Rancho Palos Verdes Approves Guidelines for Recycling Grants

The Rancho Palos Verdes City Council has approved guidelines under which community groups can receive up to $3,000 per year from profits earned by the city’s recycling program.

Curb-side recycling was begun last winter with the promise that the money earned by the city through the sale of the recyclables would be returned to residents in the form of neighborhood grants.

Among other things, the council agreed that the recycling funds must be of “general benefit to the city” or of “direct benefit to the local area but could not be used for street maintenance.

A provision was made for awarding grants to groups that previously had raised money by recycling, if the group could show that its program was of “general city benefit.”

PTA Request

It was under that provision that the council agreed to consider a request from the Vista Grande Elementary School Parent Teachers Assn., which sought money for a school crossing guard. PTA members had raised money from newspaper and aluminum can recycling for school programs.

PTA members told the council that there has been a heavy increase in the number of parents driving students to the school and that they fear for the safety of children who walk to school. They said a school crossing guard at the intersection of Purpleridge and Golden Meadow drives would improve safety.

“We are in favor of a beautiful city, but the safety of our beautiful children is more important,” resident and PTA member Linda DiNoto said.

A recycling subcommittee, composed of Mayor Jacki Bacharach and Councilman Robert Ryan, will make recommendations to the council on requests for grants.