The Great Compost Giveaway

SAVE THE DATE
Saturday, March 31, 2012
8:00 a.m. - Noon

San Francisco, recently named the Greenest City in North America, has now composted over 1 million tons of food scraps, plant trimmings and other compostable material through Recology's curbside green bin program. Together, we have diverted this material away from landfills and turned it into over 600,000 cubic yards of nutrient-rich compost that local farms and vineyards use to grow healthy and sustainable food.

As a thank you for helping us compost over 1 million tons, join us to collect your 5 gallons of free gourmet planting mix.

Locations:

ALEMANY FARM
700 Alemany Blvd. off 280 South

FERRY PLAZA FARMERS MARKET
Ferry Building at the Embarcadero

MCLAREN PARK
Jerry Garcia Amphitheater, John F. Shelley Dr. at Mansell St.

OCEAN BEACH PARKING LOT
850 Great Highway between Lincoln Way and Fulton St

Friday, January 20 & Saturday, January 21, 2012 San Francisco Dump Artist in Residence Exhibitions Work by Terry Berlier, Donna Anderson Kam and Ethan Estess Location: 503 Tunnel Ave. San Francisco, CA 94134 Environmental Learning Center Gallery at 401 Tunnel Ave. Date/Time: Friday, January 20, 2012, 5pm to 9pm Saturday, January 21, 2012, 1pm to 5pm Admission is free and open to the public, all ages welcome, wheelchair accessible. http://www.recologysf.com/AIR San Francisco, CA. The Artist in Residence Program at Recology San Francisco will host an exhibition and reception for current artists-in-residence Terry Berlier, Donna Anderson Kam, and Ethan Estess on Friday, January 20, from 5-9pm and Saturday, January 21, from 1-5pm. This exhibition will be the culmination of four months of work by the artists who have scavenged materials from the dump to make art and promote recycling and reuse. Terry Berlier: Even the Windmills are Weakening In today’s world where hi-tech gadgets are revered an afternoon at the dump quickly puts things in perspective, making visible technology’s vulnerabilities and illustrating how easily modern inventions can become footnotes to a bygone era. While we often consider technology to be impersonal or unemotional, when faced with a pile of old typewriters or a trove of homemade electronics it’s hard not to be struck with some gut level feelings, and it seems inevitable to think about these objects’ place within our modern history. Working with the idea of the dump as both a ruin and a monument, Terry Berlier has created sculptural works that metaphorically excavate and honor these inventions and our intertwined relationships to them. It is not unusual that Berlier is interested in how history and time mediate our understanding of ingenuity. Berlier’s own ingenuity is a main component of her work, and she frequently employs mechanical or scientific methods in sculptures that are often kinetic or physically engage the viewer. Past works have addressed nuclear storage facilities, time as recorded in tree rings or core samples, as well as issues of queer identity, interpersonal relations, and how we negotiate being human in a technological age. Berlier asks, “...as innovations alter how we perceive and interact with the world, are we coming closer to or farther from understanding each other and the world around us?” Also of interest to Berlier is sound and the instruments and machines involved in its production. An underlying current of humor can also be found in her work, along with an appreciation for failed inventions and acamaraderie with those that have made them. Berlier is Assistant Professor of Sculpture at Stanford University. Donna Anderson Kam: Beginning at the End Looking at Donna Anderson Kam’s large-scale drawings in pastel one might not realize the source of her imagery or the process behind her work. Anderson Kam uses contemporary newspaper stories as a starting point to explore pressing social issues, especially the paradox of prosperity and sustainability. She begins by photographing young actors as they perform the stories, then uses the resulting photographs to create collaged studies that she eventually reinterprets in pastels. The final drawings are finely rendered scenes in soft tones that can be as large as four by six feet and which are left intentionally ambiguous. Negative space is as significant as the drawings themselves as it serves to isolate and accentuate, and the soft pastel tones speak to hazy memories of past events. The youth of the figures alludes to everything from fragility and peril to mischievousness and rebellion, and intimates that the issues that play out in these scenarios will continue to face future generations. She explains, “…our consumption based economy, our media influenced identity, and the unrealistic expectations of personal prosperity inspired by a constant barrage of messages from the media to consume/renew/refresh, have created a mountain of discarded commercial goods, cultural amnesia, and the many spiritually impoverished ‘consumers’ that exist today.” During her residency, Anderson Kam has used the Recology San Francisco facility as a backdrop for her actors and recognizable areas—the sculpture garden, hillside, and Public Disposal Building are all visible in her final pieces. She has also incorporated new materials into her practice including computer paper and advertising signage, and as pastels have been harder to come by, she is working with a variety of chalks and crayons. Expanding on the narrative nature of her work, she plans to present drawings in free-standing circular formats, enabling the viewer to walk around a piece, entering and exiting at any place to create their own beginning and end. Ethan Estess: Stories from the Changing Tide Student artist Ethan Estess uses sculpture to address environmental issues, particularly the perilous state of our oceans. As a graduate student at Stanford University, Estess is pursuing an interdisciplinary environmental science degree where he studies science communication, mechanical engineering, and studio art, with a focus on the marine environment. “If there is one thing that I have discovered by studying the ocean, it is that it is greatly imperiled - it is treated both as humanity's waste bin and its fast food joint. As a result, most of my works tell narratives about environmental science issues, from marine plastic pollution to shark conservation. My focus is on appealing to the basic emotions of the viewer such that they can understand the scientific concepts at play and internalize the gravity of humanity's impact on the global ecosystem.” While at Recology Estess has been drawn to the copious amount of plastics found in the Public Disposal and Recycling Area, and in particular, items that have never been used, such as cases of coffee cup lids. The works he has created from his finds should hopefully give viewers pause and prompt thinking about the daily decisions we make and their effect on the environment. Estess’s work will be on view at the Recology Environmental Learning Center at 401 Tunnel Avenue. The Artist in Residence Program at Recology San Francisco is a one-of-a-kind program established in 1990 to encourage the conservation of natural resources and instill a greater appreciation for the environment and art in children and adults. Artists work for four months in studio space on site, use materials recovered from the Public Disposal and Recycling Area, and speak to students and the general public. Over ninety professional Bay Area artists have completed residencies. Applications are accepted annually in August. Directions to 503 Tunnel Ave. Directions from downtown San Francisco & East Bay Go south on Highway 101 and exit at “Candlestick Park/Tunnel Ave.” After the stop sign, continue straight on Beatty Rd. Turn right on Tunnel Ave. Direction from The Peninsula Go north on Highway 101 and exit at the first “Candlestick Park” off-ramp. Stay in the left lane and take the first left toward the stop sign. Turn left onto Alanna Way and go under the freeway. At the next stop sign, turn right on Beatty Rd. Turn right on Tunnel Ave. Public Transit The “T” Third St. streetcar and bus lines 8x, 9, 9L, and 56 stop at Bayshore Blvd. and Arleta Ave. (three blocks away). The Caltrain “Bayshore Station” stop is directly across the street from our facility.

