EAST VALLEY : New Recycling Plan Starts Next Week

Trash day will change next week for about 95,000 households in the east San Fernando Valley, the Los Angeles Bureau of Sanitation announced Thursday.

In addition, all of the city’s garbage collection customers in the East Valley will switch to a new recycling program for yard trimmings next week, city officials said.

The trash schedule change is part of an attempt to improve efficiency, and reduce gas consumption, pollution and driving time, said David Mays, a spokesman for the sanitation bureau.

Area residents have already been informed of the new pickup schedule by mail, Mays said. Residents will still get garbage collection once a week under the new schedule.

Under the old recycling program for yard trimmings, the city delivered green and black trash cans as part of an automated collection system in 1992. Residents were able to use either container for yard waste or non-recyclable trash.

Starting next week, East Valley customers must use the green can only for yard trimmings and the black can for non-recyclable trash. The yard trimmings will be turned into TOPGRO, a compost to be sold by the city, Mays said.

Customers will have a four-week grace period during which they will merely be given warnings if they combine non-recyclable trash with yard trimmings in the green can.

After that, city collectors will not pick up a green can unless it only contains yard trimmings.

Those who need more information on either the recycling program or the new trash collection schedule should call the Bureau of Sanitation at (800) 773-CITY.