Schools Added to Recycling Program in City

Yellow curbside recycling bins are coming to 165 public schools in the San Fernando Valley.

As part of a new citywide program, the Los Angeles Bureau of Sanitation began Monday to distribute the bins to schools located along existing recycling routes in residential areas. School personnel will be responsible for filling the bins with everything from newspapers to plastic bottles and having them ready for pickup on the designated collection day.

Gyl Elliott of the Bureau’s Recycling Division said many schools already operate recycling programs with private firms for valuable items such as aluminum and tin cans. But this was the first time they had participated in the city’s recycling collection service, she said.

The spokeswoman said the program was devised to help the city meet the requirement under state law of diverting 25% of waste from landfills by 1995. In addition, officials are hoping the scheme has some educational value. “The most important thing we can do is teach these kids” about recycling, Elliott said. “When they see the yellow bins at home and they see them at school, they will learn that way.”

The program, which includes public schools of all levels, was initially tested in the Harbor area before being expanded citywide. “We wanted to see if it worked in that area and it worked very well,” Elliott said.