Waste Management - GI Industries - Keeping Our Communities Clean

Our renewable energy projects create enough energy to power nearly 1 million homes and save the equivalent of more than 14 million barrels of oil per year.

The Simi Landfill and Recycling Center alone powers the equivalent of 2,500 homes each day with two landfill gas-to-energy generators using methane gas.

WM's North American operations recycled enough paper in one year to save 41 million trees.

In California, we operate the largest fleet of clean natural gas collection vehicles and have reduced air emissions by 247 tons.

Greenwaste Basics: From Collection to Compost

The Simi Valley Landfill and Recycling Center (SVLRC) receives more than 90,000 tons of greenwaste each year. That's 300-500 tons per day of grass and yard trimmings that are cleaned, processed and shipped to many beneficial reuses such as compost and energy production.

After greenwaste has been collected from your curbside, it is brought to the SVLRC's green and wood waste recycling center. At the landfill, Agromin, an onsite contractor that has worked at the landfill for 14 years, processes the greenwaste. With four locations in Ventura County, Agromin processes most of the County's greenwaste and is the leading supplier of soil amendments for the agricultural industry in the County.

The first part of the process involves cleaning the greenwaste to remove contaminants such as plastic bags, bottles and trash. The residents of Simi Valley, Moorpark and Thousand Oaks who send their greenwaste to the SVLRC greenwaste recycling facility, do a phenomenal job of keeping trash out of the greenwaste container. The trash is removed by hand, but it amounts to less than 1% of the greenwaste that is sent to be recycled. The remaining 99% of the greenwaste is processed through a specialized grinder. The processed greenwaste is then sent to a commercial composting facility where the product is composted, screened and turned into a soil product that can be used in 250 types of soil mixes for agriculture, commercial landscape, nurseries and other uses. Some of the processed greenwaste is also sent to agricultural operations, to the central valley for energy production, or used on-site as mulch for erosion control and state-approved alternate daily cover. At the landfill, the material helps revegetate portions of the landfill that will no longer receive waste for erosion control and also helps re-establish native habitats. Approximately 10% is used for State of California approved alternate daily cover.

If you are interested in learning more about greenwaste recycling or any of the recycling programs at the Simi Valley Landfill and Recycling Center, please contact Scott Tignac, SVLRC District Manager, at 805-579-7478.

< HOME