Joris Eigirdas is the Recycling Assistant for the City of Alhambra, a role in which he oversees the City’s waste services and compliance with state organic waste and recycling mandates. Increasing participation and best practices has been a priority for Joris, and he’s focused his attention on engagement with residences and businesses through comprehensive outreach and marketing.
In 2023, Joris helped launch the “Alhambra Recycles Campaign,” a multi-lingual campaign with the objective of reaching diverse audiences and driving behavior change. The program’s trusty mascot, Compost Charlie the recycling worm, has been vital in spreading the word and increasing diversion rates in the City.
Joris also oversees Alhambra’s Food Recovery Program, an initiative to redirect excess edible food from businesses to food recovery agencies and food insecure individuals. In collaboration with the San Gabriel Valley Council of Governments, he secured $175,000 from the American Beverage Association for a Healthy America towards increasing the region’s food recovery capacity.
Joris holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Economics from UCLA. He’s passionate about sustainability and the intertwined environmental, financial, and community benefits of such practices. He previously worked as a Climate Action Corp Fellow for the City of Los Angeles, where he contributed to their edible food recovery program.