There´s nothing more unsightly than finding an illegal dump in an abandoned urban lot or on a side street next to your local elementary school. Even worse is to find potentially toxic waste being dumped into rivers, streams, and other important waterways. Despite the fact that the state of California is publicized as one of the “greenest” states in the nation, there are several severe waste management problems that affect the people of our state.

Consider the following issues related to waste management crises affecting several regions across the state of California:

• Lack of Viable Landfill Space: According to the organization CalRecycle, “21 of the state’s 58 counties, having 41 percent of the population, will exhaust their (landfill) disposal capacity within 15 years. Of these, 17 have 8 years or less capacity. It takes 7 to 10 years to plan, design, and permit a new landfill.” Almost half of the people living in California, may not have an adequate landfill where they can send their trash items.
• Illegal Dumping by Major Companies: Another serious issue related to waste management in the state of California is illegal dumps. Though most cities and municipalities across the state deal with smaller-scale illegal dumps on a regular basis, there have also been several instances of large corporations illegally dumping potentially toxic waste material. For example, one of the major national retail companies has been caught illegally dumping hazardous materials into California landfills. One recent probe found that the company Target had illegally disposed of electronics, batteries, aerosol cans, and compact fluorescent light bulbs into landfills. They also disposed of medical waste, such as syringes and prescribed pharmaceuticals, in the same way. Similarly, major oil companies like Total and Shell dumped thousands of tons of waste into illegal dumping sites while Crystal Geyser bottled water was caught dumping arsenic-tainted wastewater without proper permission.
• Inability to Recycle Plastics: Lastly, with China and other Asian countries essentially banning exports of plastic recyclable items, many towns, cities, and municipalities across the state of California have essentially been unable to find a way to recycle the plastic items that people put into the recycle bins. In fact, at least 85 percent of single-use plastic items never get recycled, even if you dutifully separate your trash on pick-up day. Recently, California´s governor signed into law SB 343, a law that effectively limits what kinds of plastic can carry the recycling symbol in California.

Why Junk Removal and Waste Management Problems Arise

Given the problems outlined above, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that we still have a long way to go before California can meet its stated goal of becoming the first Zero Waste state. According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), “Zero Waste is a goal that is ethical, economical, efficient and visionary, to guide people in changing their lifestyles and practices to emulate sustainable natural cycles, where all discarded materials are designed to become resources for others to use.” In terms of municipal waste management policies, a Zero Waste city would be one wherein the collective population effectively sends nothing to a landfill. Instead of filling landfills or burning our waste in incinerators, policies and incentives would help people and businesses reduce their needs, reuse as much as is possible can, send little to be recycled, and effectively reduce to zero the amount of junk that ends up in landfills.

Unfortunately, we are still a far away from achieving this goal, due in part to some of the following problems:

• Lack of Public Awareness: Many people simply don’t realize that improper waste management is a major source of environmental degradation as well as presenting serious public health crises. Most people and businesses have grown accustomed to simply having their trash taken away on a weekly basis. Because of the relative anonymity of the final resting place of our junk, many people simply don’t understand that our landfills are filling up, that landfill gas is a major contributor to global warming, and that electronic waste (e-waste) is polluting much of our sources of water with potentially toxic chemicals.
• Refusal to Learn about Compliance: Even though most cities and municipalities have norms, regulations, and laws governing compliance with recycling and proper waste management disposal, many individuals and businesses simply don’t comply with these regulations. For example, the city of Rancho Cucamonga offers several waste diversion programs, including the Construction and Demolition Diversion Program, commercial recycling, commercial organics, and food waste, residential recycling and green waste, management of the solid waste franchise agreement, the City’s Household Hazardous Waste Collection Facility, sharps collection program, used oil and filter recycling program, beverage container recycling program, and the stormwater pollution prevention programs. Unfortunately, many people simply don’t know of these programs or do not know how to properly comply with the regulations and programs in place.
• Insufficient Investment in Waste Management: In some areas across the state of California, insufficient public investment is making it impossible for residents, homeowners, and business owners to do their part to work towards a Zero Waste Model. Fortunately, private junk removal companies like Junk King offer affordable, efficient, and environmentally-friendly junk removal services to hundreds of communities across the State. In the City of Rancho Cucamonga, Junk King of Inland Empire is the top-rated junk removal company that offers both residential and commercial junk removal services.

How Junk King of Inland Empire Can Help with a Transition to a Circular Waste Management Model

After several years of operation, Junk King of Inland Empire has developed close relationships with dozens of recycling centers, thrift stores, non-profit organizations, and other interested parties to make sure that all your used junk is given every opportunity to be donated or recycled, instead of simply sent to the nearest landfill. In fact, we are able to recycle, donate, or repurpose around 60 percent of the junk that we pick up, and we are always looking for strategies to improve that number. We are able to help our residential and commercial clients get rid of regular trash, construction debris, household junk, yard waste, small and medium-sized appliances, e-waste, furniture, and virtually anything that is not classified as toxic waste in an environmentally friendly manner. Whether you are doing an estate foreclosure or are simply trying to deal with the absurd amount of waste that accumulates over the holidays, hiring Junk King Inland Empire can help you deal with that junk without further contributing to the serious waste management problems affecting the State of California.

Also, when you hire Junk King of Inland Empire, you can also rest assured that you will know exactly how much our junk removal service costs. We believe in full transparency and are one of the few junk removal companies that offer free, on-site estimates.  You can also call us for a free quotation or send us a text with photos of the items you need removed. We´ll send you a free quote so that you can determine if our services are within your budget.

Besides offering the most competitive furniture removal prices on the market, we are also proud to say that our customer service is second to none. We have a 5-star rating on Yelp and we can also guarantee to beat any written estimate.

Whether you are completely renovating your business or simply have some yard waste you need to get rid of, Junk King of Inland Empire offers the most reliable, efficient, affordable, and environmentally-friendly junk removal service for residents and business owners in the City of Rancho Cucamonga and other areas across San Bernardino County. We are the pioneers of recycling-based junk removal and can help you reduce your environmental footprint by ensuring that your junk gets every opportunity to be recycled, upcycled, or donated. Give us a call at 1-888-888-JUNK, or book online today!