WINTER 2005 Volume 41

The next time you’re enjoying sushi or a juicy steak inWest Hollywood, you can feel confident that the food youleave on your plate will be recycled—yes, all the food.

The city of West Hollywood has begun a new solid wastefranchise with Athens Services. As part of the newprogram, a major recycling effort has begun to divertfood and other compostable wastes to Victorville foragricultural applications.

Key to the program in a city with a bigturnover of restaurants and staff is thatthe business does not source-separatethe food or other compostables. Athensinstead conducted a waste audit toidentify restaurants with more than 70%food waste in their dumpsters. Thesebusinesses were selected for theRestaurant Route to be collected by atruck devoted solely to food waste. Thebins are taken “as is,” including trash, tothe Athens Services MRF where theloads are sorted to remove any non-foodor non-compostable items. The Cityopted for this approach so that therewould not be ongoing training of newrestaurant staff or the need for a separate bin wherespace is at a premium.

Duane McDonald, Athens Services’ Director ofEnvironmental Services, says the program works becauseAthens has the capability to sort the material to removenon-compostable contaminants such as plastic, glass andmetal (which are also recycled if possible) beforeshipping it to the composting facility. “Our sortingcapabilities allow us to ship more compostable materials,while eliminating the usual necessity for the restaurant tosort food and produce from other waste and place them

in separate containers,” says McDonald. “This saves ourcustomers labor and space, and eliminates the need tohave additional trucks on crowded city streets makingseparate pick-ups. The program is a winner for therestaurants of West Hollywood, and a big winner for theenvironment as well.”

Key to the success of the program is the partnershipbetween Athens Services and California Bio-Mass,

operator of the composting site. “DavidHardy, President of California Bio-Mass,worked with us from the start to specify aproduct that we would be able to sortefficiently and would work as a feed stock fortheir composting operation in Victorville,”remarked McDonald. “His advice andpartnership were instrumental in creating aprogram unlike any existing in SouthernCalifornia.”

Mr. Hardy is impressed with the quality ofthe loads California Bio-Mass receives fromAthens. The material is composted alongwith green waste from residential yardmaintenance and landscaping firms, andconverted into a high-quality soil amendment

in high demand by farmers.

The program is in its infancy but the early reportsindicate an estimated 4,000 tons of food waste will bediverted from the city’s 41,000 tons of waste this year. JanHarmon, environmental programs specialist for the City,reports that about 120 restaurants are participating in theprogram. Other restaurants that are fast food restaurantswithout a waste stream that is primarily food, or thosewho share dumpsters with retail stores, are not includedin the first roll out.

JOIN THE TEAM: If you are interested in participating on the Los Angeles County Solid Waste Management Public EducationSubcommittee or if you would like to submit an article for Inside Solid Waste please contact Emily Montanez at (626) 458-3579, oremontanez@ladpw.org. Quarterly meetings are held at the County of Los Angeles Department of Public Works Headquarters to discussand review upcoming newsletters. If you feel you have something to contribute why not become a member of the Subcommittee?

IN THE SPOTLIGHTWest Hollywood Begins Restaurant Food Waste Recycling Program

One of the key features ofthe event was that all localschools and churches wereinvited to collect as manyCRV cans and bottles aspossible for the monthprior to the event.Recyclers were on hand toaccept the CRV materialsfrom the public andschools, and throughnegotiations and recyclers’willingness, schools werepaid up to four times thenormal CRV value whileresidents were paid aboutdouble the CRV value.Over $21,000 was paid tothe community during thefour-hour event, and evenmore prizes and moneywere distributed toindividuals winning the art

and fashion show, and to schools and individuals forrecycling the most CRV materials. The recycler hauledout four 40-yard roll off bins of recyclables and onestationary recycling bin.

The City Council was on hand to greet the public andencourage residents to support recycling and wasteprevention. The public was urged to increase recycling todecrease litter, improve the community, and protect thestorm water system from trash. For more informationabout the event, please call (626) 332-7514.

The City of El Monte held aunique community-wide eventon Sunday, November 14,2004, in celebration ofAmerica Recycles Day. Inconjunction with theCalifornia Department ofConservation, the Cityconducted its symbolic actioncalled the “Billion BottleMarch” to raise publicawareness of the fact that overa billion plastic water bottlesare carelessly disposed orlittered each year throughoutCalifornia. In El Montealone, this equates to morethan 3 million bottles!Hundreds of local residents,as well as many civicorganizations, businesses, andnon-profit organizationsjoined in this importantaction.

