By David Goldstein, VC Public Works Agency –
The public is invited to attend the grand opening of Ojai Valley Organics on March 10 at 11 am. The County-owned site, past the trailhead of the Ventura River Preserve at the end of Old Baldwin Road, has, since the 1950s, served as a burn dump, a garbage transfer station, a recycling center, and, until 2019, a location for recycling yard clippings and lumber. That final use will again be the site’s purpose as Progressive Environmental Industries (PEI), the County’s contractor, begins operations.
The site has been vacant for six years due, at first, to difficulties finding a qualified contractor to pursue permits and operate the site. Later, delays continued as the selected contractor met challenges with the permit process. In 2022, Arturo Gonzalez, owner of PEI, borrowed $1,200,000 of state funds through the Ventura County Recycling Market Development Zone program, and he bought a new grinder and other equipment, expecting the Ojai site to be available soon. Instead, as permitting became more complicated, he deployed the equipment at his similar site in downtown Santa Barbara.
During the six years of site inactivity, the Ojai Valley has not had a locally available recycler for yard clippings and lumber. Businesses relied on Harrison Industries to haul bins for organics, and these bins also allow bagged food waste. However, tree trimmers, landscapers, residents with home improvement projects, and contractors in the wood framing stage of construction often had to haul materials to Ventura or Oxnard, recycling at the Gold Coast or Del Norte recycling and transfer stations. This journey was time-consuming, expensive, and did not provide an incentive for keeping recyclable yard clippings and lumber separate from other materials, such as irrigation tubing and construction debris.
Some of the Ojai Valley’s need for local management of organic waste was met by the non-profit Concerned Resource and Environmental Workers (CREW). With help from grants provided by Cal Fire and California Fire Safe Council, last year the group cleared over 221 acres of hazardous vegetation, chipped over 22 tons of material, and provided chipping and brush clearance services to 608 properties, according to the organization’s website.
CREW continues to work with Ventura Regional Fire Safe Council to provide grant-funded free services to Ventura County residents who are located in Fire Hazard Severity Zones, are veterans, or who face significant barriers to making fire safe changes on their own, including physical or financial barriers. The organization’s website, https://www.crewojai.org/chipping, enables qualified residents to sign up for five free drop-off chipping opportunities over the next six months or for curbside chipping service. See the website for a list of acceptable materials and other rules.
Some recycling businesses encounter a “not in my backyard” response from local residents, but PEI, the county’s contractor to reopen OVO, did not encounter opposition. Instead, several people formed the “Save OVO Coalition” and took actions such as sending letters of support to permitting authorities when key permit decisions were being considered.
Ventura County District 1 Supervisor Matt LaVere, who will speak at the OVO grand opening, also advanced the project. At one point, he assigned his chief aide, Maruja Clensay, to bring together four permitting entities in the County for three meetings that eventually broke a regulatory log jam. Clensay is now Assistant Community Development Director with the City of Ventura.
James Vega, former Ojai city manager, who is now city manager of Port Hueneme, also played a key role in the permitting process, stressing to County officials the importance of returning a local organics recycling opportunity for city residents.
Nathan Whitman, owner of Pan’s Garden in Ojai, which sells locally grown vegetables, herbs, natives, and rare specialty plants, explained the importance of OVO to Ojai Valley residents and businesses. “I used to do also landscaping. I got mulch from OVO, and I brought landscape waste there for recycling. First OVO shut down, and then there was the pandemic, so I shut the business. Now I may revive my landscape business after OVO reopens.”
David Goldstein, Environmental Resource Analyst with the Ventura County Public Works Agency, can be reached at (805) 658-4312 or david.goldstein@ventura.org
