Politics & Government

Recycling Center Finally Has Opening Date – April 22

El Cerrito's Recycling Center will open for business on Earth Day, the day of its scheduled ribbon-cutting ceremony, the center's manager, Garth Schultz, said Wednesday at a community meeting.

Update: April 6, 6 p.m.: The manager of the Recycling Center, Garth Schultz, said today, Friday, that while the new center will be open on April, it won't begin operation until the next day, April 23.

Opening day for the city's new is no longer elusive. It's been set for April 22, Earth Day, which also is the scheduled date of the center's official ribbon-cutting ceremony and celebration, according to center manager Garth Schultz.

The city had hoped to have a "soft opening" of the new facility before April 22 but has not been able to do so, Schultz said Wednesday afternoon at on proposed new civility rules for the center's Exchange Zone, a place where users will be able to drop off their unwanted books, tools, toys, CDs and other items for other users to take.

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The opening of the new Recycling & Environmental Resource Center has been pushed back several times because of a delay in securing a water hook-up from the East Bay Municipal Utility District.

Fourteen members of the public attended the meeting at the center Wednesday on how to handle potential conflict over items in the Exchange Zone, which will absorb the former Book Exchange that drew a lot of users and some complaints at the old Recycling Center. The old center was torn down last year to make room for the new one at the eastern end of Schmidt Lane.

Find out what's happening in El Cerritowith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The city is seeking feedback on rules to govern the use of the Exchange Zone. Schultz said he's heard numerous complaints about aggressive book-sellers grabbing the best books before other members of the community have a chance to access them.

"Members of the community are concerned about those taking too many books, and they're also concerned about some behaviors at the Book Exchange that result in a feeding frenzy or a fierce competition for books," he said.

The city wants to establish rules that are easy to understand, fair and enforceable by the recycling center's limited staff, he said. The center will have one employee devoted to monitoring the public areas of the site, the largest portion of which is the arc of bays for dropping off materials to be recycled.

So, Schultz has proposed the following rule: "Take no more than one file box of items per day."

"One file box per day seems like a reasonable amount," he said.

At that point, a woman at the meeting called out, "What is a 'file box'"? A man followed with, "Yeah, and how are you going to enforce it?"

Schultz displayed a standard-sized "bankers box" from his office and said that the rule is not meant to be a literal file box but to indicate the total volume of materials that can be removed. He said users can carry items in a paper bag, in their arms or any other way, so long as the total amount doesn't exceed what could fit in a file box.

He said the city also recognizes that book-sellers and other users, like libraries, also have a right of access, so the city will cooperate with bulk users to gain access by special arrangement.

Schultz said he welcomes public feedback and suggestions for the next two weeks. He can be contacted at gschultz@ci.el-cerrito.ca.us or 510-559-7684.

One person suggested allowing book-sellers to have access only after a certain time of day, like 4:30 p.m., and Schultz indicated that he would consider that possibility.

Another attendee suggested alternate days for bulk users and users who want items just for personal use, but Schultz indicated that such an arrangement would be administratively difficult. 

Once it opens, the Exchange Zone will make do with temporary shelving, including stacked crates, until its permanent shelves can be created as part of the functional art component of the Recycling Center, Schultz said.

The facility is meeting its public art requirement by . Assistant City Manager Karen Pinkos told the City Council Tuesday that the city received three proposals for the $24,000 "functional artworks." A city-appointed panel will select the winner. 

A draft poster for the Exchange Zone (attached to this article) lists the following items to be accepted for re-use:

  • Art Supplies
  • Audio / Video Tapes
  • Bicycle Parts
  • Books
  • CDs and DVDs
  • Games
  • Greeting Cards
  • Hangers
  • Hardware
  • Magazines
  • Records / LPs
  • School Supplies
  • Office Supplies
  • Tools
  • Toys

The "Not Accepted" section says:

  • No inappropriate or unsafe items
  • No hazardous or toxic substances or items
  • El Cerrito provides no guarantee for any exchanged item

The April 22 ribbon-cutting and open house for the Recycling Center will be from 4-6 p.m. and will include light refreshments, music and site tours.

For email alerts of future updates on the Recycling Center, click the "Keep me posted" button below. For past articles on the center, click the "El Cerrito Recycling Center" link next to "Related Topics" below.


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