Though recycling has become increasingly convenient for
on-campus residents over the past decade, many students living in
Westwood Village apartments remain without access to recycling
services.
The City of Los Angeles provides curbside pickup of recyclables
for every address in addition to regular trash collection but does
not offer collection service for dumpsters.
Those living in high-density areas where dumpsters are the most
space-efficient means for trash removal ““ such as large
apartments or fraternity or sorority houses ““ are forced to
use private services for collection.
Westwood landlords use a variety of private services, but almost
all charge extra and require additional space to provide recycling
amenities. For these reasons, many building managers do not provide
recycling service for their residents.
Brian Zirbel, a fourth-year political science student and
resident of Club California, a large apartment complex on Roebling
Avenue, said since moving off campus he has not been able to
recycle.
Jay Hurley, a second-year history student and resident of a
fraternity on Gayley Avenue, said he recycled cans and bottles when
he lived on campus but has been unable to recycle since he moved
into his house.
“A homeless guy was coming around and taking our cans for
a while, but we don’t recycle anything ourselves,” he
said.
Bob Mills, a building manager at the 403 Landfair Avenue
apartment building, said building owners have been unable to
provide recycling services due to cost and a shortage of space for
a separate recycling bin.
Most private companies offer recycling services, though it is
typically a small part of the trash removal business.
Frank Lapp, of Local Trash Company, said his company provides
collection services for about 50 Westwood residences and
businesses, but only one of its clients in the area pays for a
recycling bin.
Besides financial considerations, Mills cited logistical
obstacles to offering recycling for his tenants.
Because his building contains a single-compartment trash chute,
disposing of recyclables would require residents to make a trip to
the basement. In order to make recycling convenient, an expensive
change in the building’s infrastructure would be necessary,
he said.
A Los Angeles City Council ordinance aims to promote recycling
among those paying for private trash removal, and could lead to
more widespread public recycling services.
The ordinance, which has been in effect since Sept. 1, 2002,
requires a 10 percent tax on the gross cost of all solid trash
removal.
Because recycling services are not subjected to the 10 percent
fee, customers can reduce their trash bills by recycling.
Revenue generated by the tax will be used to institute citywide
recycling services for businesses and the tenants of apartment
buildings, condominiums and townhouses.
Though the tax has been levied for over two years, no recycling
programs geared toward high-density living situations are currently
in effect.
The city council is scheduled to begin negotiating contracts for
the new services in April, said Benjamin Novida, an engineer in the
citywide recycling division of the Bureau of Sanitation.
While apartment complex owners say financial and practical
concerns prevent them from providing recycling for their tenants,
UCLA Housing Administration makes recycling available and
convenient despite similar obstacles.
Residents of the on-campus high rises are provided with public
recycling bins on every floor. Though student volunteers help make
the service possible by emptying bins, a large majority of the work
is done by janitors, said Kallen DeOliveira, co-chair of an
on-campus recycling group.
Rob Kadota, an area director at the Office of Residential Life,
said the recycling program is expensive but worth it.
“It’s the right thing to do and we all do our
share,” he said.
And though some buildings may not provide a receptacle for
recyclable materials, it is still possible that some trash may be
sorted.
Some collection companies send their trash to a transfer station
where recyclable materials are extracted before the waste is sent
to a landfill.
Though recycling is generally expensive and labor intensive,
services that use transfer stations actually save money by
recycling.
Companies that have access to transfer stations can decrease
drop-off fees at the landfill by cutting down on the amount of
trash they deliver through recycling.