VILLA PARK

Villa Park is recycling and diverting more trash from landfills than any other city in the county, according to Dave Ault, executive director of Taormina Industries, which handles disposal for the city. “There’s no one in the county that’s doing a better job,” Ault recently told the City Council. Under a 1989 state mandate, California cities must divert 50% of all trash by 2000 that otherwise would have gone to landfills. Villa Park is consistently exceeding that amount, Ault said. Last month, the city diverted 64% of its trash--or about 150 pounds per home each week--compared with a countywide average of 35%.