COMPANY PROVES IT PAYS TO RECYCLE.

Byline: Krystn Shrieve Staff Writer

CAMARILLO - Recycling efforts have paid off for one Camarillo business, which, after years of recycling silicon for the computer industry, recently received money from the state to expand its programs.

Silicon Recycling Services collects silicon waste from the computer industry and sorts, cleans and processes it so it can be used in the making of solar panels.

The company recently received a $1.6 million loan from the California Integrated Waste Management Board to help it bring 28 new jobs to the area and nearly triple the amount of material it recycles from 600 tons per year to 1,500 tons annually.

``Recycling the silicon is much cheaper than buying it new,'' said company President Rob Bushman, who explained that when he first opened the business there was a shortage of silicon. ``It can't be used for the same applications when it's recycled, but it's still cheaper than buying it new even for those secondary applications.''

Bushman estimates that in the past 20 years he's diverted hundreds of thousands of tons of waste from the landfill. His passion to recycle began while he was working in his father's scrap metal business.

In the early 1990s, he started a recycling consultant service and helped companies such as Sanyo, Fisher, 3M and Siemens Solar cut back on waste.

``Some of my business customers asked me if I could do anything with contaminated silicon and quartz that they were throwing away and I started experimenting at my recycling center,'' Bushman said. ``I developed a process to turn what was formerly waste into an item needed by the solar industry.''

Silicon Recycling Services, which opened in 1996, receives silicon in the form of silver rocks with white quartz attached to it. The company mechanically removes the bulk of the quartz by chipping away at it. Then the silicon is sent through a blasting process to remove further traces of the quartz.

The money from the state - which must be paid back at 5.3 percent interest over 15 years - will be used to purchase an etching system, which basically gives the silicon an acid bath to further clean it from surface impurities. Bushman hopes to have the new etching system up and running by the end of September.

Bushman, an Oak Park resident, said his recycling efforts have spilled over into his home life as he recycles paper, glass, plastic and aluminum cans.

``When I grew up, throwing stuff away was the norm,'' Bushman said. ``Hopefully now recycling will become the norm. We're running out of landfill space so recycling is important. It's good for the environment and if we continue to recycle we'll have a lot more natural resources left over in the long run.''

Silicon Recycling Services is located at 322 N. Aviador St. in Camarillo. Call [phone].

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(1 -- 3) From top right, three of the stages employed by Silicon Recycling Services.