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Supervisors refer review of neighborhood CRV recycling centers after complaints about safety and sanitation
Summary
Supervisor Flores successfully moved to refer a countywide review of CRV (California Refund Value) recycling centers to planning, natural resources, public works, code compliance and waste management, asking staff for a report within 60 days after citing public-health and safety concerns and an estimated 53 county sites listed with CalRecycle.
The Kern County Board of Supervisors on Feb. 25 voted unanimously to refer a countywide review of neighborhood CRV recycling centers to Planning and Natural Resources, Public Works, Code Compliance and Waste Management and asked for a report back in 60 days.
Supervisor Flores said some CRV centers that began with "noble intent" have become public-health hazards at certain locations, citing homeless encampments, debris and litter and one site adjacent to a fast-food restaurant that burned. "Existing CRV centers need to be kept clean, organized and not a center for encampments," Flores said. He said preliminary county-planning information identified as many as 53 countywide CRV centers on the CalRecycle list but that not all had county permits.
Flores asked staff to compare county rules for new CRV centers to municipal rules in Bakersfield and other cities, and to return recommendations for regulatory options if centers are not meeting standards. He framed the referral as linked to economic development, saying clean corridors are necessary to attract businesses and protect public safety.
The board moved, seconded and approved the referral. The motion asks multiple departments to report back on existing operations and options for regulation within 60 days.
Why it matters: CRV centers are widely distributed; where a site creates unsanitary or unsafe conditions it can affect neighborhood quality, business attraction and public health. The referral directs county departments to gather compliance information and propose regulatory or enforcement options for the board to consider.
