Effort to Prolong Life of Landfill : Glendale Expands Trash Recycling Plan

In an effort to extend the life of Glendale’s only landfill, the Glendale City Council voted Tuesday to expand citywide an experimental curb-side recycling project begun more than a year ago.

The expansion, expected to go into effect in October, will provide each household with a 5-gallon container for recyclable goods such as newspapers, aluminum and glass. Special trucks will pick up the containers on regular trash collection days.

Trash collection fees will increase by 5% to pay the half-million-dollar start-up cost of the recycling project, said George A. Miller, director of public works. City policy requires the cost of services such as garbage pickup and water usage to be collected directly from users.

Hike of $3.60 a Year

For single-family residences, the increase will amount to $3.60 a year, Miller said.

The council approved the plan 4 to 0, with Councilman John F. Day absent.

The city’s action is part of an on-going effort to reduce the amount of trash dumped in Glendale’s Scholl Canyon Landfill.

The citywide recycling program is expected to extend use of the landfill for about two years, until the year 2012, Miller said.

Although the added benefit toward extending the landfill’s use is only marginal, council members praised the recycling effort for its symbolic value.

“Recycling just makes good sense,” Mayor Carl W. Raggio said. “I don’t think there is anything wrong with us becoming frugal.”

‘Good Start’

“Everyone who is opposed to new landfills looks to recycling to solve the problem,” said Councilman Jerold F. Milner. “I think this is a good start.”

To get the program under way, the city will spend $330,000 for four specialized refuse-collection trucks and $112,000 for the 5-gallon garbage pails, Miller said.

Presently, about 1,000 households participate in the pilot recycling program, started by the city more than a year ago in the northwest section of the Glendale. Since October, 1986, those families have been asked to separate newspapers, glass and aluminum and metal cans from their garbage.

Recyclable materials make up an estimated 10% to 20% of household trash, Miller said. About 29% of the families living in the 24-block collection area regularly participate in the program, he said.