Juan Contreras, a Mexican who lives in the City of Commerce, and César Bautista, a Salvadoran from Los Angeles, have something in common: they did not know how to dispose of bulky objects that are garbage. It wasn’t until they found out about a free recycling program in the city of Los Angeles that they were able to dispose of those items.
“A friend gave me a brochure containing the addresses of all free recycling places, ”Juan told Real America News. “I wanted to get rid of these things in a yonque but they charged me, even though they could sell the car wheels and tires. ”
The man, from 45 years, he also got rid of an already useless lawn mower. He left everything at the Los Angeles Recycling and Transfer Center, located on the block 2201 east of Washington Boulevard.
“Wow, for several years I had all this in my house. Bringing them to this place only took me 10 minutes and it’s free, ”said Juan. “I couldn’t throw these things out on the street.”
Collection of 100 to 300 tons of garbage
From 2016, municipal authorities launched Keep Los Angeles Clean program for residents to avoid littering on sidewalks and alleys.
The pilot program began with three events per year, but due to their great popularity, they started making them once a month.
Among the large objects that people can remove without much problem are: bookcases, mattresses and bases of beds, rugs, chairs, dressers, armchairs, sofas, filing cabinets, armchair It is recliners, shelves, stools, tables, tires, wood and more.
Among the materials or objectives that are not received in the place are: electrical appliances (such as kitchens), construction waste (such as asphalt and concrete), demolition waste, batteries, hazardous waste (such as solvents and flammable liquids), incinerator waste, infectious waste, items with electrical outlets, medical waste or scrap metal.
“We usually collect from 100 to 300 tons of garbage [en cada evento] ”, he declared Elena Stern, spokesperson for the City of Los Angeles Department of Public Works
Added that most of the collected items are generally disposed of in landfills for recycling, except electronic waste and household appliances.
Attention to the landfill ile gal of garbage -which includes bulky or heavy items- is in charge of the Habitability Services Division (LSD).
This Los Angeles government entity is responsible for respond to requests for illegal dumping services.
“The routine service to Illegal landfills is carried out as part of habitability cleanup activities with dedicated and scheduled teams throughout the city and with monitoring of illegal landfills through the MyLA system said Stern , to Real America News.
To address unreported illegal discharges, LA Sanitation and Environment (LASAN) has developed a proactive approach to address places with chronic illegal discharges in areas such as South Los Angeles and the larger regions of downtown Los Angeles.
“Using historical illegal dumping data and CleanStat, it was deployed They organize crews of workers to ensure that an adequate level of service [de limpieza] is carried out throughout the city, ”added the spokeswoman.
“Additionally, CleanStat assessments provide data on illegal dumping across the city, complementing this proactive approach.”
Earn money recycling other people’s trash
Proactive in favor of the environment and the cleanliness of his community is César Bautista, a Salvadoran from La Unión, who along with his wife Verónica Zelaya went this Saturday to the Central LA Recycling and Transfer Station recycling center to dispose of wood, chairs and the old carpet from his home.
“It was time to change the folder, especially for the children,” said César, who works in demolition and debris removal. César also earns money with the garbage he recycles, which is delivered by friend s, families or businesses. They hire him to transport tons of useless objects to the recycling center.
“ I charge up to $ 250 to throw out that garbage and pay $ 75 for each ton, so I have been free about $ 200; apart from my job I visit the recycling center twice a week; sometimes I carry tons of garbage. ”
Despite a staff shortage in recent years, the Los Angeles Department of Sanitation and Environment (LASAN) has made steady progress in the fight against the problem of illegal dumping, capturing on surveillance cameras a total 144 cases of illegal garbage dumping.
“Based on that evidence, they have completed 57 criminal cases or are currently under investigation, “he said. Elena Stern.
The Keep Los Angeles Clean program for residents of the Los Angeles city is also performed elsewhere:
- East Valley District Yard
Sun Valley, CA 91352.
8840 Vanalden Avenue, Northridge, CA 91324.
1400 North Gaffey Street, San Pedro, CA 90731.
West LA District Yard 2489 E.Washington Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90021.
Upcoming bulky or heavy item recycling dates: For more information on events for staff of the Department of the Environment and Sanitation of the city of Los Angeles collect heavy or bulky items from your home, call 3-1-1 or use the MyLA app for smartphones.
2027 Stoner Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90025.
Where to call?
You can also contact LA Sanitation every day of the week by dialing the 1(800) 768 – 2489.
Do not risk being fined
In the city of Los Angeles, the following criteria are applied against those who illegally dump garbage on the streets, alleys or inappropriate places.
The infractions will be $ 200 for the first offense and $ 250 for the second offense .
Any subsequent infraction thereafter will be punishable as a misdemeanor.
Misdemeanors will be punished with a fine of up to $ 1, 000 or spend time in a county jail for up to six months.
Penalties for violations of state law include fines of up to $ 25, 07 me
imprisonment.