San Diego has a financial interest in keeping garbage out of the city's dump, and that's a major reason why the city honored 28 businesses and organization for their recycling efforts.
The winners are a "who's who" of big San Diego businesses. Qualcomm, The Navy and the Airport lead the list of recycling honorees.
The San Diego Zoo, Seaworld and Sharp Healthcare were also recognized for innovative and successful recycling efforts. The city's environmental services department has a complete list of winners on its website.
City Council President Todd Gloria said that while recycling is good for the environment, it also helps save many companies money.
"So while there's all the right reasons to support the environment, there's also some really good business reasons," Gloria said.
Steven Grealy, deputy director of the city's environmental services department, said San Diego is encouraging recycling as a way to extend the life of the Miramar Landfill.
"The current closure date is estimated at 2022. However, we anticipate trying to extend that out to 2036 through our diversion efforts and also through potential height increases at the landfill," Grealy said.
The landfill was originally supposed to close last year but two major recycling ordinances and a height increase extended its life for another 10 years, Grealy said. City officials said owning a landfill is much cheaper than hauling to a commercial dump.
