Recycling Facility Draws Objections

A beverage-container recycling site in a shopping center about half a mile from the Civic Center has become a point of contention.

At issue is a container-collection site near the Ralphs grocery store at La Palma Avenue and Walker Street. Critics of the recycling center, including Mayor Duane Schuster and city officials, charge that the collection bins are an eyesore.

Schuster said the collection bins are starkly visible at the La Palma-Walker intersection, which is a major hub of the city and near the Civic Center.

“We’re trying to keep our city beautiful, and [the recycling bins] look tacky over there,” Schuster said at this week’s council meeting. “It just ruins the whole [shopping] center as far as I’m concerned. It just looks tacky.”

Ralph Orsino, an official of Mobile Recycling, said his company believes the collection site is badly needed. He told the council that Mobile Recycling would consider landscaping the site to make it more attractive.

But council members said they think the collection site must be moved to a less visible location. The council directed city officials to contact the shopping center owner to see if an arrangement can be reached.

City officials recommended that the council reject the recycling site and deny it a permit. A staff report said the recycling bins are “potential hazards for vehicles and pedestrians” and “create a negative impact on the aesthetics.”

The City Council postponed a vote on a permit for the facility until its Sept. 17 meeting. Council members said they hope a compromise can be reached by then.