The focal point of the celebration was the Billion BottleMarch, in which half of the schools in El Monteparticipated and consisted of a march around the park byyouth and adults shouting slogans, singing songs, carryingsigns and banners encouraging local action to protect theenvironment and increase recycling. The March wasfollowed by free food for all, recycling games,information tables, and a recycled art and fashion showincluding the design and coloring of t-shirts withenvironmental themes.

California’s Billion Bottle March attractshundreds to celebrate America Recycles Day

WANTED: BOTTLE AND CAN RECYCLING SUCCESS STORIES

Page 2, Inside Solid Waste, Winter 2005

The California Department of Conservation is looking for “bestpractice” examples for bars, restaurants and office buildings that havesuccessfully implemented bottle and can recycling programs. If yourorganization recycles, or if you know of someone who does, pleaseemail us at recyclinginfo@consrv.ca.gov or call Sequoia Clare at 310-392-4244.

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OUTSTANDING RECYCLING PRACTICES

Yorkshire Development, a real estate developmentcompany in East Pasadena, won in the SustainableDevelopment category. Yorkshire is a member of theU.S. Green Building Council and its recently complet-ed Tricom Building on East Walnut Street incorporatesmany sustainable features. The building is located nearbus and rail lines and provides a bicycle rack and elec-tric vehicle charger. Construction materials includedrecycled carpet, rebar, sinks, floor tiles and mirrors. Alladhesives, paints, carpet and linoleum contain little orno volatile organic compounds. Tricom is the firstbuilding to receive certification as a LEEDs building inthe San Gabriel Valley (Leadership in Energy and

Environmental Design).

Eaton Canyon Nature Cen-ter won the award for Educa-tional Outreach to Youth and

the Public. For more than 30years the nature center has pro-

vided programs for people of allages. In 2004, Eaton Canyon

Nature Center Associates participat-ed in Earth Day. Among the day’s

many activities were Make-It-Take Recy-cled Crafts, information on household haz-

ardous waste, recycling and native plantsfor the garden and healthy snacks.

In a new category for city departments and employ-ees, John Hoffner, Public Benefits Manager in the

Department of Water and Power, was nominated by hispeers as an outstanding example of a recycler.

Hoffner has provided paper recycling boxesfor staff desks and monitors their use byoffice workers. He set up a bottle and can

recycling program in the break room and con-tinually does outreach to customers and the communi-ty on environmental issues.

Applications are available year-around and due onSeptember 1 of each year. Applications for 2005 Out-standing Recycler Awards are available by calling thecity’s Department of Public Works recycling section at(626) 744-4721.

The city of Pasadena honored five groups and one indi-vidual as outstanding recyclers for 2004 at the Novem-ber City Council meeting, marking the start of Envi-ronmental Awareness Month.

The 2004 awardees were La Salle High School’s Envi-ronmental Science Course, Armory Center for theArts, Path to Freedom, Yorkshire Development, EatonCanyon Nature Center and John Hoffner.

La Salle High School’s Environmental Science Coursewon for Voluntary Development of a Recycling Pro-gram. Each day for 30 minutes the students of thecourse collect recyclables throughout the school. Prof-its are used to supportthe program andother environmen-tal charities. In the2003-04 school yearthe students divertedover 5,430 pounds ofmaterial from landfilldisposal.

The Armory Center for theArts was the recipient for Cre-ative Reuse of Common Materi-als. Donations of materials fromfabric to egg cartons, to wallpaper,magazines, string, old greeting cards,plastic, cardboard, bottle caps, old boards,and numerous other discards plus naturalmaterials such as pine cones, twigs and branch-es are used by students and local artistsin studios and field trips. In 2003-04approximately 50 60-gallon barrelsof materials were reused and recy-cled.

Path to Freedom, a family operated urban farm, wonthe award for Preservation of Natural Resources.Path to Freedom has converted a suburban lot into anedible landscape that provides habitat for wildlife andinsects and incorporates water-saving techniques,organic pest management, reuse, recycling and energyconservation. The family grows enough produce to sup-ply its own needs plus several restaurants and caterersin the area.

Page 4, Inside Solid Waste, Winter 2005

TASK FORCEMEETINGS

Meetings will be held at theCounty of Los Angeles Depart-ment of Public WorksHeadquarters, 900 SouthFremont Avenue, Alhambra.