Visitacion Valley Planning Alliance Meeting

Saturday, October 8, 10 am -12 noon
Visitacion Valley Branch Library
Community Meeting Room
Corner of Leland & Rutland Avenues

NEW PROPOSED DESIGN FOR RECOLOGY

Brad Drda will discuss the proposed designs for Recology, which are on the cutting edge of “green” design by renowned architect, William McDonough. Recology, the waste transfer station and recycling center, is the largest employer and business in the Valley. Come see the exciting, innovative designs that will put Recology in the forefront of the recycling industry and help change the face of our neighborhood.

UPDATE ON OTHER ISSUES OF IMPORTANCE IN THE VALLEY

Refreshments will be served

EVENT: Art at the Dump Exhibit

Lauren DiCioccio

Abel Rodriguez

Kaiya Rainbolt

The next Recology art exhibition will take place Friday September 23, 2011, 5-9 p.m. and Saturday September 24, 2011, 1-5 p.m. This show features artwork made by Lauren DiCioccio, Abel Rodriguez and Kaiya Rainbolt during their residencies at Recology. The exhibition will be held at the studio located at 503 Tunnel Avenue in San Francisco. 

Recology and the Ballot Box

You may have seen Recology TV ads lately, with the tag line: "Why mess with success?"  Recology has a long history, through multiple names, of being the sole no-bid trash hauler in San Francisco since 1932.  There are a couple of interesting articles at the New York Times and in the Chronicle.

From the NY Times,

Recology has “the only such monopoly among 29 jurisdictions in the Bay Area,” said Quentin Kopp, the former judge, state senator and city supervisor. A few days ago, a group led by Mr. Kopp submitted a ballot initiative that would mandate the garbage contract’s being put out for competitive bid. Mr. Kopp said the monopoly had cost San Francisco hundreds of millions of dollars in inflated rates and forgone franchise fees over the years.

