Gold Coast Recycling and Transfer Station is a full-service, 75,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art recycling center based in Ventura, California.
Gold Coast Recycling, working in conjunction with Harrison Industries, runs a three-barrel curbside program for trash, recycling and green waste for residents and a white recycling bin program for businesses, as well as roll-off and construction and demolition programs for businesses and residents.
Gold Coast Recycling processes over 90,000 tons of recyclable materials each year at its 7.8-acre Colt Street facility in Ventura.
Gold Coast Recycling serves Ventura County and its cities of Fillmore, Ojai, Camarillo, Thousand Oaks and Ventura, as well as the city of Carpinteria in Santa Barbara County. All client cities have succeeded in meeting their state recycling mandates.
Gold Coast Recycling is a state leader in the recycling movement. In addition, it has won awards and gained an international reputation for its ability to sell recyclable products even in down markets.
Gold Coast Recycling is a successful privately owned business that has provided hundreds of jobs and stimulated the local economy for 30 years, while also advancing the causes of reducing, reusing and recycling at home and at work, locally and abroad.
OUR MISSION
Diversion is the first priority at Gold Coast, with all disposed materials sorted to assure that as much tonnage as possible is extracted before the materials are compacted and transferred to a landfill. Diversion takes precedence above all else.
OUR HISTORY
Gold Coast Recycling was founded in 1989 with the express purpose of advancing recycling practices and working with client cities to meet state recycling mandates.
A landmark facility, GCR was the first of its kind permitted under California Assembly Bill 939 of 1989, and one of only four permitted in the state that first year. AB 939, also known as the California Integrated Waste Management Act, required each jurisdiction in the state to divert at least half of its waste from landfills, through waste reduction, recycling or other means.
In its three-decade existence, GCR has far exceeded its goal, diverting millions of tons of waste from the landfill.
GCR General Manager George Harrison credits the cooperation of everyone involved for the company’s successful recycling efforts.
“We couldn’t have reached these state goals without the extraordinary commitment of the citizens, businesses and institutions of all of the jurisdictions we serve,” George said, “and for that we thank them.”
GCR has a proven track record – serving the County of Ventura, Camarillo, Fillmore, Ojai, Thousand Oaks and Ventura, the Channel Islands Beach Community Services District and the Point Mugu Naval Base, and Carpinteria in Santa Barbara County.
Over the years, GCR has continued to grow and improve operations.
In 2015, Harrison Industries unveiled an innovative stormwater treatment system at GCR. Taking more than four years to develop, the specialized treatment system represents an industry innovation that combines proven technology with strict stormwater quality runoff regulations.
In 2019, the company added new cutting-edge automated sorting systems, including a fully automated picking line for source-separated material and two balers, to keep up with the high volume.
HONORS
Environmental Excellence: Gold Coast Recycling earned the city of Ventura’s Environmental Excellence Award in 2003. In 2012, the same award went to GCR partner E.J. Harrison & Sons.
Outstanding Recycling: The California Resource Recovery Association honored E.J. Harrison & Sons for having the state’s Outstanding Recycling Program for 2007. As noted in the presentation, the honor was due in large measure to Harrison’s unique partnership with Gold Coast Recycling and Transfer Station and its client cities, making residential and business recycling part of standard customer service.
Praise: In 2015, local government officials presented Gold Coast Recycling and the Harrison family with certificates of congratulations and appreciation for exceeding state goals in recycling. The officials included state senators Hannah-Beth Jackson and Fran Pavley, state Assemblyman Das Williams, U.S. Congresswoman Julia Brownley, Ventura County Supervisor Kathy Long, and Camarillo councilmembers Charlotte Craven and Mike Morgan.
“The Harrisons have been out in front of the recycling movement,” Long said in her award presentation, “and have put our county on the map.”
Former Ventura Mayor Brian Brennan, a longtime environmental advocate, said, “Ventura County is very fortunate to be home to an industry leader … that not only complies with strict environmental regulations but also takes their commitment a step further by heavily investing in the design and implementation of new sustainable environmental protection systems.”
OUTREACH
Teaching green: The leaders of Gold Coast Recycling and E.J. Harrison & Sons sponsor and attend dozens of community events each year, helping to spread the word about responsible waste disposal, recycling and conservation.
Among GCR’s community outreach, it also has worked to ingrain environmental thinking into youths. For example, in recent years, the city of Ventura Environmental Sustainability Division, in partnership with Ventura Water, E.J. Harrison & Sons and Gold Coast Recycling, has offered the Ventura Unified School District recycling and composting programs that make a difference.
OUR SERVICES
Recycle buy-back center: We pay top prices for aluminum, CRV 1 through 7, plastic bottles and glass. Due to a downtrend in the paper markets, we accept but currently do not reimburse for newspaper, cardboard, paper, bulk mail or magazines. Click here for a complete list of what we do and do not accept.
Trash disposal: We offer minimum-fee, easy-in-and-out, self-haul trash disposal, for businesses and residents, including out-of-county loads and hard-to-handle materials. Click here for prices.