Thursday, October 06, 2005

Bulky Items Pilot Program

I joined Councilmember Tom LaBonge to announce a pilot bulky item pick-up program in two new neighborhoods of Los Angeles. We chose neighborhoods that were blighted with high concentrations of household items left on the streets or on the parkway. Couches, mattresses, refrigerators, you name it: if it doesn't belong, it's going to the dump.

Under the pilot program, city truck crews will routinely survey the streets to collect items left at the curbside. (You can still arrange a bulky item pickup by calling 3-1-1 from anywhere in the city, of course.) The target areas are in the Wilshire Center/Koreatown /Beverly-Kingsley area and in Little Armenia. The program will be in effect through the end of the year.

My hope, which I share with Tom, is that we can expand this program city-wide, possibly establishing a collection fee to help defray the costs of the service. Nobody wants this two-ton litter problem. Tenant advocates, renters, property owners, city unions and private waste haulers have all worked with us to find a solution.

So, today, whether you're inside or outside of the pilot area, why not make a note of that errant sofa you see on your commute? Let's get that seat off the street.