SANTA ANA : Recycling Measures Adopted by Council

Residents will have to separate their newspapers and bag their yard and kitchen waste separately under new trash regulations approved last week by the City Council.

The regulations are designed to complement the city’s recycling program, which will be phased in over the next year, beginning in July, said city spokeswoman Teri Cable. “If people separate that out, it will allow us to better meet our (recycling) goals,” Cable said.

State law requires that cities reduce their trash output by 25% by 1995 and 50% by the year 2000. Fines for missing those targets can run as high as $10,000 a day.

The regulations, which go into effect July 6, will initially affect only one-third of the city’s residents, specifically those who live along trash routes selected for recycling. Those customers will receive brochures from the city outlining the new disposal regulations in early July. As the program is expanded to the other routes, newly affected residents will also receive the brochures.

The new regulations state that residential garbage containers plus their contents may not exceed 50 pounds. Residents must be able to fit items such as palm fronds and tree limbs into their trash containers or else tie them in bundles with heavy cord or wire. Kitchen waste, hair clippings, ashes and similar light materials will have to be bagged separately. Failure to comply could result in a $50 fine.

Also, the city may require bin service customers who overload their containers to increase the number of trash pickups they receive. Customers would be given notice if their containers are overloaded and would be required to increase their service if another violation occurred within 30 days, Cable said.