The February metting is in the 12th floor conference room.

All other meetings are in conference room B.

For information

call Andrea Wong

at (626) 458-3547.

M -Th, 7:00 a.m. -

5:30 p.m.February 17 - 1 p.m.March 17 - 1 p.m.April 21 - 1 p.m.

What’s Up?HHW ROUNDUPS are open from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.unless otherwise indicated. For more information, call theLos Angeles County Department of Public Works, at1(888)CLEAN-LA (253-2652). For information about City ofLos Angeles events call 1(800)98-TOXIC (988-6942).

January 22 Hermosa Beach - Clark StadiumValley Drive between 8th & 11th Streets

January 29 South El Monte - Community Center Parking Lot1415 Santa Anita Ave.

February 5 Claremont - Claremont Corporate Yard1616 Monte Vista Ave.

February 12 Santa Fe Springs -Rio Hondo Fire Training Academy11400 Greenstone Ave.

February 19 Gardena - Hitco Carbon Composites, Inc.1551 West 139th St.

February 26 Diamond Bar - Gateway Corporate CenterCity Streets, 1300 Block of Bridge Gate Dr.

March 6 Marina del Rey - Dock 52 Parking LotFiji Way

March 13 Glendale - Glendale Water and Power800 Air Way

March 19 Pico Rivera - Southern California Edison Co.8101 Rosemead Blvd.

April 2 Long Beach - Veteran’s Stadium5000 Lew Davis St.

April 9 Rosemead - Southern California Edison Co.2255 Walnut Grove Ave.

April 16 Azusa - Northrop Gruman CorporationWest 3rd St. and Zachary Pedilla Ave.

April 16-17 Northridge - Cal State NorthridgeParking lot at Lassen St. & Lindley Ave.(Conducted by the City of Los Angeles)

April 23 Santa Clarita - College of the Canyons2645 Rockwell Canyon Rd.South Parking lot

There are five permanent collection centers whereL.A. County residents can dispose of their householdhazardous waste.

Materials such as paint, motor oil, anti-freeze, cleaningproducts, and pesticides can be taken to any of the fivelocations. Electronic waste will also be acceptedincluding computers, monitors, printers, televisions,and cell phones.

Please read each permanent center description belowfor details or call 1-800-98-TOXIC or 1(888)CLEAN-LA for more information.

GAFFEY STREET COLLECTION CENTER1400 N. Gaffey St., San Pedro, CA 90021Open Friday, Saturday, and Sunday 9:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m.

HYPERION TREATMENT PLANT7660 W. Imperial Highway, Gate BPlaya Del Rey, CA 90293Open Saturdays and Sundays 9:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m.

WASHINGTON BOULEVARD COLLECTION CENTER2649 E. Washington Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90021Open Friday, Saturday, and Sunday 9:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m.

RANDALL STREET S.A.F.E. CENTER11025 Randall St., Sun Valley, CA 91352Open Saturday, Sunday, and Monday 9:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m.

UCLA LOCATION550 Charles E. Young Dr. WestLos Angeles, CA 90095Open Thursday, Friday and Saturday 8:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m.Electronic waste accepted on Saturdays only

Winter 2005, Inside Solid Waste, Page 3

Santa Clarita Celebrates its 10th Annual River Rally Success!

In September 2004, the City celebrated its 10th AnnualRiver Rally. Predicting this event was going to be a largecelebration, staff worked hard to make it special. Thirty-one vendors were invited to participate in the Environ-mental Fair portion of the River Rally, ranging from sev-eral environmental organizations, to alternatives to watersofteners, to Peter Miro, an environmental artist whomakes science fiction space ships entirely of discards.Adding to the fanfare, the City also held two competi-tions for the River Rally, one held prior to the event look-ing for a t-shirt design for this special event and anotherduring the River Rally called “Don’t Trash That Art,Recycled Art Competition.” The City had enthusiasticparticipants for both competitions and also received sev-eral noteworthy entries. Although there were only a lim-ited number of winners, everyone in the community wonthrough high quality submissions and the lessons learnedin how their individual actions actually do affect the sur-rounding environment.

The purpose of the annual River Rally event is to pick-uptrash that, over the years, finds its way to the Santa ClaraRiver, and to educate participants about community envi-ronmental issues. The clean-up portion of the event wasnot lost in the process. The City had over 1,400 volun-teers show up to clean the river with incredible results.This year the participants were able to collect 15.6 tons oflitter and 1.8 tons of recyclables!

