A Surprising Acceptance of Recycling

In a recent Times poll, 90% of Southern Californians said they would be willing to separate their trash for recycling. A figure as high as this normally should be discounted: Intentions don’t always translate into actions.

But the first full year of the city of San Diego’s voluntary recycling program suggests that widespread public support can translate into widespread public action. Overall, 70% to 90% of the 13,000 households in eligible neighborhoods are putting paper, glass and cans into separate containers for curbside pickup.

This puts San Diego’s voluntary participation rate among the highest in the nation. Many neighborhoods not yet in the program are clamoring to take part.

It looks as if the community was far more ready for recycling than its leaders. Just a little more than a year ago, city officials were worrying about how to educate people to change their habits. Now they are worrying about how to meet public demand.

Such quick and relatively effortless success could mean that the program is well designed. But it also indicates that San Diegans may recognize the severity of the landfill shortage. County landfills are near full and San Diego’s city landfill is expected to be full by 1998, although the city hopes that recycling will forestall that to 2005.

The high participation rate also should bode well for the city’s newest pilot program. City trash trucks have recently begun picking up organic waste--primarily leaves, grass clippings and tree trimmings--from about 14,000 households in Del Cerro, Grantville and San Carlos. Citizens are asked to separate their “green waste” and place it in trash cans bearing city-supplied labels. The trimmings will be ground into mulch for parks, recreational areas and freeway landscaping.

It’s a win-win program. It’s inexpensive, because green waste can be collected with existing city trucks and residents’ own trash cans, making it easier to extend citywide; and the city benefits from the recycled product.

If it’s as successful as the paper-bottle-and-can program, as much as 15% to 25% of the residential waste now being buried at the landfill could be recycled.

Too bad city and county government took so many years to respond to this important environmental issue.

All deliberate haste should be used to catch up, so that recycling can quickly become a way of life in San Diego.