What can I do to show my appreciation for the planet, or even the neighborhood where I live? That's the question many of us ask ourselves. Well, recycling for me is one truly beneficial way.
Recycling plays an essential role in protecting our environment and preserving our planet. Earth Day 2010 — which fell on April 22 — offered a good reminder to learn about new and ongoing ways to recycle with the City of Los Angeles.
Recycling, or re-using material rather than throwing it away, benefits our environment as well as our residents. Of course, saving energy, landfill space and money — along with creating new jobs, reducing air and water pollution and preserving habitat for wildlife — are among the many benefits of recycling.
Los Angeles' comprehensive recycling program, on average, collects more than 240,000 tons of recyclables and 480,000 tons of yard trimmings each year. Curbside collection, and "permanent S.A.F.E. (Solvents, Automotives, Flammables and Electronics) Centers" and mobile drop-off centers are available for all types of recyclable materials.
With a goal of surpassing the state-mandated 50 percent target for landfill diversion, the city has developed and implemented effective and economically feasible source reduction, buy-recycled, and reuse programs, activities, and policies for our residential, business and institutional customers.
We have developed a 65 percent diversion rate record. Last year, Waste & Recycling News named Los Angeles as the top recycler out of 10 of the largest cities in the United States. Cities were ranked based on the recycling of various materials, including paper, metal, plastic, glass, bulk and organic.
Citywide recycling programs in Los Angeles include, but are not limited to, apartment and Multifamily Recycling, Backyard Composting, Biosolids, Buy-Recycled, Commercial and Office Recycling and several other programs.
An incentive program, the Recycling Rewards Pilot, rewards households for Blue Bin recycling. Locally, the program operates in nine communities, including Pico Union. The goal is to increase residential curbside recycling above current levels in households with high, medium and low recycling rates.
Our Curbside Recycling Program is the nation's largest. Through this program, the city collects a variety of recyclables from more than 750,000 households weekly.
Using fully automated, liquefied natural gas-fueled collection vehicles and 90-gallon blue recycling and green yard waste containers, the city collects 979 tons of recyclable materials and 1,783 tons of green waste from residents, on average, daily.
We are able to divert 45 percent of our wastes through the Curbside Recycling Program. This program, combined with our multifamily and other recycling programs, has enabled us to achieve our current 65 percent diversion rate.
To learn more about the City of Los Angeles' new and ongoing recycling programs, visit www.lacitysan.org/solid_resources/recycling, or call (800) 773-CITY (2489). You may also call 3-1-1, the city's 24-hour non-emergency hotline, for assistance.
Richard Lee is a public information officer for the City of Los Angeles' Department of Public Works.
Photo from Wikimedia Commons.
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