Business Group Opens Comprehensive Recycling Facility in Chatsworth

San Fernando Valley recyclers got a boost Friday with the opening of a comprehensive recycling center in Chatsworth that will collect everything from used computer paper to old phone books from nearby businesses and residents.

“I think it’s an incredible idea,” said Mike Berman, 29, of Northridge. “I know we’re destroying our environment so this is one way of helping a little bit.”

Berman, who toted 16 grocery bags filled with newspapers and 40 cardboard boxes to the brightly marked bins, was among the first recyclers to use the new facility in the Great Western Bank parking lot at 19850 Plummer St.

Surrounded by a green and white fence, more than a dozen recycling bins have been marked to accept donations of plastic bottles, cardboard boxes, colored paper, newspapers, aluminum cans and clear, green and brown glass.

Organized by the Chatsworth Chamber of Commerce, the facility was made possible by donations from Atlas Refuse Removal Co., Great Western Bank and the Los Angeles Times.

“Under state law, the waste stream to landfills throughout the state must be reduced by 25%,” said John Warner, a vice president for the Chatsworth Chamber of Commerce. “This recycling center will help Chatsworth meet that goal.”

Richard Kuhn, a sales manager for Atlas Refuse Removal Co., said his company will probably take a loss from operating the center.

“We don’t anticipate on breaking even,” Kuhn said. “But the state is well behind on this issue, so it’s critical that somebody get involved.”

The center will operate Monday through Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and Saturdays from 7:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. An attendant will be there to help recyclers sort goods all day Saturday and Monday through Friday 7:30 to 9:30 a.m. and 2:30 to 4:30 p.m.