Recycling Industries Thrive in Vernon

When it comes to recycling, businesses in Vernon aim to achieve the fullest use of raw materials. The Vernon business community continues to find commercial opportunities to utilize scrap metals, to recycle waste materials, and to generally divert waste from landfills. Frequently these opportunities involve identifying waste streams that can be utilized as an ingredient in another product. Every pound of material that is reused in the manufacture of another product is a benefit to the environment.

Glass: Most glass bottles today are made with 30% recycled glass. In addition to conserving materials, this post-consumer recycled glass also adds to the strength of newly manufactured items. Vernon boasts a world-class regional glass sorting and recycling facility – Container Recycling Alliance – that processes glass from all over the West Coast, including Hawaii. Also located in Vernon is Owens-Illinois, manufacturer of glass bottles (using recycled glass) for most beer distributors on the west coast.

Plastic: In plastics, there are different categories of recyclable plastics and Vernon has companies that deal with all of them. For example, Joe’s Plastics recycles gallon milk containers, PPP, Al’s Plastics and 3-G’s recycle plastic bags and companies such as Rehrig Pacific and Primo regrind hard plastic containers. All of these Vernon businesses find ways to grind, cut, form, melt and/or extrude plastics into reusable raw materials or products.

Other companies that are in the business of recycling of raw materials, such as :

• lead / acid batteries
• cardboard
• metals
• waste liquids and hazardous materials
• edible foods
• sorting and diverting recyclable materials

The Vernon Health Department provides oversight of a number of Vernon businesses that accept California Redemptive Value (CRV) containers such as aluminum cans, glass and plastic bottles as well as other materials such as paper, cardboard and scrap metals.

E-Waste: Following in the steps of its eco-conscious community, the City of Vernon holds periodic e-waste recycling events, during which Vernon business owners, business employees, and residents can drop off computer monitors, CPUs, printers, key boards, televisions, typewriters, dry cell batteries, and other items such as fluorescent tubes and printer cartridges – items that are prohibited from being disposed as regular refuse due to the specific metal content in their electronics. At a recent event, more than 80,000 pounds of these materials were delivered by vehicles, segregated and palletized for transportation. Metal and plastic from the e-waste materials are all recycled.

For more info call the Vernon Health Department, 323.583.8811 x 233.