Isla Vista Community Services District (IVCSD) is partnering with Earthcomb, an organization that focuses on litter removal around municipal water sources, drain grids, and freeways.
Earthcomb offers employment opportunities for people experiencing homelessness and has helped 22 unsheltered individuals find housing.
Every year, Marborg collects around 1 million pounds of waste from Isla Vista during move-out. One thing Marborg does not focus on is collecting litter that inevitably accumulates on and around the gutters and streets of Isla Vista.
This year, IVCSD’s Isla Vista Beautiful program is joining Earthcomb to tackle this issue and remove litter that accumulates during move-out. From June 8-July 8, four Earthcomb employees will be working 40 hours per week to address this issue in addition to seven Isla Vista Beautiful staff members.
The district has implemented several new strategies this year to get unwanted items out of Isla Vista prior to move out.
The Isla Vista Beautiful team hosted two community-wide yard sales, an opportunity to have unwanted items picked up from residents’ door steps, and several educational campaigns on how preparation can significantly reduce the amount of waste in the long run.
A huge job, requiring increased support, is addressing the litter that accumulates during this time. While Marborg services trash bins and removes bulky unwanted items daily, they are not able to focus on the mass amount of litter that naturally overflows into the streets.
Partnering with Earthcomb allows the district to focus on recycling perfectly usable items while also mitigating the issue of litter as it occurs.
Earthcomb is the brainchild of Andrew Velikanje, who was formally unsheltered. After years of homelessness, Velikanje founded Earthcomb in 2021 from a tent on the beach.
Since then, Earthcomb has removed nearly 100 tons of litter within Santa Barbara County. Andrew has lived happily indoors ever since. For more, visit www.earthcomb.org.
“I am very excited to work with IVCSD,” Velikanje said. “I can say with certainty that they all share a passionate tenacity for improving the living conditions for residents of Isla Vista and students of UCSB at large.
“Furthermore, I have complete confidence that this initiative will be a screamin’ success! I have a deep passion for removing and preventing litter from finding the ocean, and employing people experiencing homelessness to help me in the process.”
Jenna Norton, IVCSD’s Isla Vista Beautiful program manager said, “I am grateful that our team has crossed paths with Earthcomb.
“During the move out in Isla Vista, it is vital that we increase our efforts to prevent litter from not only disrupting the lives of those who call Isla Vista home but from entering our waterways as well.
“We must take time to appreciate and respect those who remove waste from our communities. This is a job that not everyone is willing to take on. I appreciate that Earthcomb is stepping up to help us during one of the most difficult times of the year here in Isla Vista.”