End of the year clean up in Isla Vista captures tons of waste

ISLA VISTA, Calif. – The end of the year in Isla Vista comes with a tedious process to clean up all the leftovers on the streets during the move-out period for students at UC Santa Barbara.

Recently when the students left, a major effort began to throw as much out as possible in a few days and resell items that had value.

That has included the use of the Earthcomb company through the Isla Vista Community Services District.

Earthcomb hires homeless or former homeless residents for their crews.

Five have been very diligent in their efforts to pick up and haul out the thousands of items left on the side of the dumpsters or sidewalks.

Picking up all the items as fast as possible improves the health and safety in the area. In the past large piles because unsanitary and attracted rats.

Earthcomb founder Andrew Velikanje says his crew cleaned up what was on the sidewalks, streets and left near trash dumpsters.

He also says since their work began, some of the crews had to come back and pick up construction materials that were left behind from those fixing up apartments in the area. The bulk of the leftover trash and unwanted items came from Del Playa Drive, Sabado Tarde, Trigo and Pasado.

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