Oakland, CA

Waste Management announced recently that it will unveil its new residential single-stream recycling center, located at the Davis Street Station for Materials Recycling and Transfer, during an Earth Day Event on April 14th. VIPs and elected officials are expected at the Ribbon Cutting at 9 am. The public is invited to attend the Earth Day Event, which starts at 10 am, and will include refreshments and giveaways, including 100% recycled paint, compost, and home composters. Activities will also include events for the whole family including live performances by the EarthCapades Environmental Vaudeville sponsored by Waste Management’s event partner, StopWaste.org.

The new facility alone processes 400 tons of material each day. Single-stream recycling is one of the most significant advances in recycling, allowing consumers to simply deposit all their recyclables into a single container—eliminating the inconvenience of separating paper, plastics, glass and metals and greatly increasing the likelihood of customer participation. The new facility has also made an impact on jobs at the facility. Waste Management has doubled the recycling workforce from 40 employees before the new facility to 96 now that it is operating.

Visitors to the Earth Day event can tour the new facility as well as the entire Davis Street Station, which processes the recyclables and garbage for 17 Bay Area cities. They will get a behind the scenes look at what happens to their recycling, green waste, and garbage once it leaves their curb.

“We want the public to come and see how this process works,” said Jack Isola, District Manager for Waste Management’s Davis Street facility. “2,000 tons of garbage is not something you get to see everyday.”

The tour will also take visitors to the green waste area where 40-foot-high piles of green and wood waste are chipped into small piles ready for composting and biomass processing. Visitors will also get an up close tour of the “pit” where 2,000 tons of garbage is processed for transfer to the landfill every day.

“This new facility demonstrates Waste Management’s commitment to environmental stewardship and diverting waste from our landfills,” said Isola. “It also exemplifies our successful partnership with Alameda County as we continue to look for ways to partner with cities throughout the region on recycling and diversion programs. This facility is the most modern and efficient single-stream recycling centers operating in the country today.”

The Davis Street Station for Material Recycling and Transfer has been operating since 1980, and currently accepts household recyclables, green waste and food scraps, construction and demolition debris, and municipal solid waste for transfer. The facility manages a total of 4,000 tons of material daily.

“Davis Street is a very dynamic operation,” said Isola. “Along with all the various materials we process, we also have one of the best garden centers in the area. Commercial and residential customers can purchase compost and ground cover for their landscaping projects. All the material we offer is the by-product of local green and food waste collection. In effect, yesterday’s tree clippings and dinner scraps are today’s compost and soil amendments.”

“What we want the public to understand is that there is still work to be done,” explained Isola. “While we have the infrastructure to handle more recycling and green waste than ever, many tons of it is still being sent into the garbage stream, which impacts our landfills and wastes valuable resources that should be put to better use. Each resident of Alameda County can do his or her own part to reduce green house gasses through recycling more. This open house will bring that point home for all our visitors.”

The Davis Street Earth Day event is Saturday, April 14, from 10 am to 2 pm. The public is cordially invited to attend the celebration. Davis Street is located at 2615 Davis Street, in San Leandro. For more information call 510-563-4214.

SOURCE: Waste Management