CITY KICKS OFF FIRST DIAPER RECYCLING PROGRAM INNOVATIVE PROJECT WILL RUN SIX MONTHS TO GAUGE SUCCESS.

Byline: Heather MacDonald Staff Writer

SANTA CLARITA - City officials kicked off the nation's first diaper recycling program on Friday, determined to avoid deep, er, trouble.

Starting next week, a thoroughly unpleasant hodgepodge of used Luvs, Huggies and Pampers will be collected from about 225 families in four Santa Clarita neighborhoods for a six-month test of the system that critics say is unproven and too risky for a city as small as Santa Clarita.

``This is a risk worth taking,'' said Councilman Cameron Smyth. ``We're being courageous, and stepping out on a limb to improve our community.''

The diaper recycling service will be provided at no additional cost to residents during the pilot program. If diaper recycling is successful and expanded citywide, residents will likely pay an extra charge, Smyth said.

A city study estimated that Santa Clarita generates nearly 7,000 tons of dirty diapers a year - about 5 percent of the city's residential garbage.

Santa Clarita, like many Southern California cities, has yet to meet a state mandate to recycle 50 percent of its waste, and officials are hopeful that diverting dirty diapers from landfills could make a big difference.

``We have to be innovative,'' said Councilwoman Marsha McLean. ``We have to step out of the box.''

Knowaste, a private company, will use a state-of-the-art recycling machine to separate the nastier parts of the diaper from its shell, which can be made into shingles and plastic ``wood.'' In addition, the absorbent lining of the diaper can be recycled to make wallpaper and oil filters, company officials said.

``This is the right thing to do,'' said Knowaste President Roy Brown.

The pilot program is being paid for with $250,000 from local taxpayers and a matching grant from the state along with funds from Knowaste. Santa Clarita/Blue Barrel Disposal Co. is donating the new 34-gallon bins that will be used to collect the diapers.

Similar diaper recycling programs failed in three Canadian cities after costs skyrocketed to $150 a ton after the end of test runs.

Councilman Bob Kellar cast the only vote against the experiment, which was not endorsed by the city's environmental services staff.

Critics of the program say the cost of running a diaper recycling facility in Southern California is too high, especially when compared with relatively inexpensive dumping fees at area landfills, which average $32 a ton.

Company officials point to the success of an ambitious program in the Netherlands, where dumping fees are much higher, as proof that the system can be successful, Brown said.

If the Santa Clarita pilot program fails, Knowaste will give the city a $100,000 rebate.

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(1 -- 3) Top left, Rachel Chobanian, 1, and above with her mother, takes part in a press conference announcing Santa Clarita's controversial diaper recycling program. In the foreground a table display holds some of the products into which diapers can be recycled. At left, Carolyn McMahon lifts her 4-month-old son, Hunter, during the festivities Friday.