Glendale Proposes to Recycle ‘Green Waste’

A Glendale ordinance that would initiate the recycling of grass clippings, leaves and other vegetation wastes for composting and reuse in the city’s landfill was introduced Tuesday for possible adoption next week.

The recycling of vegetation would add a fourth category to recyclable materials collected by the city to reduce the amount of refuse disposed at the Scholl Canyon Landfill and to extend the life of the city’s only dump.

Tin and aluminum cans, glass containers and newspapers have been collected citywide on a voluntary basis since December, 1988. That program has already reduced the amount of refuse dumped at Scholl by almost 6%, said Lino Torres, sanitation superintendent.

Yard clippings will be composted by special machinery at the landfill, then used in place of dirt to cover layers of household waste dumped in the canyon. The compost could be used as fertilizer in city parks and possibly sold for commercial and residential use, city officials said.

The clippings would be accepted only in bundles or barrels. Plastic bags would be prohibited since unwanted materials such as dirt and rocks could not be easily detected, Torres said.

The “green waste” program would be implemented in phases over three years, with about 20% of residents eligible to participate in late May.

Start of the program would be coordinated with a switch to automated refuse trucks equipped with a hydraulic arm that can pick up and dump trash cans at the push of a button.

The trucks would require only one operator, which would significantly reduce the city’s trash collection work force and lessen hazards to workers, Torres said.

State law mandates that municipalities reduce landfill deposits by 25% in the next five years and by 50% by the year 2000. “We are looking for ways to meet those goals and we think we can,” Torres said.