Los Angeles celebrates launch of recycLA

Los Angeles Sanitation and the city of Los Angeles are celebrating the launch of the new business and multifamily waste and recycling collection program, “recycLA,” with an event Monday, June 5, 2017, geared toward city officials, renters, business owners, property managers and environmental advocates. recycLA will provide waste and recycling services to 80,000 commercial and multifamily buildings in Los Angeles, many of which have not had the opportunity to recycle under the current system.

The event begins at 10 a.m. at the Broadway Village II Apartments, 5101 S. Broadway Ave. A clean-fuel low-emission waste truck and new waste and recycling bins will be on display, and the new recycLA brand will be revealed.

Los Angeles was the first city in the U.S. to pilot recycling initiatives in 1985 and is the largest city in the country to create a commercial franchise agreement. Under the expanded waste collection and recycling system, landfill diversion rates will reach a landmark 90 percent by 2025, allowing other major cities to use the recycLA program as a blueprint, Los Angeles Sanitation says.  

The new system divides the city into 11 zones that will be served exclusively by a single service provider, meaning fewer trucks congesting neighborhoods and less wear and tear on streets, according to a news release from Los Angeles Sanitation. It also is designed to ensure strong customer services, predictable and protected rates and much-needed infrastructure and equipment improvements. Clean-fuel-burning trucks and less waste going to landfills will result in better air quality and less greenhouse gas emissions, in keeping with the city’s commitment to mitigating the impact of climate change.

As the lead agency for the city’s environmental programs and initiatives, LA Sanitation protects public health and the environment through the administration and management of three program areas: clean water (wastewater), solid resources (solid waste management) and watershed protection (stormwater). These infrastructure programs collect, treat, recycle and dispose of the solid and liquid waste generated by the nation’s second largest city of more than 4 million residents. Through these essential public service programs, LA Sanitation says it delivers a triple bottom line of economic, environmental and social benefits that sustain the quality of life in Los Angeles.