There is no doubt that the City of Santa Clarita 10thAnnual River Rally was a huge success. The City wantsto thank each and every community member who tooktime from their busy Saturday to participate or volunteerfor the event. It’s everyone’s individual contributions thatmade this event such a great success.

Florence Firestone Community Says: Can It!More than 600 residents of Los Angeles County’sFlorence Firestone community gathered on October 9,2004, to clean-up local streets, sidewalks and alleys and tosend an important message to their neighbors: “Can It!” Can It! and its Spanish counterpart ¡MantenLA Limpia!are advertising messages that are at the crux of theCounty of Los Angeles Department of Public Workseffort to reduce stormwater pollution. Over the course ofa four-month period, the Florence Firestone community,and its neighboring areas, were saturated with billboard,radio, newspaper and cable television ads in an attemptto change individual polluting behaviors. After months ofplanning that culminated in a four-hour communitybeautification and celebration event, the County nettedmuch more than just a substantial amount of trashcollected. It also raised awareness of personalresponsibility and environmental stewardship—principles that stand to have a long-term impact on thecommunity of Florence Firestone.

“Florence Firestone residents collected 31,000 pounds oftrash in two hours, which is phenomenal,” said MelindaBarrett, head of the Environmental Affairs Section of theCounty of Los Angeles Department of Public Works.

“This is our second community clean-up project in aCounty unincorporated area, and we hope to see ourFlorence Firestone volunteers adopt this program as theirown.”

A similar LA County Public Works pilot project in 2003led to the formation of the Clean U.P. Team, a group ofUnion Pacific residents who coordinated a series of theirown community clean-up events this year. From allindications, Florence Firestone community members willfollow that same model. With an area population of morethan 60,000, the Department of Public Works hopes toget more residents involved year after year.

“This entire program goes beyond advertising and a oneday clean-up event,” Barrett explained. “We conduct atargeted telephone poll before and after the clean-up,monitor trash collection levels from our street sweepingcrews for changes in the community’s polluting behaviorsand track calls to our environmental hotline.”For more information about the “Can It!” campaign andother LA County Public Works stormwater pollutionprevention initiatives, call 1(888) CLEAN LA or visit888.CleanLA.com.

Winter 2005, Inside Solid Waste, Page 5

Los Angeles CountySolid Waste Management Committee/Integrated Waste Management Task ForceP.O. Box 1460Alhambra, CA 91802-1460The County of Los Angeles does. Since the launch of theInternet based Los Angeles County Materials Exchange(LACoMAX) Program in 1998, residents, businesses,organizations, and institutions in the County of LosAngeles have been given an alternative to the disposal ofvaluable materials which are presently discarded aswaste. This alternative is to find markets for reusablematerials online at www.lacomax.com.

Developed and operated by the County of Los AngelesDepartment of Public Works, LACoMAX is designed tohelp those with valuable surplus materials connect withthose who want such materials. Users of this on-line ser-vice can post or search listings of a wide variety of avail-able and wanted materials.

The web site is user-friendly and provides on-screeninstructions which makes posting and searching for mate-rials easy and convenient. Listings are divided into 15categories which include wood, plastic, glass, and metals.The listings provide contact information, allowing theuser to contact the listing party directly. All exchangesare coordinated between the interested parties. LACo-MAX encourages feedback regarding successfulexchanges by allowing users to report these transactionsvia the web site.

The goal of LACoMAX is to conserve landfill space bydiverting usable materials, which would otherwise be sentto landfills, and putting them into the hands of individu-als who can use them.

DO YOU LACoMAX?By using LACoMAX, County of Los Angeles residentsand businesses benefit in the following ways:

❖ Dwindling landfill space is conserved as materials arediverted from disposal for reuse or recycling.

❖ Schools and nonprofit organizations receive desper-ately needed materials.

❖ Disposal costs are reduced for generators of discardedmaterials.

❖ Economic development is promoted as discardedmaterials are used as feedstock for new products.

❖ The County of Los Angeles communities move closerto meeting the State’s goal of reducing disposal by 50percent.

❖ Virgin raw materials (and the energy to process them)are conserved.

For more information about LACoMAX, contact theCounty of Los Angeles Department of Public Works at(626) 458-3546. You can access the LACoMAX site fromthe County’s Environmental Resources web site,www.888CleanLA.com, or call our 24-Hour Environmen-tal Hotline at 1(888) CLEANLA.