By Staff Report Thursday, November 19th, 2015

Gold Coast Recycling General Manager George Harrison and Harrison Industries General Manager Lynn Harrison with state Sen. Hanna-Beth Jackson at a 25th anniversary celebration in Ventura.

When California passed AB 939 in 1989, the mandatory waste diversion goals looked lofty and unreachable.

But Harrison Industries of Ventura stepped up with a unique plan to provide all of its customers in Ventura and Santa Barbara counties with waste bins that allowed them to separate trash and recyclables.

Twenty-five years later, Gold Coast Recycling operates a 75,000 square foot facility that processed more than 90,000 tons of recyclables last year.

“We are achieving 70 percent diversion for our clients,” said Gold Coast General Manager George Harrison at a 25^th anniversary celebration on Nov. 19.

Soon Gold Coast will be adding a mix of green and food waste bins in order to move closer to its goal of 100 percent diversion from landfills.

Founded in 1932, Harrison Industries is one of the oldest family-owned businesses in the Tri-Counties and one of the largest privately-owned trash collection companies in the U.S.

The company has 90,000 customers in the region and has a major stake in Agromin, a composting and soil processing enterprise. More than 30 Harrison family members work at the company and its affiliates.

• Contact Editor Henry Dubroff at [email protected].