LONG BEACH : Police Crack Down on Thefts of Recyclables

Responding to citizen complaints, plainclothes police staked out several neighborhoods this week and cited seven people for scavenging through recycling bins.

The citations were part of an ongoing effort to curb the illegal practice. Each month, police typically issue between 70 and 80 citations.

James Kuhl, the city’s recycling coordinator, said residents may become reluctant to recycle out of fear of the scavengers. Residents call to complain about the noise and mess, and say they are concerned that the intruders may actually be casing their property while searching for bottles and cans.

“We don’t want people to stop recycling,” Kuhl said.

His office routinely forwards five to 10 complaints a week to the police, who lie in wait for the scavengers and issue the misdemeanor citations, which carry a maximum penalty of a $500 fine and six months in jail.

Police said the citations this week were issued in areas around downtown and central Long Beach.

Kuhl said the city collected 11,545 tons of glass, aluminum, plastic and newspaper in the first 10 months of the year, along with 37,389 gallons of motor oil.

The recycled materials are sold in the United States and abroad and have fostered the growth of local industries that process the materials, he said. In the past year, a number of companies that recycle residential waste have been founded in Long Beach.

The city’s collection program is subsidized primarily by residents’ fees.