New trash cans along Foothill Boulevard have made their debut in La Cañada Flintridge in the final days of October.
The cans — which have been upgraded to three options for residents to dispose of waste — includes a place for recycling, organics and waste. They were first approved by the City Council on April 4 as part of the 2022-23 budget.
The previous bins were purchased more than 20 years ago and needed a fresh new look, according to the agenda item.
The city has just completed phase I of the distribution of the new bins, which sit along Foothill Boulevard, mainly at bus stops.
“The new bins are being deployed citywide,” Management Analyst Joshua Jeffrey told the Outlook Valley Sun. “There were originally 76 concrete bins. We are installing 44 bins in the first phase and will be installing the rest throughout the end of the year.”
Jeffrey said that almost all the old bins will be replaced with new ones except for a few locations.
“We evaluated the need, capacity and service when deciding where to place the new bins,” he said.
As an example, “There were two concrete bins at the bus stop in front of Memorial Park — one was for recycling and the other was for waste. Both were replaced with a single triple-stream, and we are adding an additional bin in the park at a new location. There were others, which were removed because of their remote locations or use,” he added.
With the addition to these new bins and more options for community members to discard waste, Jeffrey said that trash collection might look a bit different.
“Depending upon the location, trash is collected by either the city’s waste haulers or landscape maintenance contractors,” he said. “Waste and recyclables are either placed into larger, source-separated commercial bins at public facilities or directly hauled to Material Recovery Facilities.”
He said that service will take additional time due to the increased capacity of waste.
“With space for both recyclables and food waste, the triple-stream bins more than double the capacity of the single-stream concrete bins,” Jeffrey said.
He said that separated collection will begin shortly after the final phase is complete.
“Recyclables and organic waste will be treated at the same facilities as residential collection,” Jeffrey said. “Soon, organic waste and food scraps will be turned into compost or energy at organic recycling facilities throughout the region.”
Phase II of the plan will include installation of the new bins at parks and athletic fields.
To learn more about waste disposal and recycling in the city, visit cityoflcf.org/public-works/waste-disposal-recycling/.
First published in the November 9 print issue of the Outlook Valley Sun.
