LA Sanitation (LASAN) provides solid resources collection services to 750,000 households, comprised of 530,000 single-family and 220,000 multi-family homes (duplex to four-unit buildings). The four-bin collection system consists of blue bins (recyclables), green bins (tree and yard trimmings), black bins (residual waste) and brown bins (horse manure). Using the calculation methodology adopted by the State of California, the City has achieved a landfill diversion rate of 76.4%. The City recognizes that waste management is a fundamental component of overall environmental sustainability and climate change efforts, and an integral part of the effort to reduce greenhouse gases.
In 1989, the California State Legislature signed Assembly Bill 939 into law that mandated every local jurisdiction in California to reduce their 1990 baseline waste by 25% by the year 1995, and by 50% by the year 2000.
As a direct result of this legislation, the Los Angeles City Council instructed the Board of Public Works and LASAN to design and implement a Citywide Curbside Recycling Program.
The program began in 1990 after the completion of a pilot recycling program that was conducted in several areas throughout Los Angeles. Initially, the City distributed 14-gallon yellow and green plastic recycling buckets to every household and collected their contents weekly using a fleet of manual and semi-automatic recycling collection trucks.
By 1997, the program was so successful that the 14-gallon bins weren't sufficient for the volume of recyclables generated by each resident and as a result, the City issued 90-gallon blue bins to each household and switched to using fully automated recycling collection vehicles.
As a result of these great programs, the March 2, 2009 edition of Waste & Recycling News identified Los Angeles as having the highest recycling rate out of the 10 largest U.S. cities.
The City of Los Angeles currently operates the largest residential curbside recycling program in the United States, collecting a variety of recyclables from over 750,000 households every week.
Using fully automated collection vehicles in conjunction with 90-gallon blue bins for recyclable materials and 90-gallon green containers for yard trimmings, the City currently collects an average of 800 tons per day of recyclable materials and 1,700 tons per day of green waste from Los Angeles City residents. Participating residents include 530,000 single family homes and 220,000 multi-family units (four units or less).
Paper
All clean dry paper, including:
Cardboard
All cardboard boxes and chipboard, including:
Cartons
All refrigerated, shelf-stable, aseptic packaging, including:
Metals
All aluminum, tin, metal, and bi-metal cans, wiped out if possible, including:
Glass
All glass bottles and jars, wiped out if possible, including:
Plastics
All plastics numbers 1 through 7
Empty plastic containers, wiped out if possible, including:
If these items are placed in the blue container, there's a likelihood of contaminating the other clean materials. Please ensure that the items placed in the blue container are clean and free from contaminants.
Contaminated Paper:
Glass (the following items should be placed inside the black bin):
Miscellaneous Materials:
These materials may have special handling requirements so please contact the LASAN Customer Care Center at 1-800-773-2489 for information on how to dispose of such items.
Electronic Waste:
E-waste is accepted at the curbside by special appointment (contact our Call Center) or by drop-off at S.A.F.E. Centers and Mobile Collection Events.
Hazardous Materials:
Household hazardous waste (HHW) can be taken to our S.A.F.E. Centers and Mobile Collection Events.
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