CVSan: CVSan Holds Zero Waste Week for the Community

To help residents learn more about how to select their path to zero waste, Castro Valley Sanitary District (CVSan) presented its Seventh Annual Zero Waste Week during the first full week of February. Participants joined community events that were held each day, Monday through Saturday.

CVSan coordinated an Independent Tree Fruit Gleaning event to kick off Zero Waste Week, which was a huge success! Approximately 90 members of the community gleaned about 2,500 pounds of oranges, grapefruit, and lemons on their own throughout the week. CVSan connected volunteers to local trees to glean fruit from and donated fruit pickers to help volunteers reach fruit higher up on the trees. In addition, CVSan volunteer and Director of ForestR.org Gleaning, Grazyna Fedorowicz, organized over 20 volunteers and saved over 1,500 pounds. The fruit harvested was donated to Castro Valley Resurrection Greek Orthodox Church, Dig Deep Farms, Eden United Church of Christ, Faith Lutheran Church, First Presbyterian Church, Redwood Chapel, San Lorenzo Family Help Center, South Hayward Parish and other local food assistance agencies.

CVSan also coordinated a Science, Technology, Education, Art, and Math (STEAM) Kit project with supplies that would have otherwise been thrown away. Students from 20 classrooms in Castro Valley received instructions and prompts to help with projects and kits of supplies such as plastic straws and utensils, polystyrene, metallic wrapping paper, and other things that are thrown in the garbage. Students did an amazing job to highlight better uses for these materials and CVSan has selected projects from 15 classrooms that submitted pictures for a public display. There will be 20 projects on display at the Castro Valley Library during the month of March.

On Friday, February 11th and Saturday, February 12th, CVSan provided 250 stainless steel boba straws to participants during the One Less Plastic Straw event at Te’Amo Boba Tea x Mochi Donut. CVSan partnered with Te’Amo Boba Tea x Mochi Donut to also provide a $1.00 drink discount each day of Zero Waste Week to customers when they presented a reusable straw and refused a disposable straw. Customers received over $125.00 in discounts by choosing to use a reusable straw. Way to go Castro Valley!

For more information, please visit cvsan.org/ZeroWasteWeek.