LA Sanitation (LASAN) provides solid resources collection services to 750,000 households, comprised of 530,000 single-family and 220,000 multi-family homes (duplex to four-unit buildings). The four-bin collection system consists of blue bins (recyclables), green bins (tree and yard trimmings), black bins (residual waste) and brown bins (horse manure). LASAN offers bulky items collection to 600,000 multi-family units. Using the calculation methodology adopted by the State of California, the City has achieved a landfill diversion rate of 76.4%. The City recognizes that waste management is a fundamental component of overall environmental sustainability and climate change efforts, and an integral part of the effort to reduce greenhouse gases.
In 1989, the California State Legislature signed Assembly Bill 939 into law that mandated every local jurisdiction in California to reduce their 1990 baseline waste by 25% by the year 1995, and by 50% by the year 2000.
As a direct result of this legislation, the Los Angeles City Council instructed the Board of Public Works and LA Sanitation to design and implement a Citywide Curbside Recycling Program.
The program began in 1990 after the completion of a pilot recycling program that was conducted in several areas throughout Los Angeles. Initially, the City distributed 14-gallon yellow and green plastic recycling buckets to every household and collected their contents weekly using a fleet of manual and semi-automatic recycling collection trucks.
By 1997, the program was so successful that the 14-gallon bins weren't sufficient for the volume of recyclables generated by each resident and as a result, the City issued 90-gallon blue recycling containers to each household and switched to using fully automated recycling collection vehicles.
As a result of these great programs, the March 2, 2009 edition of Waste & Recycling News identified Los Angeles as having the highest recycling rate out of the 10 largest U.S. cities.
The City of Los Angeles currently operates the largest residential curbside recycling program in the United States, collecting a variety of recyclables from over 750,000 households every week.
Using fully automated collection vehicles in conjunction with 90-gallon blue containers for recyclable materials and 90-gallon green containers for yard trimmings, the City currently collects an average of 800 tons per day of recyclable materials and 1,700 tons per day of green waste from Los Angeles City residents. Participating residents include 530,000 single family homes and 220,000 multi-family units (four units or less).
WHAT YARD TRIMMINGS CAN YOU RECYCLE AT THE CURB?
LASAN issues green containers, or bins, for recycling yard trimmings. The following are items that can be placed in the green bin:
DO NOT RECYCLE THESE ITEMS IN THE GREEN BINIf these items are placed in the green bin, there's a likelihood of contaminating the other clean materials. Please ensure that the items placed in the green bin are clean and free from contaminants.
The City of Los Angeles offers a once-a-year collection for excess yard trimmings (brush) to all households serviced by LA Sanitation (LASAN), free of charge. Brush must be bundled and tied together so the length and weight shall not exceed four feet and 30 pounds, respectively. Please call the LA Sanitation Customer Care Center at 1-800-773-2489 to schedule a collection.