Getting Answers : ‘Is There a Limit on Trash?’

Is there a limit on the amount of trash that the city is required to pick up per home? I was driving around on trash day and noticed an unusually large number of cans at certain residences. Perhaps the city could raise some revenue by instituting a fee, say $1 per every extra can over three.

STELLA ZADEH

Los Angeles

Currently, the City of Los Angeles Bureau of Sanitation will pick up all trash at city-serviced households as long as it is properly prepared for collection. For homes with regular trash collection service, up to 60 pounds of trash may be placed in each standard steel or plastic refuse containers, or up to 30 pounds of material may be placed out in a bag or bundle. For homes with our new automated refuse collection service, residents may put up to 150 pounds of material into each city-issued container.

There is a report making its way to the City Council that proposes an “extra capacity” fee for residents who need more capacity than the two 60-gallon city-issued containers. The following fee structure is proposed in this report:

- A fee of $5 per month per additional 30 gallons of trash capacity. For example, for $5 per month a resident can replace a 60-gallon container with a 90-gallon container.

- A reduced fee of $2.50 per month per additional 30 gallons of yard trimmings or horse manure. Yard trimmings and horse manure can be recycled into compost products, saving landfill space.

Bureau of Sanitation bulky item collection for discarded furniture and appliances will continue to be a free service. Residents who need bulky item collection or any information about our recycling programs can call (800) 773-CITY.

GYL ELLIOTT

Public information director Recycling and Waste Reduction Division