Reuse Organization Profiles

California Grey Bears, Inc.

Overview

Located in mid-Santa Cruz county, Grey Bears operates a subsidiary corporation called S.C.R.A.P. (Santa Cruz Recycling Alliance Program), which collects and processes cardboard from small to medium-sized businesses. Any proceeds from recycling go toward Grey Bears' mission of supplementing the diets of seniors with fresh produce.

Grey Bears supplies weekly "Brown Bags" of fresh produce to 2,100 seniors. Volunteers make these programs cost-efficient; they roll newspaper for sale by the ton to local florists and nurseries as a fundraiser.

History

Grey Bears started recycling overlooked resources and using them to benefit the community in the 1970s. In the 1990s, all Grey Bears' recycling programs grew and they are presently diverting 11,000 tons per year from the landfills. All their programs are community supported.

Operations

Grey Bears also runs the recycling center at the Buena Vista Landfill in Watsonville. The recycling drop-off center takes all the same materials, plus metals, oils, batteries, and antifreeze.

Materials Accepted

Grey Bears' drop off recycling center accepts everything taken at curbside, including includes aluminum cans, plastics, glass, brown bags, assorted paper, cardboard, aseptic containers, and shredded paper.

Contact Information

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Last updated: November 01, 2007