Page 11 - Vallejo_Chamber_of_Commerce_Magazine_Summer_2019

Vallejo

Community

Organizations “A lot of those events will consist of “We’ll honor those,” Ken said. “It’s
a great way for folks who want to
mostly our member groups down
make a donation but don’t have
there,” Ken said. “The member groups
consist of Boy Scouts, Cub Scouts,
House of Acts, Food Fridays, the Sierra money to make a difference.”
Club, and 4H, just to name a few.”
You might not think of watching
Recycling Inc. Valcore relies on volunteers as well paper get shredded as a
spectator sport, but Valcore
offers paper shredding services
as partnerships with local service
groups like the Boy Scouts of America,
can sit and watch the action.
but it also has a paid staff that works once a month, where anyone
Saving the planet and helping the community at its service yard in Vallejo. When Paper shredding is priced at
50 cents per pound, and it
it comes to hiring, the coalition tries
to lend a helping hand, Ken said. actually attracts quite a crowd.
By Nate Gartrell
“We have students, adults with “A lot of people don’t want to
disabilities, people looking to get let it out of their sight until it has
is tough to fathom just how much garbage it takes to form 1 million pounds—a hill’s worth, perhaps, or back into the workforce through drug been destroyed,” Ken explained.
enough to require a super freighter to haul—but that’s how much material Vallejo Community Organizations treatment, or the formerly incarcerated, “We get anywhere from 70-100
It Recycling Inc., or Valcore, diverts from local landfills each year, simply by existing. and some retired guys who want to people every month who come
work a couple days a week,” Ken out to see their paper done.”
Valcore is a coalition of eight local They’ll also help you compost, get management company that said. “We also do job training.”
nonprofits, formed by the city of rid of clothes, safely dispose of handles the city’s garbage services. Valcore Recycling Inc. is
Vallejo in 1981, that coalesce for a batteries, and drop off cooking “The basic structure is we have a A 30-year-old state law that allows located at 38 Sheridan Street
single purpose: recycling, and not oil, to name a few services; it’s an three-way partnership with the city recyclers to get a few cents back in Vallejo. Its CRV buyback
just the obvious “bottles and cans” all-encompassing approach. and Recology,” Ken said. “They on every bottle or can has helped hours are 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
stuff. Valcore’s staff and volunteers provide support and haul away organizations like Valcore and gives Monday through Saturday, and
find every way they can to reuse “If you put other items into the all the material. We try to help out folks an incentive to collect litter. donation drop-off hours are
or divert waste from landfills, which landfill like aluminum or plastic, not the city as much as possible.” Ken said of the money Valcore 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday
are widely considered the worst only will they create gas as they gets from recyclables, a portion through Saturday. It is closed on
option for disposed waste. They’ll deteriorate, but they will be around The other prong of Valcore’s is put back into local community Sundays and major holidays.
take your shoes to turn them into for hundreds of years,” said Ken services have to do with educating groups that partner with Valcore. For additional information,
industrial materials or spend hours Hawes, Valcore’s general manager, the public. The nonprofit coalition call (707) 645-8258, visit
after a local festival sorting through who joined in 2013. “If you recycle a not only educates kids, it has a “Really, the money we get in from valcorerecycling.org, or email
trash to ensure every recyclable bottle here not only will you get your presence at nearly every major Vallejoans goes back out to Vallejo, at info@valcorerecycling.org.
item goes to the right place. five cents back, but that bottle will local event as well as Vallejo’s keeps garbage out of a landfill and Nate Gartrell grew
turn into a new bottle, get reused open-air markets in order to gets more material recycled,” Ken up in Benicia, studied
“We started because people in or repurposed, and also prevent teach people about recycling, said. He added that folks can also journalism in college,
Vallejo wanted to recycle,” Ken the need to produce more plastic composting, and other ways to bring recyclables to Valcore and direct and has written for a
said. “We’re a real community- and use oil and other resources.” repurpose old stuff. They participate the staff to donate the proceeds to handful of media outlets
since age 15. He aspires to
based organization, providing in local Earth Day events, and a local church, nonprofit, or other visit all 30 Major League
local jobs, and the money we get Valcore also teams up with even expand their outreach to community organization, in lieu of Baseball stadiums and
goes back into our community.” Recology, the well-known waste neighboring areas like Napa. monetary donations to those groups. to hit the trifecta at the
horse track.

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