Beverly Hills : Alley Pickup Program

Goodwill Industries will begin collecting donations from selected alleys in Beverly Hills on Monday as part of a three-month pilot program.

Goodwill will pick up usable household goods Monday and again on June 7 and July 6 from the alleyways of about 2,000 homes bounded by Santa Monica Boulevard to the south and Sunset Boulevard to the north, a city spokeswoman said.

Residents should bag or box donations and place them in the alley with a Goodwill sticker by 7 a.m. Monday for pickup, said Cynthia Battenberg of the city’s Public Works Department.

Battenberg urged participants not to put donations in the alleys before collection day to avoid scavenging.

Battenberg said similar programs have been successful in Chicago and other cities. The Beverly Hills program is a joint project of Goodwill and MBA students at Pepperdine University.

Students are working on a study with Goodwill on ways the private nonprofit agency can secure more materials, she said. If it proves successful, the pilot may be expanded to citywide collection or it may be expanded to quarterly pickups in the selected area.

Donations may include housewares, bedding, small appliances, clothing, books and other household goods, according to a Goodwill brochure. The alley collection program cannot accept furniture or large appliances, but the agency will pick up bulky items by appointment. The merchandise will then be sold through Goodwill’s resale stores throughout the Los Angeles area.

In return for its cooperation, the city will receive credit for diverting materials from the landfill as required under a new state law. Cities are required to reduce the amount of refuse going to landfills by 25% by 1995 and 50% by 2000.

For stickers and information: (213) 223-4069.