SEAL BEACH : Recycling Program Draws Complaints

Some residents remain dissatisfied with a new curbside recycling program a month after it was introduced, city officials said this week.

The main complaint is that the bulky, 100-gallon waste and recycling cans are difficult to manage and do not fit through the side gates of most houses. As a result, residents have been forced to leave the cans in front of their homes throughout the week.

“You can drive down the street in my area and see the (containers) out there,” Councilman Frank Laszlo said. “We’ve gotten a lot of complaints.”

Some residents also said that Briggeman Co., the trash hauler that runs the program for the city, has not given out enough containers to handle all the recyclables, regular trash and green waste that their homes generate. This has been a particular problem at homes on large lots, which generate substantial amounts of grass clippings, leaves and weeds, Mayor Gwen Forsythe said.

Laszlo said it costs $8 a month for residents to get an extra container for green waste. Some residents have told him that they need two extra containers. “That’s a lot of money to spend,” he said.

The long-awaited recycling program began in March in two Seal Beach neighborhoods: Marina Hill and College Park East. The program, run by Briggeman Co., will be extended to other parts of the city later this year.

Each home was given two 100-gallon containers--one for recyclables and one for regular trash.

Residents who find that the 100-gallon containers are too large can trade them in for either 66-gallon or 33-gallon containers at no extra cost.

City officials plan to meet with Briggeman Co. later this month to discuss the recycling program. At that time, officials said, they will raise some of the concerns expressed by residents and try to develop ways to solve the problems.