Pasadena’s Waste

EARTH MONTH 2024

Plastic bottles (Photo – Mali Maeder)

Single family residents in Pasadena can sleep better knowing that, in the morning, they can toss their non-recyclable plastic waste into their landfill bin.

By Cheryl Auger

If it doesn’t have a one or two on the container it is not recyclable. Three through seven plastics include pill blister packs, frozen bags, plastic wrap, bags, plastic utensils, polystyrene, chip bags, yogurt containers, take out containers, etc. So basically about 71% of our plastic waste is shifting to the landfill bin. And while this isn’t remarkable, since it’s really just doing the right thing, it is remarkable from a state regulatory perspective.

The state’s 75% solid waste “diversion” goal requires local jurisdictions to reduce the amount of waste sent to their landfill.

If this goal is not met, then the local jurisdiction has to pay a fine, unless the state waives it for extenuating circumstances. The local jurisdictions are ultimately on the hook for amounts of waste to landfills.

So now think of the thousands of multifamily apartments and offices with the single source waste containers in Pasadena. All of the chip bags, styrofoam, takeout containers, bags, etc. are all there and of course are not recyclable. So what happens to that waste?

(Chart by Cheryl Auger)

A new report from The Last Beach Clean Up shows California’s own data reveals bales of plastics are being exported illegally with high percentages of non-recyclable plastic waste. In 2022, California exported 109,276 bales of mixed plastic waste to banned countries and 166,423 bales of plastic waste to Mexico.

The time has come for California to manage its waste. It’s true that only rigid PET and HDPE bottles and jugs are recyclable and nothing else is. The State needs to end the diversion goals and allow plastics 3 through 7 to go to the landfill. Besides obviously being right from an environmental justice perspective, managing our waste locally reduces the impact on wildlife and their habitats and reduces the carbon emissions from hauling. Taking care of our own waste is just the right thing to do.