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OC WASTE & RECYCLING OFFERS FREE COMPOST TO ORANGE COUNTY RESIDENTS ON APRIL 1

April 1 Compost Giveaway

Giveaway Places Quality Organic Compost Material into the Community 

Orange County, CA (March 16, 2023) – OC Waste & Recycling (OCWR) announces a County-wide Compost Giveaway at Bee Canyon Greenery (Frank R. Bowerman Landfill), Valencia Greenery (Olinda Alpha Landfill) and Capistrano Greenery (Prima Deshecha Landfill). Orange County residents can pick up FREE compost on Saturday, April 1, 2023, between 8 a.m. and noon, while supplies last.  

OCWR will be offering compost free of charge and ready to use. County residents visiting Bee Canyon Greenery and Capistrano Greenery need to bring a shovel to load the compost into their own containers or heavy-duty yard waste bags.  Available on a first come first served basis while supplies last, each household will be limited to 60 gallons. At Valencia Greenery, pre-filled bags of compost will be distributed while supplies last, limited to four bags per household.  

“OC Waste & Recycling creates quality compost material from green and organic waste collected from homes and businesses across Orange County and is a key component in reducing methane emissions,” said Tom Koutroulis, Director, OCWR. “Our giveaways have been successful in building awareness of the importance of composting and in addition gives residents direct access to help place healthy organic material back into the communities. Your participation in our compost giveaway will also contribute to recognition of this year’s Earth Day on April 22.” 

OCWR’s compost has the Seal of Testing Assurance (STA) by the US Composting Council, a certification program that holds composting manufacturers to the highest standards of quality. The family-friendly giveaway will provide healthy compost to residents, perfect for backyards and home gardens.  

Composting pick-up locations include: 

  • FRB / Bee Canyon Greenery, 11002 Bee Canyon Access Rd., Irvine 

  • OA / Valencia Greenery, 1942 N. Valencia Ave., Brea 

  • PD / Capistrano Greenery, 32250 Avenida La Pata, San Juan Capistrano 

Make a Recycling Impact OCWR is proud to celebrate Earth Day, April 22, created to build awareness and support for environmental outreach and education. Make everyday Earth Day by recycling and properly disposing of waste. Now is the time to kick off good recycling habits and make a pledge to keep them in practice. According to CalRecycle, Californians throw away nearly 6 million tons of food scraps or food waste each year. This represents about 18 percent of all the material that goes to landfills. The average family spends $1,500 on food that goes unused and is thrown away. To stop your trash footprint, plan your meals before you go to the grocery store. Small steps can make a big difference to preserve landfill space and reduce greenhouse emissions.  

OCWR’s OCRecycleGuide.com is a resource for people looking to recycle odd items and directs the public to various recycling options. In addition to recycling, it is also important to make sure hazardous items like batteries, paints and household cleaners do not make it into our landfills. Orange County is home to four Household Hazardous Waste Collection Centers located in Anaheim, Huntington Beach, Irvine and San Juan Capistrano. The centers are open Tuesdays through Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.  OCWR online recycling education, tips and quizzes can be found at OCLandfills.com/learn.   

About OC Waste & Recycling (OCWR)  

OCWR serves the County’s solid waste disposal needs by providing waste management services, operating public landfills, protecting the local environment, investing in renewable energy enterprises and promoting recycling in order to ensure a safe and healthy community for current and future generations. The department manages one of the nation's premier solid waste disposal systems and three compost greeneries, serving residents and businesses in the County’s 34 cities and unincorporated areas. OCWR’s three active landfills reflect environmental engineering at its best. Learn more by visiting the OCWR website at OCLandfills.com.  

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