Trash Hauler MarBorg Industries Making Inroads In Recycling
On behalf of the community, the company opens a free hazardous waste disposal facility in Goleta.
Standing in front of $75,000 worth of equipment, MarBorg Industries head Mario Borgatello, along with local officials, presented his newest contribution to community trash collection — a comprehensive and free drop-off site for hazardous materials in the city of Goleta.
“It is our sincere goal that this one-stop shop will motivate residents to step up their recycling efforts and keep hazardous materials out of the landfill ... and more importantly out of the storm drains,” Borgatello said.
“I really want to commend MarBorg because they really have been in the forefront, they really have been taking the business risks,” Goleta Mayor Michael Bennett said.
Unlike typical hazardous material disposal facilities, MarBorg is not charging to dispose of things such as electronic waste, choosing instead to pay the hauling fees itself.
“None of this (hazardous) material is worth anything,” Borgatello told Noozhawk. “We’re going to pay for the disposal ourselves.”
The additional labor required to operate the ABOP facility is probably the biggest cost to the local trash hauler. The hazardous material disposal service is strictly a drop-off service. Users are encouraged to keep separating recyclables, trash, and hazardous materials.
For Borgatello, however, it is a combination of community benefit and business savvy that led him to decide to pursue this costly but ultimately beneficial endeavor.
“To stay in the solid waste business today, you have to offer a complete variety of services so that the consumer can get rid off all of these waste products because of all of the legislation that has changed things.” Five years ago, he said, one could throw a battery away with the regular trash, but these days, stricter regulations have made it more difficult.
There are items, however, that can’t be thrown in with hazardous materials, such as oil-based paints. People with questions are encouraged to contact MarBorg for more information. The MarBorg Web site will be updated soon.
“Trash conversion is a good long-term solution,” said council member Roger Aceves, who has been dealing with waste matters in the city of Goleta for nearly his entire term. “But we have stormwater management issues, and we need to deal with things now.”
Despite the cost to his company, the reward for Borgatello, who’s also working on replacing the trash trucks with natural-gas versions and sending a truck to a city in Mexico in need of one, is that he’s doing good and cementing his place in the community in the face of the trend of big corporations wiping out local family-run businesses.
“It’s kind of like the Costcos of this world,” he said. “Today the neighborhood grocery stores are gone, the neighborhood liquor store is gone. Well, we’re like the neighborhood trash people. We want to be here for a long time.”
Noozhawk staff writer Sonia Fernandez can be reached at .
» wrote on 09/13/08 @ 07:33 AM
Thank you Mr. Borgatello! How very refreshing that you care more about doing the right thing, the green thing, for your community over and above personal gain and profit. Another reason I am proud to be a member of our community.
» wrote on 08/21/08 @ 05:39 PM
MarBorg really does do a great job with trash & recycle pickup. Nice to see this new facility too. Just some basic questions: Where is it located? Can we start adding batteries & other items to our recycle bins or must we takes the itmes to this new facility? The article is incomplete with the specifics.
[Editor’s note: Oops. The ABCs are posted now. Our apologies.]
» wrote on 08/21/08 @ 12:59 PM
Right on, MarBorg! Now we’re talking. Everyone who reads this article should tell 5 people about the new facilities and ask each to tell 5 more. We need to spread the word about the opportunities to recycle hazardous waste and e-waste to comply with state law. Knowledge is everything!
» wrote on 08/21/08 @ 12:36 PM
What a refreshing perspective from a long-time family-run business in Marborg Industries! To quote Spike Lee “Do the Right Thing!” and Marborg has gone even beyond that. I think Marborg’s efforts in the recycle business should be an example for every citizen to do what they can to be good stewards of our environment. Thanks Marborg! Randy Rosness
» wrote on 08/21/08 @ 10:38 AM
Thank you MarBorg!
» wrote on 08/21/08 @ 09:51 AM
Mario and his family are treasures without comparison in California. Santa Barbara is just plain lucky to have them because without Mario’s vision and commitment to the trade his father established, the region’s recycling rates would be nowhere close to where they are. Way to go, Tot!