Big Blue Recycling Bins Soon Will Be All Over

In the Valley these days, there’s a new breed of the haves and the have nots. Those who have their new blue recycling bin--the West Valley--and those that don’t--the East.

In fact, there’s such trash bin envy out there that city officials have indefinitely delayed advertising the benefits of the new blue bins until all 720,000 are distributed citywide.

In the meantime, with an unofficial approval rating of 95% to 98%, according to program director John de la Rosa, the city’s just doing its best to keep deliveries up.

“We’ve been hanging onto a speeding truck,” said Daniel Hackney, a city sanitation spokesman.

With deliveries to the West Valley and north central Los Angeles completed, sanitation officials said the roll-out is both well ahead of schedule and expectations.

So far, West Valley recyclable trash collection is up 118% with the the new blue bins, which were designed to eliminate yesterday’s recycling headaches by eliminating sorting.

And it seems that so far, the convenience is paying off.

“For the most part,” said Reseda resident Crystal McDonald, “we’re recycling a whole lot more.”

Woodland Hills resident Steve Pham agreed.

“With the yellow bin, once it got full, you’d just put your trash back in the black bins,” he said. “Not any more.”

Some do wince at the bins’ Dodger blue color or complain about their gargantuan 90-gallon size--large enough to conceal the occasional lawn chair, garden hose or windowpane shards. Just sorting those items out, said Mark Miodovski, sanitation marketing manager, can cost the city $5,000 a month in the West Valley alone.

Some homeowners are just plain confused about what can go in and what can’t. Margarine tubs and yogurt cups? No. Corrugated cardboard? Yes. Polystyrene egg cartons? No. Plastic grocery bags? No.

But for others who have gotten the hang of it, recycling, they said, is really just a feel-good proposition.

“It’s really very simple,” said Encino resident Kathy Lewis. “Just doing it makes you feel good that you are part of the city’s program and you’re helping them make money while your trash is not going into a landfill. What could be better than that?”

The bins for Van Nuys, North Hollywood and Sun Valley are on their way and should be delivered by mid-June.

For more information, call (800) 773-CITY.