VENTURA : Kinko’s Joins City Recycling Effort

Ventura and a local company have teamed up to make recycling easier for employees in the workplace, officials said Tuesday.

Kinko’s Copy Center and city officials inaugurated a plan Wednesday to distribute 10,000 desk-area boxes so workers can recycle used paper, said Tammy Gentry, spokeswoman for Kinko’s.

Ventura generates 350 tons of landfill waste each day, and commercial and industrial waste makes up two-thirds of that amount, said Eric Werbalowsky, the city’s recycling manager.

At Kinko’s, desk-side boxes are used to hold paper, while aluminum, glass and newspapers are collected in containers throughout the building, Gentry said.

“Before, I had to save everything up at my desk and take it to a bin,” Gentry said. “And I think people didn’t recycle as much because it was kind of a hassle.”

The city’s waste management program is developing its state-mandated plan to cut landfill waste by 25% by 1995 and 50% by 2000. The program, called Waste Alternatives for Ventura’s Environment, also includes curbside recycling for 20,000 houses and 6,300 multifamily residences.

The city, which began targeting businesses in July, provides about 350 recycling bins that serve 600 businesses, Werbalowsky said. The proceeds from recycled materials help fund the programs.

“In the long run, recycling will cost less than landfill disposals,” he said.