Local News in Brief : Anaheim : Council Votes to Hike Garbage-Collection Fees

The City Council on Tuesday voted unanimously to increase garbage-collection fees and approved a pilot curb-side recycling program, making Anaheim the second city in Orange County to embark on such a effort.

The $2.1-million program, set to begin in July, will run on a trial basis with 11,000 city residents who volunteer for the first year, city officials said. If successful, the program will be expanded citywide.

Irvine began a curb-side recycling program in 1987.

Anaheim officials proposed the recycling program in the face of escalating charges at county operated landfills. Those fees will have doubled between December, 1988, and July, 1989, city spokeswoman Carolyn Griebe said.

“The county is running out of landfill space,” Griebe explained.

Currently, residents of single-family homes pay a monthly garbage-collection fee of $6.11. That fee will go up immediately to $7.03, with most of the increase going to cover higher county landfill charges, Griebe said. Only an average of 27 cents per household of the increase will go toward funding the recycling program, she said.

Under the recycling plan, residents will be given two 110-gallon trash bins. A black one picked up weekly will be for organic waste. A green one picked up monthly will be for recyclable items, such as glass, aluminum, plastic and newspapers.

Anaheim Disposal Inc. will separate the recyclable items at a central sorting area. Money from resale of the salvaged items will be returned to the city’s general fund.