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Vol. 19, No. 49
YOUR HOMETOWN WEEKLY NEWSPAPER
Tree-selling season off to a Grinchy start for local Scouts by Tony Kukulich Staff Writer
The holiday season got off to a less-than-jolly start for local Scouts when trees purchased for their annual Christmas tree lot failed to materialize, but some hard work and a little luck got the Scouts back in business, albeit a little worse for the wear. “We did manage to get trees,” said Jennifer Mesker, committee chairperson for Troop 152 in Oakley. “However, we were unable to get them until the day after Thanksgiving, and weren’t able to open until the Sunday after Thanksgiving. And, we got less trees.” Mesker explained that the troop entered into a contract for the purchase of 518 trees, to be sold
from their lot adjacent to St. Anthony Catholic Church in Oakley, by Scouts from Troops 21, 22 and 152. They paid a deposit of $5,123, and the trees were to be picked up by a trucking service from three different farms on Nov. 25, to be delivered to the Scouts on Nov. 27. When the driver showed up at the first of the three farms, there were no trees to be had. At that point, Mesker got busy. “I was on the phone for hours trying to see if we could make something work,” said Mesker. “I ended up getting in contact with actual growers themselves — the farms that we were supposed to get our trees from.” Through those calls, Mesker see Scouts page 22
Staff Writer
Local consumers who want to be refunded the California Redemption Value (CRV) paid for plastic, aluminum and glass recyclables have had to look elsewhere since mega-recycler RePlanet closed in August. RePlanet, which had local operations in Brentwood and Antioch, was one of the largest recycling centers in California. It closed all 284 of its locations in the state after the business determined its operation was no longer profitable. These closures have left those in East County — and elsewhere — wondering where to redeem their recyclables. Few standalone redemption centers remain. According to the California Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery (CalRecycle), 40% of state-certified recycling centers
Fire Aides To The Rescue Photo by Tony Kukulich
Scouts from Troops 152 and 21 unloaded hundreds of trees in a cold rain for their annual Christmas tree lot adjacent to St. Anthony Church in Oakley, Saturday, Nov. 30. The Scouts were left scrambling to secure trees after their provider trees failed to fulfill the contract.
“ One challenge faced by grocery stores is that we
are a food retailer and required to take recycling material back in the store, which our stores are not built for the takeback, both for space and logistics.
”
Chelsea Minor, Raley’s corporate director, consumer and public affairs have closed in the last five years. The California Beverage Container Recycling and Litter Reduction Act dictates that retailers selling beverages under the CRV program have two options: Return the value of empty containers if the “convenience zone” in which they are located is not served by a standalone redemption center, or pay a $100 per day fee to the state. According to CalRecycle, a convenience zone is typically a half-mile radius circle (in urban
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and suburban areas) with the center point originating at a supermarket with gross annual sales of $2 million or more, and is considered a full-line store, selling dry groceries, canned goods, or nonfood items and perishable items. Gov. Gavin Newsom signed Assembly Bill 54 (AB 54) on Oct. 12, which provides $5 million in subsidies to retailers affected by closures to help their business in the interim, but he said this is only a temporary fix for both consum-
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Brentwood City Council conducting noise study on proposed car wash/gas station. Page 5
Recycling regs present challenges by Deanna Gordon
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ers and businesses. Newsom wrote in a statement about the legislation that the bill is “an important but stopgap measure to address the recent closure of recycling centers throughout the state.” “The California Beverage Container Recycling Program has long faced structural challenges and is in need of reform,” Newsom wrote. “I look forward to working with the Legislature in the coming year on a comprehensive solution for this program as part of the ongoing discussion about the future of how we manufacture, reduce, reuse, recycle and compost materials in California.” Due to expense, most retailers in East County are opting to redeem recyclables in store rather than pay the daily fee. Raley’s — in Brentwood at 2400 Sand Creek Road, and in see Recycling page 22
Letters To Santa www.thepress.net/news/webextras
A special mailbox has been set up at the Antioch Community Center for letters to Santa.
East Contra Costa Fire Protection District hires fire aides to help support staff. Page 4
One For The Record Books
Cornerstone Christian School wins first NCS football title. Page 14 Calendar................................23 Classifieds.............................19 Food..........................................8 Entertainment.......................9 Holiday Happenings ...........8 Legals ...................................20 Adopt A Pet............................5 Sports.....................................14
The Red Kettle
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BART is teaming up with The Salvation Army during its Red Kettle Campaign.