This September, AB&I Foundry teamed up with Argent Materials and Alameda County Supervisor Nate Miley to take on the challenge for “Battle for the Bay” cleanup day. Oakland’s AB&I Foundry and Argent Materials joined the effort with dozens of team members pitching in to help. Volunteers from The Beautification Council, Cypress Mandela Training Center and Men of Valor provided additional on-the-ground-support. These passionate volunteers showed up to clean up in their East Oakland neighborhoods in California.

“This illegal dumping remediation is paramount to the local community. By working as a team with local businesses, residents, and community leadership, we are collectively finding ways to combat the disheartening behavior of illegal dumping while improving the community where people both live and work,” said Michael Lowe, the general manager of AB&I Foundry.

Both AB&I and Argent will support projects planned that include trash removal in the cities and on beaches, tree planting, and habitat restoration. This cleanup effort is part of the largest volunteer day in California and the world. On Sept. 21, thousands of volunteers in the Bay Area and beyond removed litter from waterways and shorelines, as well as upstream areas across California, the nation, and in about 100 participating countries.

"This is part of our commitment to Oakland. We clean over 2 miles of streets around our business every day alongside industry partners like AB&I Foundry. We're glad the mayors are working together to address the challenge of dumping along our shorelines and throughout our communities, and we're proud to partner with Alameda County Supervisor Nate Miley to support the Battle for the Bay," said Bill Crotinger, president of Argent Materials

Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf expressed appreciation: "One of the many things I love about Oakland are companies like AB&I and Argent Materials that really step up for our community. With their help, I hope Oakland can win this Battle for the Bay cleanup competition, and more importantly, make progress in the daily battle against litter and illegal dumping in our communities."

Oakland says it has at least 100 illegal dumping hot spots. AB&I Foundry believes this is a plague to the community that needs to be addressed with rigorous enforcement for violators.

Miley added, "Illegal dumping knows no boundaries, which is why I'm glad the mayors are addressing it as a regional issue. I look forward to working with Argent Materials big East Oakland cleanup on September 21, because cleaning up our streets and waterways is a major priority!"