SAN CLEMENTE : Citywide Recycling Program Gets OK

The City Council has given unanimous approval to a new citywide recycling program that is expected to start in November.

The program calls for replacing trash cans at residential homes and commercial businesses with two 60-gallon containers. One container will be for regular garbage while the second one will be for recyclable materials such as newspapers, glass and aluminum cans. The containers will have wheels, said Michael Morgan, acting solid-waste management coordinator for the city.

Morgan said the new program is designed to be as convenient as possible for residents.

“We had to consider how people think about their waste,” he said. “If they had to separate their (recyclables), it wouldn’t be convenient. This system has proven to be functional.”

The containers will be emptied by state-of-the-art, fully automated collection vehicles and will be able to hold a large volume of trash and recyclable materials.

“Each container can hold three normal trash cans’ worth of waste,” he said. “The neighborhoods will also look a lot cleaner. Instead of having to drag out trash cans and bags and have animals tear through them, they will have these convenient containers.”

Morgan said residents can expect their $9.97 monthly refuse bill to increase by about $2 to $3 once the program begins. Although technically the program is optional, residents who want their trash picked up each week must participate.

“If the trash is in bags, it will not be removed,” Morgan said.

The program will also make smaller, 35-gallon containers available for senior citizens or people who live on their own.

The city had experimented with a pilot recycling program that involved the use of three stackable bins but decided against it, Morgan said.