PROGRAM MAY HEAD INTO THE DUMPER DIAPER RECYCLING PROJECT MAY BE DISCONTINUED.

Byline: Heather MacDonald Staff Writer

SANTA CLARITA - The City Council is expected to be sharply divided this week over whether to terminate the first-in-the-nation recycling program for disposable diapers because of disappointing results from a 10-month pilot program.

Although Councilwomen Marsha McLean and Laurene Weste have voiced strong support for the program, Councilman Bob Kellar has voted repeatedly to kill the program, and Councilman Frank Ferry has expressed only lukewarm support for the plan to recycle the thoroughly unpleasant melange of Huggies, Pampers and Luvs.

Mayor Cameron Smyth is expected to cast the deciding vote. On Friday, Smyth declined to discuss the controversial issue, which has drawn worldwide attention to Santa Clarita over the past year.

The city's environmental services staff has recommended that the program be discontinued and the diaper processor sold because it has not diverted enough of the nasty nappies to justify its cost.

Although diaper recycling was popular with the 230 families that participated in the test run, the untested technology was too expensive and did not effectively recycle the dirty diapers, according to Chris Daste, director of field services for the city.

City funds would be better spent on programs that yield a higher diversion for lower costs, Daste said.

Roughly 43 tons of dirty disposable diapers were collected during the pilot program - however, just 3.6 tons of dirty diapers were turned into pulp and plastic and sent to area recycling firms. Nearly 7 tons of material produced by the processor was not fit for sale, according to a report compiled by the city staff.

``It took us too long to get this machine operating at peak condition, and we're ticked off about that, but the technology is not an issue,'' said Knowaste attorney Hunt Braly.

Knowaste officials called the pilot program a success, pointing to a city survey that found that nearly all the participants want the program to continue, with a majority willing to pay for the service.

``We've proven that we can recycle diapers, and we've proven that people want to do it,'' said Knowaste attorney Hunt Braly.

In addition, diaper recycling removes human waste from area landfills, where it poses a health hazard and a danger to the environment, Braly said.

Knowaste officials plan to urge the City Council to consider delaying a decision on the fate of the diaper program until after the council members have awarded Santa Clarita's new trash franchise agreement, which includes an optional diaper recycling provision.

The three finalists for the contracts - Blue Barrel Disposal Co., Burrtec Waste Industries and Consolidated Disposal Service - submitted their final offers to the city for trash pickup and recycling services earlier this month, and a decision is expected next month.

As part of its offer, Blue Barrel, thought by many to be the front runner, agreed to buy new bins for each dwelling, although the company wanted to continue using the bins that are already in service to save residents money, officials said.

That will cause Blue Barrel's proposed monthly charge of $14.75 to rise to around $16, according to Blue Barrel officials.

``Is that cost effective?'' Braly asked. ``In that respect, our program compares very favorably.''

Diaper recycling could cost each homeowner less than 50 cents, especially if the council approves plans to pick up the dirty diapers at the same time as the rest of the recyclables, Braly said.

The diaper-recycling service was provided at no additional cost to residents during the pilot program. It was funded with $250,000 from city coffers and a matching grant from the state, along with money from Knowaste and Blue Barrel Disposal Co., the company that hauled the dirty diapers to the processor in Sun Valley.

The City Council meets at 6 p.m. Tuesday in the council chambers at City Hall, 23920 Valencia Blvd.

Heather MacDonald, [phone]

heather.macdonald(at)dailynews.com