1999 Trash Cutter Award Program Case Studies

Santa Cruz County: Best Creative Partnerships Program

• Program Description
• Program Summary
• Costs
• Benefits
• Contact

Program Description

Santa Cruz County's waste diversion goals are being met due to the many partnerships it has created, both with small businesses and nonprofit organizations in the community. For example, the California Gray Bears is a local nonprofit seniors organization that manages the recycling center at the landfill. All revenue earned is used by the Gray Bears to deliver food to over 2,200 shut-ins and homebound seniors in Santa Cruz County. The county has also partnered with other businesses to increase diversion and make it more convenient for residents to recycle.

Program Summary

Nonprofit organizations such as California Gray Bears and the Valley Women's Club oversee the recycling centers at the Buena Vista landfill and the Ben Lomond Transfer Station, respectively. Both recycling centers are located at the entrance of the sites to allow for total recycling prior to disposal. The recycling centers accept many varied materials, everything from cans and bottles, to scrap metal and large appliances, all free of charge. The nonprofits are responsible for everything from the collection of materials, to the marketing of those materials. All revenue from recycling materials is split equally between the County and the nonprofits.

The county has promoted the recycling center services through a series of display ads in local papers. To reach the entire community, these monthly ads promoting the many recycling services available at the disposal sites have been published in various local papers throughout the county. The county also developed an informative TV commercial, which airs on local stations to alert the public to the accessibility of the recycling centers and the recycling opportunities available there.

Santa Cruz County has contracted with a local mulcher, Vision Recycling, to recycle all wood and yard waste collected at the disposal sites. This partnership helps to create jobs and of course adds to county efforts in reducing the amount of garbage that ends up in the landfill.

The county has also partnered with the local Salvation Army. The Salvation Army has installed a permanent collection trailer at both disposal sites at no cost to the county. The result has been an increased amount of reusable material being diverted from the landfill. It is a win-win situation for both parties. The trailer is locked up behind the gates to reduce illegal dumping, which usually accounts for up to 30 percent of their trailer loads at other locations. The county increases its diversion and makes it even more convenient for the community to recycle everything at one site. These "one-stop" recycling centers provide a much needed outlet for most recyclable materials.

Ecology Action of Santa Cruz has been another nonprofit the county has worked with extensively. Ecology Action developed many of the county's informative waste reduction pamphlets such as the Buy Recycled Guide, which contains listings of products made from recycled materials, and the businesses that sell them; the Where to Recycle Guide for Santa Cruz County which provides a complete list of buyback, drop-off and curbside collection opportunities throughout the county; and the Composter's Resource Guide, which lists information on composting, including where to buy bins and books on the subject. Ecology Action also operates a hotline which answers questions on composting.

Benefits

One of the programs that is designed for waste reduction partnerships is the waste reduction grants Program. Applicants must be a local nonprofit, community group, or a small locally-owned private business. Grants are awarded for amounts from $1,000 to $25,000 based on the needs of the project. Grants are given to projects designed to do the following in the area of waste reduction: source reduction, waste diversion, market develop, and education. Currently there are 11 active grants and more are pending. This program generates unique and creative ways of waste reduction, using the ideas and commitment of devoted community members. 

Costs

• The California Gray Bears, a local nonprofit, operates the recycling center at the landfill. The cost for this contract is approximately $125,000 annually, and the county receives about $52,000 in revenue generated from sales of donated goods and recycled materials.
• The Valley Women's Club manages the recycling center at the transfer station.  It costs the county about $107,000 annually for this contract. The county receives about $18,000 in revenue generated from sales of recycled materials.
• Vision Recycling manages all wood waste recycling that is collected at the disposal facilities. The contract is $290,000 annually.
• Ecology Action annually develops various recycling brochures for approximately $20,000. They also operate and maintain the composting information phone line for a cost of $10,000 annually.
• The Waste Reduction Grant Program has a total annual budget of $150,000.

For Further Information Contact:

Santa Cruz County
701 Ocean Street, Room 410
Santa Cruz, CA  95060
(831) 454-2160

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