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Why LA Garbage Haulers Trashed Your Recyclables
When health authorities ordered Angelenos to stay home to slow the spread of the coronavirus, the result was garbage — a lot of it. Recyclables piled up, too. But much of our carefully separated bottles, cans and paper ended up in local landfills rather than recycled.
The extra residential trash came from people eating and cooking more at home, packaging from free grab-and-go meals and takeout from local restaurants. And all that cardboard from online shopping was filling up our trash and recycling bins.
But just as household garbage and recycling bins were overflowing, a lot of the places that process recyclable bottles, cans and plastics were closing.
Twelve of 29 recyclable sorting plants serving L.A. County Sanitation Districts and one of the two big plants taking L.A. city materials closed for weeks on end.
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You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
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Senior Vice President News, Editor in Chief
