Office of Public Affairs
For Immediate Release: December 31, 2019
News Release #2019-23
Media Contact: Sydney Fong
Agricultural Properties Littered with Old Furniture, Tires, and Appliances
SACRAMENTO—California communities can restore forty illegal dumpsites into productive agricultural properties thanks to $299,814 in funds from the California Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery (CalRecycle). The department’s Farm and Ranch Solid Waste Cleanup and Abatement Grant Program will support counties’ and resource conservation districts’ efforts to clean up agricultural sites overrun with unlawfully discarded appliances, furniture, scrap metal, tires, vehicle parts, and more.
“California is committed to helping farms and ranches remove illegally dumped items to promote the economic and environmental health of the state,” said CalRecycle Director Scott Smithline. “The department’s cleanup grants help local governments restore properties and improve communities.”
CalRecycle’s Farm and Ranch Cleanup grant program will provide up to $1.5 million during the 2019-20 fiscal year to help communities remove illegally dumped solid waste from agricultural properties.
CalRecycle funded the following projects during the first grant cycle:
Contra Costa County
The Contra Costa Resource Conservation District will use $19,567 to clean up illegally dumped waste at two farming operations, including a vineyard in Brentwood and a farm and produce market near Discovery Bay. In addition to the cleanup of abandoned car parts, furniture, pallets and other trash, the grant will fund fencing to prevent future dumping.
Los Angeles County
Los Angeles County’s Antelope Valley Weed Hazard and Pest Management Bureau will use $130,383 to clear discarded furniture, construction debris, used tires, hazardous materials, electronics, and other waste from four agricultural sites in Palmdale and Lancaster. The cleanup and planned measures to prevent future unlawful dumping are part of a countywide effort to protect the environment and increase community property values.
San Joaquin County
The San Joaquin County Department of Public Works will use its $100,000 grant to cleanup 31 agricultural sites with abandoned appliances, mattresses, tires, and other debris in conjunction with its Adopt-a-Road program. The county will work with the Greater Valley Regional Conservation Corps to clear selected agricultural areas with a history of dumping. The county also plans to conduct additional public outreach to support appropriate recycling, recovery, and landfilling of abandoned materials.
Sutter County
The Sutter County Resource Conservation District plans to use $49,864 to clear appliances, cement blocks, metal and PVC piping, tires, and other debris from three farming parcels in Sanders and Live Oak. The district plans to erect signage and fencing throughout the combined 380 acres to discourage future unlawful disposal.
Under the farm and ranch grant program, cities, counties, federally recognized Native American Tribes, and resource conservation districts may apply for up to $200,000 per fiscal year, but no more than $50,000 per site. Grants are funded through the state’s Integrated Waste Management Account, Tire Recycling Management Fund, and Used Oil Recycling Fund.
Since the first grants were awarded in 1997, nearly $11 million has been distributed to clean up more than 700 project sites.
Subscribe to CalRecycle’s Farm and Ranch Cleanup Grant listserv for updates on new grant cycles, awards, and funding availability.
For more information contact, the Office of Public Affairs, opa@calrecycle.ca.gov
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CalRecycle's mission is to protect California's environment and climate for the health and prosperity of future generations through the reduction, reuse and recycling of California resources, environmental education, disaster recovery, and the transition from a disposable to a fully circular economy.