Recycling in Los Angeles

If you're reading this blog, you probably already recycle. Well, you can pretty easily start recycling a lot more, with a little information. We all know you can throw aluminum cans, glass bottles and newspapers in the blue recycling bins. But that's just the tip of the iceberg... You can recycle a huge portion of the food packaging you encounter, junk mail, the cans from all your canned foods, plastic & paper shopping bags and more! At my house we are very good recyclers. For every bag of trash we have to take out, we pretty much have at least one bag of recycling as well.

Check out the LA Bureau of Sanitation's list of what you can throw into the bins.

computer monitors, paint & batteries

None of this stuff can go into your trashcan! Large computer monitors are particularly toxic as they can contain anywhere from 2 to 10 pounds of lead.

I recently found myself with a bag of used batteries, and I kinda figured they shouldn't go in with regular trash. My former lazy self actually threw them in with the regular trash all the time. HOwever, depending on the type of battery, they are considered toxic and corrosive. Not something you really want to make it down to the water table, right?

Well, a computer monitor died at my work, so I decided to uphold my new greenliving mission, and volunteered to dispose of it properly. This leads to my enormous frustration with Los Angeles County Waste Management. It took a bit hunting online for me to track down an answer to whether the trash truck would pick up and dispose of your hazardous waste (no!) and whether you could schedule a pick-up (no!) or if there is someplace you can drop it off (yes!). It seems to me that since this stuff is so bad for the environment and for us, the county or city should make it much easier for residents to dispose of hazardous waste.

Well here is what you do-
There are 5 places in LA where you can take this stuff- for free. They also do community "round-ups" where they set up a mobile center where folks can take their stuff.

There happens to be a permanent center in Playa del Rey, not far from me in Venice. So last night I grabbed the old burningman art project paint cans (the ones with a 1-inch dried layer on the bottom, or so viscous it is impossible to thin), rounded up the used batteries, and loaded the shockingly heavy computer monitor into the car, and took a nice morning drive along the beach. It is slightly disconcerting that the treatment plant I took my hazardous waste to is right on the beach, but I assume that is because they are treating water before it pours into the ocean(something for me to look into).

When I arrived, they had signs pointing me in the proper direction, and the guys that unloaded my car were friendly and efficient. The whole process from entering the gate to leaving the facility took about 5 minutes.

As I was driving along Vista Del Mar and glancing at the ocean, I spotted a small pod of dolphins. I stopped my car along the side of the road just to watch them. They were quite close to the deserted beach, and kept resurfacing as they made their way north. Contentedness is close when you can spend part of your Saturday morning watching dolphins swim in a blue ocean near an empty beach. This was so different from my customary LA beach experience of careless tourists, obnoxious residents, and sand so mixed with trash that I don't like allowing my nieces and nephews to play in it. This was my postcard moment that I didn't expect to find just a mile up from Hyperion Treatment Plant.

It reminded me why I made my new resolutions, and why I made the trek down there in the first place.


To properly dispose of your hazardous waste:

Permanent HHW / E-Waste Collection Centers

Note: It is against the law to transport more than 15 gallons or 125 pounds of hazardous waste to a collection site. Residents are limited to a total of 6 pieces of electronic waste per visit to a S.A.F.E. Center.

It is recommended that you call the Center first, to make sure that they accept the materials that you want to dispose of.

Gaffey Street Collection Center
1400 N. Gaffey St., San Pedro, CA 90731
Open Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, 9:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.

Hyperion Treatment Plant
7660 W. Imperial Highway, Gate B, Playa Del Rey, CA 90293
Open Saturdays and Sundays, 9:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.

Washington Blvd. Collection Center
2649 E. Washington Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90021
Open Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, 9:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.

U.C.L.A. S.A.F.E. Center
550 Charles E. Young Dr. West
Los Angeles, CA 90095
Open Thursday, Friday and Saturday, 8:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.

Randall Street S.A.F.E. Center
11025 Randall St., Sun Valley, CA 91352
Open Saturday, Sunday and Monday, 9:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.


Local Weekend HHW / E-Waste Round-up Schedule
The County of Los Angeles operates Household Hazardous Waste Collection events throughout the year. The events are FREE and open to all residents of L.A. County.

Schedule of upcoming events.

Your Carbon Diet

Slate.com's Green Challenge was meant to encompass the weeks leading up to the new year- but I just found it last week, so what can you do? I was pleased to find out that I generate less than half the carbon emissions of your average American. I credit this mainly to a few large factors- I am a vegetarian, I drive a fuel efficient car, I don't drive much these days, and I am a fairly avid recycler.

I encourage everyone to take this- it is an enlightening experience. You may think you're already pretty environmentally-friendly, then find out you actually have a lot of work to do. Besides just figuring out how much damage you're doing, they also give suggestions of ways to reduce your emissions.

Welcome!

I am a bit worried about the state of the environment. Indeed, I am sometimes overcome with fear for the future- considering global warming, climate change, pollution, various animals and plants going extinct and the growing scarcity of resources. Part of me actually considers packing the car full of canned goods and water and building a cabin somewhere off the grid- someplace I can escape to when everything goes to hell.

But, at my core, I am an optimist. So I decided to get active instead of getting depressed (or becoming a radical hermit- a lifestyle I am not suited for). Here is my first humble offering- a blog about my attempts to live a more environmentally-friendly existence while residing in one of the most un-environmentally-friendly places in the US- Los Angeles.

Hopefully I can make some changes in my own life (with this blog to keep me honest), and hopefully someone will read this blog and get a few tips to help them on their way as well. Thanks for being here- it takes individuals to make a collective difference.