I am pleased to present to you the
City's 2008 recycling awareness calendar. This colorful calendar
contains drawings of 13 talented students who entered a competition
to create artwork focused on recycling. The winners were selected
from amongst hundreds of entries. These students used their
creativity to remind us all about the importance of protecting our
environment by recycling and conserving scarce resources.
In the past calendar year, we have had
many achievements in recycling, in part due to the City's first
recycling calendar that brought a wider sense of awareness to our
community. But more important to this effort was the active
participation of each and every one of you. Let me take this
opportunity to summarize some of our recycling achievements. During
the year 2007, Calabasas was able to collect and recycle:
125,742 pounds of
mixed electronics that included 1,287 televisions and computer
monitors weighing 57,382 pounds, with a total of 1,075 customers
served. These numbers represent a 2.7 times increase from the
previous year. Our goal for the year 2008 is to collect and
recycle at least 150,000 pounds of electronics.
9,149 pounds of
dry cell batteries, an increase of 56% from the previous year.
Our goal for this year is to recycle 12,000 pounds of batteries.
3,877 gallons of
water base paint, 75 car batteries, 53 used oil filters, 372
gallons of used motor oil and 46 gallons of antifreeze. We were
able to serve over 530 residents. As a regional environmental
leader, Calabasas administered similar monthly round-ups in
Malibu and Westlake Village.
240 used
eyeglasses that will eventually be cleaned and sorted by Lions
International and shipped to developing countries to be donated
to those in need of reading glasses.
City staff distributed
more than 2,000 recycling baskets to residents in apartment and
condominium complexes, as well as all schools, to facilitate the
separation of solid waste from recyclable materials right from the
source. Hundreds of signs were also forwarded to commercial,
institutional and multi-family buildings to encourage separation of
recyclable materials from trash.
Calabasas has been a
leader on many environmental fronts and has set an example for other
cities and communities. The City Council approved an ordinance in
2007 banning the use of expanded polystyrene (also known as
styrofoam) for food packaging. City facilities have participated in
this new program since July 2007 and businesses are expected to
participate starting in April 2008.
With your cooperation,
our City's overall rate of recycling (also known as diversion rate)
has reached 51%. With new initiatives and active participation from
our residents, businesses and schools, we should be able to reach a
75% diversion rate by 2012.
I would like to thank
City staff for actively implementing our recycling program and also
to thank you for your continued support in preserving our
environment and future!
