COUNTY COMMUNITIES' POLICIES VARY ON REFUSE.

Byline: Jesse Hiestand Staff Writer

Amid warnings 20 years ago that Los Angeles County was running out of landfill space, Long Beach embarked on a profit-making plan to burn its trash and generate electricity, a project that now disposes of 1,500 tons each day - meeting the city's need and more.

Aside from a similar waste-to-energy plant in Commerce, the method was shunned by most other Southern California cities.

``It was going to be the salvation but it never really panned out,'' said Dave Polis, a waste consultant for Westlake Village and other cities. ``Part of the problem is that the resulting ash is usually highly toxic and then there is the cost of disposing the ash.''

These concerns and a state law requiring cities to cut their waste in half by 2000 have fueled a recycling boom in most Los Angeles County cities that has slowed the rate at which the Southland's major landfills are filling up.

Separate, color-coded bins for trash, yard trimmings and recyclables are an increasing presence along curbs across the county.

Most smaller cities follow the same model on trash pick-up, giving homeowners a choice of haulers that residents pay directly at about $15 a month.

Bigger cities, including Los Angeles, Burbank and Glendale, run residential trash hauling services. In Los Angeles, multi-tenant buildings and businesses choose among many commercial trash haulers, while Burbank and Glendale provide those services. Both of those cities also have their own landfills.

Burbank keeps its landfill for its exclusive use and, as part of an extensive recycling program, has a private contractor mulch yard trimmings and sell them to preserve the landfill, said George Reed, senior sanitation supervisor.

``That way we have another 50 years on the landfill,'' Reed said.

Glendale owns and operates Scholl Canyon Landfill and allows trash from other foothill communities like Pasadena and Altadena.

Recycling incentives in Glendale, such as charging residents less if they use smaller trash bins, are also intended to spare the landfill of unnecessary debris, said Bob Weger, integrated waste administrator.

In communities that rely on private trash haulers, the choice of landfill is up to the contractor.

``That means any of the 88 cities (in the county) may ship their waste to Sunshine Canyon,'' said Mike Mohager, manager of the county's Waste Management Program.

Agoura Hills' trash goes to the Simi Valley Landfill, while the city of San Fernando uses the Bradley Landfill in Sun Valley.

Trash from Westlake Village goes to the Calabasas Landfill, which is the only one owned by Los Angeles County.

The county serves 300,000 residents in six districts by contracting with private haulers and charging residents a tax assessment. For 600,000 residents outside the districts, the county permits 150 haulers who set their own rates and bill customers directly.