Local News in Brief : Recycling Program Application

Redondo Beach will compete with about 50 cities statewide for a community recycling program run under the auspices of the state Department of Conservation.

The City Council unanimously approved the application for the $165,000 program, which will be made to the Department of Conservation and administered by the environmental group, Californians Against Waste.

Mark Murray, a spokesman for Californians Against Waste, said the 13-month project would study the demographics of the selected city, then design a personalized recycling program for the city.

Two years ago, Redondo Beach discontinued its 3-year-old curbside recycling program when the private contractor reported losses of more than $70,000 because of poor community participation.

“The council has talked about reinstating a recycling program. It would be nice for someone to come in and find out what went wrong the first time,” Casey said.

Murray said he was looking for a typical Californian community of at least 20,000 people, with a good mix of residential and commercial neighborhoods and “little or no recycling taking place.”

In addition to applying for the program, the council also has authorized a $10,000 direct contribution to support the statewide project, said City Manager Tim Casey.