Oak Park public schools earn B+ grades following an unannounced recycling audit

An unannounced waste audit yielded recycling rewards for six Oak Park schools recently.

The County of Ventura Solid Waste Management Department dropped by district sites and gave the district a B+ rating, recommending only slight modifications.

"The purpose of these audits is to see how the recycling program is working in the district’s schools and then offer suggestions to fine tune and improve the program," said Pandee Leachman of the Public Works Agency, Solid Waste Management Department of the County of Ventura.

"The biggest problem at the schools was the use of black plastic trash bags," said the report that described Oak Park schools as "wonderful and very clean."

Clear plastic trash bags allow auditors to verify appropriate separation of trash and recyclables.

Recycling efforts are spearheaded by Oak Hills principal Tony Knight, who has chaired the district Environmental Action Committee and piloted recycling policies and practices for several years.

Oak Park High School received an A+ rating in the recent report for no trash, appropriate recycling, and efficient and effective storage of trash.