The blue containers - does LA City really separate paper, plastic, glass and cans?

Yes they do.

I know this because I tagged along on a tour of the East Valley recycling facilities arranged by the City of LA’s Department of Public Works. They were hosting a delegation from Guangdong, the most populous province in China. First we saw the base of operations for the Bureau of Sanitation in East Valley where the LNG- and CNG-powered fleet (the green trucks like you see in the photo) are maintained. In addition to the container pick-ups, they also handle bulky item pick-up including mattresses, TVs and dead animals. We also saw a warehouse with thousands of green, black and blue containers – and did you know there is a brown one too? For horse manure. They have 5 other yards like this – the one for West Valley is on Vanalden between Parthenia and Nordhoff.

Then we visited a private operation licensed by the City where I saw where they separate paper, plastic, glass and cans – and they really do separate them. Photo gallery here. Various conveyer belt machines do basic sorting and then personnel hand-separate what’s left. It’s a dirty and dusty job and even with face masks I can imagine it may be somewhat hazardous to anyone with respiratory concerns. All the more reason to remember that it is important you throw only recyclables in the blue container. If you put in trash, large loads get contaminated and they have to go to the landfill instead - and you make those guys’ job harder.

Make sure you know what can be placed in the blue containers (here) – pretty much all clean plastics and paper, cans and glass – and what constitutes hazardous materials (here). When in doubt, place it in the black container – construction materials, old mirrors, bits of furniture, and so on. As we were leaving we walked past impressive piles of compressed recycled cans and paper. Glass was in another section. Then I spotted some multi-colored piles where I asked “What’s that?” The answer: “The stuff that’s hopelessly contaminated. It has to go to the landfill.”

The City of LA now leads the top 10 U.S. cities in recycling the most – with somewhere between 65% and 70%. The goal, of course, is zero waste – and why not? The bad news is just how much trash this City produces – one of the members of the delegation from Guangdong commented on this. I think their entire delegation was horrified that we Americans use and throw away so much stuff.