SYLMAR : Quake Debris Pickup to Be Accelerated

Help is on the way for harried Sylmar residents who have complained their earthquake rubble was languishing on their curbs.

Los Angeles City Councilman Richard Alarcon said Thursday that he has asked city sanitation officials to speed up the lag between when residents call for bulky pickups and when the material is collected.

In addition, he has reminded residents that the City Council has passed an emergency measure allowing the use of green containers--normally reserved for grass clippings--for earthquake-related debris.

Sanitation bureau officials were trying to reduce the number of private contractors they were employing for collecting the refuse, according to Alarcon.

“I said, why are you reducing the number of contractors when people have been waiting five to 10 days?” said Alarcon.

Sanitation officials promised to reduce the delay to a couple of days, he said.

Sylmar Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Frank Jacobs said no one had informed him that residents could use the green debris containers.

“Alarcon said he had this measure passed, that we can use the green cans, but nobody knew this. No one said anything,” Jacobs said.

A day after he made his complaints public, sanitation crews were seen in the Sylmar area collecting the trash, he said.