Jamie Rowe, Copy Editor
Recycling isn’t just about the bottle or can anymore. In addition to the normal recycling programs found in cities across Southern California, e-waste round ups, motor oil pickups, and composting are among the many ways various government entities are helping citizens reprocess daily items ranging from old computer monitors to phone books.
In Long Beach, residents of single-family homes or apartment complexes of 10 units or less can place recyclables in purple containers provided by the city. Items such as mixed paper, aluminum, steel and tin cans, plastic containers, empty paint or aerosol cans, cardboard, and newspapers can be placed in these bins, according to Environmental Services Bureau’s (ESB) Web site.
“Californians recycle nearly 60 percent of their beverage containers,” the Web site states. “But that means more than four out of every 10 bottles and cans get trashed, instead of being recycled.”
Beyond recycling the well-known bottles, cans and paper, are items like motor oil and filters, which the city will pick up after a request order form has been filled out. The form is on the Web site or residents can call (800) RECYCL2 to schedule a pickup time.
Long Beach also provides composting and vermiposting (composting with assistance from worms) bins, ranging in price from $10.50 to $55. Composting items such as non-diseased or insect infested plants, fruit and vegetable scraps, coffee grounds and egg shells can reduce a residence’s waste by 25 percent, according to ESB.
The city is offering a composting workshop from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Saturday at Environmental Services Bureau, located at 2929 East Willow Street. Call (562) 570-4694 or e-mail recycle@long beach-recycles.org to enroll.
E-waste item such as televisions, VCRs, computers and their peripherals, or household hazardous waste (HHW) can be taken to the nearest permanent HHW and e-waste collections center at Gaffey Street Collection Center, 1400 N. Gaffey Street in San Pedro. The center is open Friday, Saturday and Sunday, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
After Sunday, July 1, all grocery stores and retail pharmacies with more than 10,000 square feet of retail space will be required to provide at-store recycling programs for plastic bags through Assembly Bill 2449, or the Plastic Bag Recycling Act of 2006.
The stores must transport and recycle the bags returned to them. The stores will also recycle plastic film and cardboard used in shipping, green waste and other material, according to California Grocers Association President and CEO Peter Larkin.
“Plastic grocery bags have long been a source of litter and debris that has plagued California,” said Margo Reid Brown, chairwoman of the California Integrated Waste Management Board.
For a recycling center near you or more information about how to dispose of HHW or e-waste, visit www.longbeach-recycles.org.
