Tour The Santa Cruz Recycling Center With Mav’riks And Friends Online

Press release from the City of Santa Cruz:

August 17, 2020

SANTA CRUZ, Calif. — Although COVID-19 has temporarily halted in-person visits to the City of Santa Cruz Recycling Center, residents can now experience an entertaining and close-up tour online. Led by Santa Cruz Warriors mascot Mav’Riks, four animated characters and Waste Reduction Manager Leslie O’Malley, the 6-minute video reveals the ins and outs of the multifaceted recycling process at www.cityofsantacruz.com/recycleright.

The video follows Box, Can, Bottle and Jug from a blue recycle bin as they travel up the coast to the Dimeo Lane facility with an entire truckload of recyclables. As all are sorted and processed for recycling there, eddy currents send aluminum cans flying through the air, an intricate V-screen contraption separates 2-D and 3-D items, and a giant magnet dramatically pulls out the metal-heads. Mav’Riks rescues a hose from the recycling pile where it is destined to become tangled in the center’s equipment with potential harm to processing and workers.

The animated Box character is eventually baled and sent off for recycling, “Gosh, I wonder what I’m going to get turned into next. I hope it’s something cool, like maybe one of those cardboard cat scratchers or VR goggles or maybe a shoe box.”

A 60-second version of the video stands alone with focus on recycling contamination — the biggest industry problem nationwide. “People need to remember that things with food left on them, need to go in the trash,” says Bottle.

Both the short and long videos can be viewed in English and Spanish at www.cityofsantacruz.com/recycleright. This link contains additional waste reduction information including a What Goes Where Guide to help residents properly sort their recyclables and unwanted items.

This press release was produced by the City of Santa Cruz. The views expressed here are the author’s own.