City to install up to 150 recycling bins

Huntington Beach has found a way to be green and, well, generate some green.

The city has partnered with Greener Corners and Rainbow Environmental Services Inc. to install up to 150 recycling bins in downtown, near the beach, parks and other areas citywide. The bins will mainly target the estimated 16 million visitors who come to Surf City on an annual basis.

The bins will carry advertisements.

“This is going to be exciting for us,” said Mayor Joe Carchio. “We’ll be able to keep the city cleaner and dispose of the recycling and hopefully make some money on it.”

A ceremony was held Wednesday at the entrance of the Huntington Beach Pier to formally announce and promote the partnership.

Rainbow Environmental has worked with the city for many years to encourage recycling in residential areas, said economic development Project Manager Simone Slifman.

This new partnership, however, is expected to raise awareness about the importance of recycling to the general public and the city’s visitors, and give them a place to do it, Slifman said.

The bins in the downtown and beach areas are expected to feature sponsored public service announcements to encourage recycling, and keep the beach and the city clean. The rest of the bins are expected to feature general advertisements but remain within city code guidelines, Slifman said.

The bins will be purchased and installed by Greener Corners; Rainbow will collect and process the recycling materials.

Greener Corners will be in charge of the advertisements, which will generate $25,000 in a year or 30% of the advertisement proceeds, whichever is greater, according to a release issued by the city.

That percentage is expected to increase each year during the five-year contract.

Active Municipal Marketing, a division of Active Network Inc., assisted in the negotiation and development of the partnership between the two companies and the city.

mona.shadia@latimes.com

Twitter: @MonaShadia