BREA : Curbside Recycling to Begin on Nov. 4

The city’s first automated dump trucks will begin collecting containers full of recyclable items Nov. 14.

The trucks, equipped with robotic arms that hoist and empty containers, will collect trash every week and recyclable items twice monthly. On Nov. 6, every Brea resident will receive two 100-gallon containers for free, a green one for recyclable waste and a black one for garbage.

Newspapers, cardboard, computer paper, magazines, glass, aluminum and plastic containers can be stored in the green can. Each can is equivalent in size to four medium-size trash cans. As a result, residents will not have to segregate different kinds of recyclables into separate containers.

“This is an opportunity for us to control our (trash) rates in the future,” said Patrick McCarron, director of maintenance services.

Landfill disposal fees were raised countywide in July. For Brea residents, they increased from $4.92 to $7.93 per month. Because recyclables will be sold, gate fees at landfills will be reduced.

“It’s going to take a behavior change, a modification of habits,” McCarron said.

A test program in Anaheim identified some problems, such as trash in the wrong container, but nothing that cannot be resolved, city officials said.

“This is a winner for the people who live here,” McCarron said. “The program has long-range benefits and good economic effects.