By Riverside County Department of Waste Resources
Contributed

Are you interested in helping the environment? Do you like to compost or recycle? You can become an outreach volunteer with the Riverside County Department of Waste Resources and help the earth by helping others become better recyclers and composters.
Outreach volunteers assist with classes or events by interacting with the public, answering questions on outreach programs, and distributing materials. The ideal volunteer enjoys meeting people, likes to learn new things and is passionate about the environment. The total volunteer commitment is attendance at the four-hour orientation and training meeting and four hours of volunteer time donated each quarter while participating in the program. Opportunities to volunteer at classes and events exist across the entire county. Plus, the volunteers select the events, dates, and times that work best for them.
Outreach volunteers can also choose to attend extra training and volunteer more hours to become certified as a master composter. Once a volunteer reaches master composter status, the volunteer is allowed to teach classes on their own or work with schools and community gardens as a composting mentor. Outreach volunteers are integral to the success of county recycling and composting programs and are recognized by the county annually for their dedication and hours worked.
Orientation and training is scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 5, from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. at the Thousand Palms Public Library, 31189 Robert Rd. in Thousand Palms.
For more information, potential outreach volunteers can visit http://www.rcwaste.org/volunteer or call 951-486-3200.