DANA POINT : City to Finance Pilot Recycling Program

A six-month pilot curbside recycling program that was to have cost 1,000 residents about $15 each will instead be paid for by the city, the City Council has decided.

The council decision to finance the program came after several residents questioned the proposed $2.48 monthly fee.

“Why should I have to pay for something that I am already doing on my own,” Christina Hayes asked.

Dana Point is one of three South County cities taking part in a trial curbside recycling program with Solag Disposal Co. of San Juan Capistrano, the company that handles refuse collecting in each community. The program was organized in response to the September passage of state Assembly Bill 939, which requires California cities and counties to show a 25% reduction in landfill garbage by 1995 and a 50% reduction by the year 2000.

Households in San Juan Capistrano, San Clemente and the unincorporated community of Laguna Hills are also taking part in the trial program, expected to begin Oct. 2. Funds redeemed from the recyclable materials will be transferred back to the cities or counties.

Residents in each of the communities will be provided with three bins, one each for newspaper, glass and cans.

At the end of the six-month period, the council will take another look at the program and vote again on its funding.

Future phases of the recycling program are expected to reach 15,000 homes in San Clemente, 6,500 homes in San Juan Capistrano and 5,400 homes in Dana Point.