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Banning recycling program aimed at raising funds for stagecoach, murals
By RICK McLAUGHLIN
Staff Writer

Sunday, January 25, 2004 - BANNING - City officials and the Chamber of Commerce have announced a plan to cut the amount of landfill waste and help buy a stagecoach and fund a mural program for downtown at the same time.

The chamber recently launched Operation Can Can, a drive for the recycling of cans and glass and plastic bottles.

Money collected from recycling will help pay for a stage coach for the city's annual Stage Coach Days and other civic activities, and will help to ease the city's noncompliance with the state's Waste Management Act.

"You save California redeemables and take them to the redemption center at the Earth Wize Recycling Center at the Stater Bros. on Highland Springs Avenue and Sixth Street," said chamber Recycling Committee Chairwoman Gail Parparian.

"Drop the voucher you receive in the marked deposit box at the center and the proceeds will be used by the chamber to fund both the mural program and the purchase of a stagecoach for the community."

Parparian said the "$3 or $4" that people sometimes get for their recycled items may not seem like much, but multiplied by many in the community, the money could add up to significant financial support, although she couldn't predict how much that might be.

A piece of California legislation, effective Jan. 1, raised the price of container redemptions. Containers under 34 ounces went up from 2.5 cents to 4 cents while larger containers rose from 5 cents to 8 cents.

"It only seems like a few pennies at a time, but pennies grow into dollars and more dollars have more buying power," Parparian said.

The chamber is trying to help the city reduce the amount of solid waste because a deadline is looming that could cost the city a lot of money.

The California Solid Waste Management Act of 1996 requires cities and counties to lessen the amount of material sent to landfills. They were required to reach a 25 percent reduction of recyclables by 1995 and 50 percent by Dec. 31, Parparian said.

"The residences are doing pretty good, but the businesses are falling behind," she said.

More than half of the city's solid waste come from businesses, officials said.

The act also established a board to oversee local compliance with the law, and specifies fines of up to $10,000 per day for noncompliance.

"The easiest way to lessen the amount is through recycling," Parparian said. "Otherwise, they can start imposing $10,000 a day fines."

The city's chief waste manager, Assistant Director of Public Works Kahono Oie, is optimistic about the joint recycling program.

"We're already at 42 percent compliance and the goal is 50 percent," he said. "With the the recycling program, hopefully we will increase that and make up the difference."

Oie said an effort to increase commercial recycling could make up the difference. A report on the city's solid waste compliance is due out next month.

In addition to helping with the city's waste management deadline, the program will help fund a stagecoach for the town that bills itself as Stagecoach Town USA on fliers, banners, pamphlets and storefronts.

Except there is no stagecoach in Stagecoach Town.

"We feel a stagecoach will give a tangible anchor to our identity and we can use it to promote the city and call attention to our events," said chamber Executive Director Jack Holden.

He said a stagecoach would symbolize the city's past at numerous events throughout the year and it would be on display near the chamber's future new quarters on East Ramsey Street.

The chamber of commerce is working on a three-part program to revitalize the city's core. A mural program to spruce up blank walls is seen by some as a way to attract tourists and their dollars.

"The mural program will be an important segment of our core area revitalization," Parparian said.

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