Press Release


Waste Management and City of Simi Valley Join Forces to Clean Up Arroyo


Simi Valley, April 17, 2007 – Waste Management announced today that the City of Simi Valley is one of the recipients of the company’s national 2007 Keep America Beautiful Network grants. Representatives from Waste Management presented a check for $5,000 to the Simi Valley City Council yesterday.

Waste Management is a nationwide sponsor of Keep America Beautiful (KAB) and is working to provide these grants through KAB to help tackle key community improvement issues across America. The Simi Valley grant money will be used for community beautification efforts in the City, including the Neighborhood Council’s fifth annual clean up of the Arroyo on April 28 from 9 am until noon at the Arroyo on Madera Road, south of Easy Street.

“We are grateful to Waste Management for their generosity and support of the Arroyo clean-up,” said Kevin Murphy, Arroyo Cleanup Committee Co-Chair. “The clean-up day is Neighborhood Council’s annual community project and Waste Management’s assistance is very much appreciated.”

At last year’s clean-up day, 275 volunteers helped collect 11 tons of trash. Some of the unusual items collected over the years have included a hospital bed, motorcycle and shopping carts.

“We live and work in the area, and keeping it clean and safe is important to all of us at G.I. Rubbish and at the Simi Valley Landfill and Recycling Center,” said WM Market Area General Manager Mike Smith. “Many people don’t realize that when they dump trash onto the street, it often drains down to the Arroyo and then eventually to the ocean. Our contribution is meant to prevent that from happening.”

WM has been involved with the annual cleanup since it began in 2002 and has always provided free collection and disposal services. The company’s involvement this year will be similar to last year when WM employees and their families volunteered to help with the clean up. WM also donated food for lunch that was cooked and served by its volunteers to all participants.

“It was a rewarding experience for our employees and their family members last year and we’re looking forward to being a part of the clean-up effort again this year,” added Smith.

For more information about the clean-up, including how to volunteer, please call Laura Magness, Neighborhood Council Coordinator, at 805-583-6756.

Waste Management, based in Houston, Texas, is the leading provider of comprehensive waste management services in North America. Our subsidiaries provide collection, transfer, recycling and resource recovery, and disposal services. We are also a leading developer, operator and owner of waste-to-energy and landfill gas-to-energy facilities in the United States. Our customers include residential, commercial, industrial, and municipal customers throughout North America. For more information about recycling, log onto www.KeepingVenturaCountyClean.com.

# # #