and programs, visit www.cvsan.org.
Waste Management of Alameda County, Inc. (WMAC) will not be observing February 20th as a Holiday. Therefore, recycling, organics, and garbage collection services will take place on their normal collection day and WMAC offices will be open on February 20th. Please call WMAC at (510) 537-5500 (residential) or (510) 613-8700 (commercial/business) with solid waste services questions.
Marshall Elementary Shines With Its First School Waste Audit
(2/1/12)
As a part of CVSan’s Green Ribbon Schools Program, on Friday, January 20th, Marshall Elementary School completed its first ever waste audit. CVSan staff and the Marshall team of 6 students and 1 teacher had a great time sorting through 1 day’s worth of garbage from the school to see what could actually have been placed in the recycling or organics carts.
In this fun learning experience, students found that out of 44 gallons of garbage from the day before (a small amount from a school of this size), 75% was actually garbage. Therefore, only 25% of the previous day’s garbage could have gone in the recycling or organics cart. This is quite impressive since typically a school waste audit results in about 65% of the previous day’s garbage that could have been recycled or composted.
With Marshall’s new program, they have small garbage cans to show how little garbage there really is at school. Also, with a great support team of students, lunch supervisors, Teacher Meghan Mar and Custodian Darrell Lee, they are making high recycling and composting look easy. Great job to Marshall Elementary for continuing to reduce waste at school!
Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday
(1/6/12)
Castro Valley Sanitary District (CVSan) offices will be closed Monday, January 16, 2012 in observance of the Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday. Please call (510) 537-0757 with questions or for sewer emergencies. For information regarding CVSan services and programs, visit www.cvsan.org.
Waste Management of Alameda County, Inc. (WMAC) will not be observing January 16th as a Holiday. Therefore, recycling, organics, and garbage collection services will take place on their normal collection day and WMAC offices will be open on January 16th. Please call WMAC at (510) 537-5500 (residential) or (510) 613-8700 (commercial/business) with solid waste services questions. WMAC 98th Avenue Cashier, Hayward Pay Station, and Oak Harbor Call Center will be open Monday, January 16th.
Free Tours in 2012 at Davis Street Transfer Station
(1/3/12)
What does 4,000 tons of organics, recycling and garbage look like and how does it get processed in one day? If you are a Castro Valley Sanitary District (CVSan) resident or business owner find out for yourself and see what happens to your organics, recycling, and garbage once it leaves your curb.
CVSan is opening 2012 registration for Castro Valley residents and business owners to attend free tours of the Davis Street Transfer Station (DSTS) in San Leandro. The dates of the 2012 tours are as follows: March 14th, June 14th, September 14th, and November 14th. For more information please visit www.cvsan.org/dststour. Please note registration is limited and will close on specified dates.
Davis Street processes 4,000 tons of materials a day with 4 state of the art processing facilities, including a brand new Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold certified organics building, single stream materials recovery facility that houses a high-tech optical sorter which uses infrared light and manual sorters that separate materials with precision and speed. Most attendees find the 3 hour tour engaging and very interesting and can’t wait to walk through the processing facilities and ask those “Where do I put this?” questions of DSTS and CVSan staff.
To reduce vehicle emissions and make the tour more enjoyable, CVSan provides transportation to the facility free of charge.
Free Educational Workshops in 2012 by CVSan
(1/3/12)
The new schedule for Castro Valley Sanitary District’s (CVSan) free educational workshops for the first half of 2012 is out. This year, participants can learn about Bay-Friendly Gardening and Earth Day at 6:30 p.m. on April 5th, proper pharmaceutical disposal at 1:00 p.m. on May 11th, where all your recycling goes at 1:00 p.m. on June 5th and jobs in recycling at 10:30 a.m. on June 9th. For more information and to sign up for these engaging workshops, please visit www.cvsan.org/learn.
