El Cerrito Recycling Pioneer Franciska Diemont, 1953-2012

Franciska Diemont, who played an important role in the the fledging recycling operation that later became the city's Recycling Center, died March 14 at age 58.

Diemont, who lived in Livermore at the time of her death, grew up in El Cerrito and graduated from UC Berkeleu. She was a leader in , the group that around 1970 established the recycling operation at the foot of the former rock on quarry on Schmidt Lane that became the , said El Cerrito Historical Society Vice President Dave Weinstein, who wrote a history of the recycling center.

Ms. Diemont was a member of the city’s Youth Council in 1972 and by 1974 was the recycling center’s on-site manager, Weinstein said.

According to Weinstein, a paper she wrote for a college class described the center in late 1974, early 1975 noting its beautiful location and friendly workers as well as occasional vandalism and messy appearance. ("Many individuals have mistaken it as a kind of dump.”)

In a passage cited in Weinstein's history, she also worried that the good intentions of E.C.ology did not always produce good results: “For instance, a year ago, the aluminum that E.C.ology sold to a particular corporation was recycled to be used as an element in a strip-mining process that is at this moment scarring the Colorado countryside.”

A prepared obituary from her long-time companion Peter Mallon and his sister, Angela Sherwood, says:

Franciska E. Diemont, loved by her family and friends, left us much too soon on March 14, 2012 after a short illness. She was born on October 24, 1953 in Bandung, Indonesia to Robert and Ilse Therese Francine Diemont, both of whom predeceased her. The family later moved to Holland and emigrated to the United States in October, 1959. Franciska grew up in El Cerrito, attended Presentation High School and graduated with a B.A. in Psychology from UC Berkeley. After college, she returned to Holland briefly to work for Aramco. Over the years, she worked in Human Resources for several firms in the San Francisco area and lived in Livermore with Peter Mallon, her companion of 25 years. Frannie was a generous and thoughtful soul who cared deeply about others and made friends wherever she went. She was devoted to those friends and family, always helping out in any way she could. She never met an animal that she didn't love and the feeling was definitely mutual! Franciska was also involved with the local music community in Livermore and cherished her relationships with the artists. Franciska is survived by Peter and her brother Tony, his wife Dana and her two nieces Skyler and Kirin. She will be dearly missed by her close friends, family and all who were fortunate enough to know her. 

This obituary appeared also in the San Francisco Chronicle on March 25, 2012.