No Curbside Pickup for Discarded Trees

Like unwanted holiday gifts returned by shoppers, San Fernando Valley residents began discarding their Christmas trees this week, a bothersome annual ritual that has become even more of a hassle in 1996.

Last year, many residents simply tossed their brittle firs and pines by the curb for pick up--despite city warnings not to. This year, however, the city is enforcing a strict policy: Residents must either chop their trees and place them in the green cuttings container for recycling or take them to a tree recycling center.

“We had so many problems last year,” said Roland Silva, spokesman for the city’s Bureau of Sanitation. “Unfortunately, people just didn’t get the message. People were placing them at the curb and expecting them to be picked up.”

In some areas, city crews eventually did pick up whole curbside trees in 1995. But no more. The arm on the city’s automated trash trucks cannot pick up curbside discards.

Officials are hoping that recycling will be the most popular disposal method.

“The goal is really to keep the trees from being heaped into the regular trash,” said Ginger Vadurro, spokeswoman for the county’s public works department. “The one thing we’re really trying to do is reduce the stream of waste to the landfills.”

The recycling centers, located at various sites around the city and county, opened last weekend and will reopen this Saturday and Sunday from 8 a.m. until 4 p.m.

For information about the city’s tree recycling program, call (800) 587-3356. For information on the county’s program, call (800) 552-5218.

City and county officials say people, so far, seem to be opting for recycling over chopping. On Saturday alone, the county recycled more than 3,000 trees relieved of ornaments, nails and tinsel.

“People are becoming a lot wiser about it,” Vadurro said.

The city recycling centers offer a reward for the hassle: a small bag of mulch.