This isn't the first time the NY Times has done a piece on Recology.  Last winter, they published this on the company.

Recently on the Potrero Hill Yahoo Group, the discussion of Recology came up when someone asked about a woman standing in front of a grocery store collecting signatures relating to Recology.

As mentioned in the NY Times and Chronicle articles, Quentin Kopp is one of the ballot measure's sponsors. So is Potrero Hill resident and 2010 SF Supervisor candidate Tony Kelly.  Mr. Kelly wrote in to the Yahoo group to respond to a few of the questions about Recology and the no-bid contract that they have:

Dumpster Artists

From Eco-Artware-Notes,

While a growing number of craftsmen are working with other people’s discards, Recology, a California resource recovery company, actually pays artists to turn trash into art.

In 1990 Recology began a unique art and education program. The company selected artists to work full time for four months in a large, well-equipped studio next to its transfer station in San Francisco. The transfer station is located within a 46-acre property that includes several recycling facilities and the public disposal area (aka “the dump”). Most of San Francisco’s garbage  is temporarily stored at this site before moving on to a landfill elsewhere in California.

Read more...

SF Compost Giveaway

From the Bay Citizen

Yesterday’s banana peels and coffee grounds will be offered for free on Saturday in San Francisco at the Great Compost Giveaway. Of course, it all has been transformed into rich, dark soil amendment, the kind that urban gardeners love to pile into their vegetable beds.

The event is being hosted by the city’s garbage haulers, formerly known as NorCal and now called Recology. Recology boasts that since green waste recycling first launched in 1996 as a pilot, the city has turned food and plant waste into 95,000 cubic yards of compost annually.

Here are the locations in San Francisco where, from 8-noon Saturday morning, April 16, you can pick up a load of compost for your garden this summer:

Alemany Farm, 700 Alemany Blvd. off 280 South. Map and Driving Directions

Hayes Valley Farm, Oak St. and Octavia Blvd. parking lot, enter off Oak St. Map and Driving Directions

McLaren Park, Jerry Garcia Amphitheater, upper parking lot, John F. Shelby Dr. at Mansell St. Map and Driving Directions

Ocean Beach Parking Lot at Golden Gate Park, 850 Great Highway between Lincoln Way and Fulton St. Map and Driving Directions

Read more at the Bay Citizen

FYI: You can also pick up free compost Monday thru Saturday, at Bayview Greenwaste, 1300 Carroll Ave

Trash/ID Theives in Potrero Hill

UPDATE: I recieved this from Recology this morning:

"Thank you for contacting Recology Sunset. We do provide locking carts for our customers with a monthly access fee of $11.05 per cart. If you would like to order the locking blue cart, please contact our office at 415-330-1300 8am-4:30pm Monday thru Friday."

There've been a lot of posts recently on the Potrero Hill Yahoo group about people rummaging through trash bins late at night.  This happens all across the nation, so it's something all of us can help to keep an eye out for and help stop from happening.

One resident posted the following useful information... From Steve S., 

Some information about the recycle bin thieves.  At last November's Booster meeting, we had a Bayview-Hunters Point police officer provide a neighborhood safety briefing for the Hill.  During that meeting I had inquired about what could be done to address the people rummaging thru our recycle bins.  Sgt. Dave O'Connor contacted me to get more information about this situation and to help us address the problem.  He indicated that he will be patrolling the neighborhood starting next week specifically looking for these folks.  He will also have the help of an additional car on regular patrol as well, and he will be informing the other officers in the district to be aware of this problem.  Their approach is to first inform/educate these people about the city's recycling laws, make note of who the culprits are, and to use their patrol presence as a deterrent.  If that doesn't work, then they can always start issuing citations to repeat offenders.  But their initial intent is to scare these people away by making their patrol presence known.  They will, however, be on the lookout for the larger recycle trucks that are trying to collect these recyclables and may be more aggressive with them.  In the meantime, if anyone sees this happening, you should call the non-emergency police line to the BayviewHunters Point station (415-553-0123) and report it, and ask them to let Sgt. O'Connor know that this is happening.  

You can also go to the Recology SF website to report recycling thefts.

According to this document, in San Mateo County, residents are allowed to purchase a lock and key from Recology.  Why not here in San Francisco?

Read more about recycling theft in San Mateo County at the SF Examiner