L.A. gets into the trash business
Dec. 5, 1911: Los Angeles officially “joined the ranks of cities that collect their own garbage,” taking over the task from a private company, The Times reported.
The City Council approved the change, with trash collection to be overseen by the Board of Public Works.
Trash would be collected “from all parts of the city with a force of 75 men,” supplemented by “48 modern, well-built collection carts and 55 horses.”
As for V.D. Reduction Co., the outgoing collector of garbage, “they are still interested to a large extent in the disposal of it, for they have not parted with their 20,000 hogs at Covina and those porkers are insatiably hungry. And their hunger can only be assuaged with the garbage of Los Angeles,” The Times said.
But the hogs would soon be eating alfalfa, the newspaper predicted, as the city planned to build an incinerator “or other garbage destructor” within two years.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
