Eco-tip: Where to get compost and mulch in Ventura County

VC Star By David Goldstein March 22nd Ojai Valley Organics opened earlier this month and C&M Topsoils, another mulch-and-compost-making business, will open soon near Simi Valley. Meanwhile, Peach Hill Soils near Moorpark and Agromin, with locations near Oxnard, Simi Valley and Santa Paula, continue to make mulch and compost every day from the discards of…

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Eco-tip: Carpet recycling capacity triples in Ventura County

VC Star By David Goldstein March 1st With two simultaneous grand openings Monday on opposite sides of Ventura County, local carpet recycling capacity will triple. The Simi Valley Landfill and Recycling Center, with a public event Monday afternoon, and Gold Coast Recycling and Transfer Station in Ventura, with a private event in the morning, will…

Eco-tip: Mailing back dead smoke alarms? Turns out it’s hard to do

VC Star By David Goldstein February 15, 2025 Push the button and bear the piercing sound at least twice per year, advise experts who stress the importance of testing smoke alarms. Most people probably agree, but actually doing it is the hard part. Similarly, when smoke alarms with non-replaceable batteries chirp incessantly, flipping the disabling…

Eco-tip: Surfrider ramps up cigarette butt recycling despite vandalism setbacks

VC Star By David Goldstein Feb. 7, 2025 Vandals repeatedly broke locks on cigarette butt containers along the Ventura beach promenade, sometimes dumping out the carefully stored cigarettes and sometimes stealing the entire container. Adding to the litter prevention program’s woes, a wrong-way driver exiting the nearby parking garage drove onto the promenade and destroyed…

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How the fire clean-up process works

Moorpark Acorn By David Goldstein 2/7/25 After the fire comes the cleanup, and Bakersfield-based Remedial Transportation Services—RTS—has begun work under a contract with the County of Ventura to remove debris from homes burned in last month’s Mountain fire. The company’s workers are looking for telltale green painted-letter identification on burned-out autos that alerts them whether…