Felicia Caraway-Special to the Sun

Many individuals and families in the Kern River Valley recycle as a viable means to supplement their income and to help the environment. Recycling options are open to those who wish to recycle for monetary as well as environmental reasons. WEB Recycling, Thomas Refuse, and the Kern Valley Transfer Station offer chances to recycle a variety of materials, some for the California Redemption Value (CRV) and other items for no refund. WEB Recycling is owned by Pastor Bill Blanton, director of Hope Ministries and the Community Christian Service Center. This non-profit organization benefits from the proceeds that recycling provides. This money is used only towards community services assisting those in need. The main recycling center, located in the alley behind the Shell gas station on the corner of Lake Isabella Blvd. and Hwy. 155, is open Monday through Saturday from 8 am to 4 pm. A WEB Recycling truck is located from 8 am to 4 pm at the James Sierra Gateway Market on Tuesdays and Thursdays at the Kernville Store and on Fridays and Saturdays at the Southlake store. According to Pastor Blanton, all WEB Recycling locations are certified by California to accept items used for drinking beverages directly from the container. These include aluminum cans, #1 through #7 plastic bottles, and glass bottles. The containers with a California Redemption Value (CRV) offer $0.05 for containers less than 24 ounces and $0.10 for containers 24 ounces and greater. The labeling on the container will state if there is a CRV. Some plastic and glass bottles used for drinking do not have a CRV but are accepted at WEB and taken to Bakersfield for recycling. No money is offered for these bottles. Examples are plastic milk jugs and apple juice containers and glass wine bottles. Recyclers are advised to check under the plastic containers for a triangular recycling symbol and a number between 1 and 7, usually inside the symbol. The criteria for recycling plastic and glass containers at WEB include the ability to drink the contents from the bottle and the plastic needs to have a recycling symbol with a number between 1 and 7. WEB cannot accept any other plastic or glass items. Call 379-8201 for more information.

Thomas Refuse, located at 2000 Chain Avenue in Lake Isabella just off Lake Isabella Blvd., is open Tuesday through Saturday from 8:30 am to 4:00 pm. In addition to being our local trash pickup service, Thomas Refuse offers a variety of recycling options. They offer the same services as WEB Recycling, including refunding California Redemption Values on aluminum, plastic, and glass, and accepting other plastic drinking containers without a CRV. Thomas Refuse also gives payment for non-CRV glass, non-CRV aluminum, aluminum scrap, brass, copper, radiators and auto batteries. Newspaper, broken down cardboard, magazines, computer paper, and phone books are accepted for recycling with no monetary value given. For more information, call 379-2618, ext. 107. The Kern Valley Transfer Station, located at 9800 Sierra Way in Kernville, is open Sunday through Tuesday and Thursday through Saturday from 8 am to 4 pm. They are closed on Wednesday. The Transfer Station accepts all glass and plastic food and beverage containers, aluminum cans, used motor oil, and large appliances for drop-off recycling only. They do not offer any CRV or other payment for recycled items. Every three months, a hazardous waste drop-off event is scheduled. Items such as household and auto batteries, paint, pesticides, and other toxic chemicals are accepted. The next hazardous waste event is on December 8. For more information on the Kern Valley Transfer Station, call 376-1624 during operating hours or Kern County Waste Management at 800-552-5376, option 6.

Dale Perry of Web Recycling dumps a load of aluminum cans into a machine that crushes the cans and prepares them for shipping.

Hauling recyclables to Bakersfield is another choice Kern River Valley residents have. Numerous buy-back recycling locations are available for everything from CRV drinking containers, cardboard, and newspaper, to large construction site materials. Many drop-off locations are also offered and are accessible at any time. For more information call Kern County Waste Management at 800-552-5376, option 6, or visit their website at www.co.kern.ca.us/wmd and click on services or check the Bakersfield Yellow Pages under recycling. Note the Kern County Waste Management’s website has not been updated for over one year and has information on a Southlake drop-off recycling location which no longer exists. However, the website is a valuable tool when searching for other places to take recyclables in Kern County and has information pertaining to the benefits of recycling.