GARBAGE EVERYWHERE: Remember the “trash crisis”--the fear...

GARBAGE EVERYWHERE: Remember the “trash crisis”--the fear of dwindling dump space and garbage rotting in the streets? Well, the crisis has been a no-show. . . . Even with more people, trash disposal in Los Angeles County actually has fallen 19%--to 38,000 tons daily from 47,000 tons in 1988.

DROOPY ECONOMY: The economic slide is one cause. Recycling is another. Nearly 33% of household trash in Los Angeles is being diverted from landfills through curbside recycling of yard trimmings, bottles, cans and paper. . . . According to the latest data, diversion rates in the East and West Valley exceed the citywide average. Burbank also diverts more than 35% of household trash.

AHEAD OF THE CURVE: To keep up with waste reduction mandates, UCLA Extension now offers courses in “garbage law.” . . . As a UCLA student in the early ‘70s, Prof. Eugene Tseng, above, was assigned to “take a pile of garbage and cow manure and basically invent things so it doesn’t have to go into disposal.” Tseng has patents for construction materials made from trash. . . . “Once I got into the garbage can,” Tseng mused, “I was never able to get out.”

DOWN TO EARTH: Composting is the ultimate in recycling. On a recent Saturday at Pierce College, city officials sold more than 1,400 composting bins. . . . “We would rather that people keep their material in their own back yard rather than have us pick it up,” said Dave Mays of the city recycling program. “It saves us money, and it is an excellent hobby for home gardeners.”

BIG BUSINESS: Waste giant BFI gets about 12% of its revenues from recycling. Waste Management Inc. is planning about $56 million in recycling improvements at its Bradley West Landfill in Sun Valley. . . . Bob Fagan, who calls recycling “the world’s second-oldest profession,” says his Sun Valley Paper Stock Inc. will spend $3 million on a new plant and equipment. “Are we betting on the future?” Fagan asked. “Yes sir, we sure are.”