WHERE'S IT ALL COMING FROM? CITY IS TRACKING TRAIL OF ITS TRASH.Byline: Heather MacDonald Staff Writer SANTA CLARITA Santa Clarita, city (1990 pop. 110,642), Los Angeles co., S Calif., suburb 30 mi (48 km) NW of downtown Los Angeles, on the Santa Clara River; inc. 1987. Situated in the Santa Clara valley and nearby canyons, Santa Clarita includes the former towns of Canyon Country, - Cities all over the state are having difficultly correctly cataloging the amount of trash residents and business are sending to landfills. While Santa Clarita officials are continuing their investigation into the origins of 68,000 tons of trash mistakenly attributed to the city, county officials and representatives of the California Integrated Waste Management Board say the problems are part of statewide trouble in tracking trash receptacles to landfills. ``We projected these problems several years ago,'' said Michael Mohajer, the environmental programs manager for the county's Department of Public Works public works pl.n. Construction projects, such as highways or dams, financed by public funds and constructed by a government for the benefit or use of the general public. Noun 1. . ``No one is surprised because no matter how much money you spend and how well the haulers and the landfill operators do their jobs, the system will have limitations.'' From 1997 to 1999, cities sent an additional 2.5 million tons of trash to landfills all over the state - even though recycling recycling, the process of recovering and reusing waste products—from household use, manufacturing, agriculture, and business—and thereby reducing their burden on the environment. programs have flourished as a result of a state law requiring cities to reduce the amount of trash sent to landfills by 50 percent by last year. ``It is not a perfect system,'' said Roni Java, a spokeswoman for the waste management board. ``It is a process of estimation estimation In mathematics, use of a function or formula to derive a solution or make a prediction. Unlike approximation, it has precise connotations. In statistics, for example, it connotes the careful selection and testing of a function called an estimator. - and it would be unrealistic to expect that there would never be errors, even if people do their very best.'' Legislation passed last year by the state Legislature A state legislature may refer to a legislative branch or body of a political subdivision in a federal system. The following legislatures exist in the following political subdivisions: ``It is an honor system honor system n. A set of procedures under which persons, especially students or prisoners, are trusted to act without direct supervision in situations that might allow for dishonest behavior. Noun 1. ,'' Mohajer said. A report on the diversion A turning aside or altering of the natural course or route of a thing. The term is chiefly applied to the unauthorized change or alteration of a water course to the prejudice of a lower riparian, or to the unauthorized use of funds. problem is due back to the Santa Clarita City Council in about two months, about the same time the council members are expected to bless bless tr.v. blessed or blest , bless·ing, bless·es 1. To make holy by religious rite; sanctify. 2. To make the sign of the cross over so as to sanctify. 3. To invoke divine favor upon. a new 10-year contract with the city's haulers, Blue Barrel Disposal and Atlas Atlas, in Greek mythology Atlas (ăt`ləs), in Greek mythology, a Titan; son of Iapetus and Clymene and the brother of Prometheus. Consolidated Services, said Jeff Lambert, the city's director of planning and building services. ``Until we follow the trash trail, we're spinning our wheels in assigning blame,'' Lambert said. While the city looks for answers by sorting through hundreds of dump tickets and pages of records, the former manager of the Chiquita Canyon Landfill said drivers for Blue Barrel were at fault for picking up trash in surrounding unincorporated Adj. 1. unincorporated - not organized and maintained as a legal corporation unorganised, unorganized - not having or belonging to a structured whole; "unorganized territories lack a formal government" county areas, but attributing it to Santa Clarita. ``As far as we can tell, it is Blue Barrel's responsibility,'' said Matt Terrell, the general manager of Atlas Consolidated, which operates the landfill. Karl McCarthy, the general manager of Blue Barrel, acknowledged that mistakes could have happened. ``We do everything we can to make sure that if the trash comes from the city, it is charged to the city,'' McCarthy said. ``But it's not a perfect system.'' Atlas Consolidated Services, which competes with Blue Barrel for some customers, wants to expand its operations. The company hauls about 15 percent of the city's trash while Blue Barrel handles the rest. McCarthy met Tuesday with his drivers to ``reinforce the importance of accurately reporting the origin of the trash,'' he said Wednesday. McCarthy said he plans to ask the landfill operators for daily reports in an effort to spot problems as soon as possible. Both companies use the same mathematical formula to calculate the percentage and tonnage TONNAGE, mar. law. The capacity of a ship or vessel. 2. The act of congress of March 2, 1799, s. 64, 1 Story's L. U. S. 630, directs that to ascertain the tonnage of any ship or vessel, the surveyor, &c. of trash picked up in the city and the county, based on the number of homes and the average weight each house produces. Those figures are then attributed to the city and county. McCarthy said he constantly updates his database to reflect the changing city boundaries, and tries to keep trash routes in the county separate from those in the city to make reporting easier. ``With this system you aren't going to get an accurate count,'' Mohajer said. ``It is just a question of how much money you want to spend tracking the trash. Mohajer said money should be directed toward recycling programs, rather than ``bean-counting efforts.'' ``Chasing the numbers has become a game,'' Mohajer said. Santa Clarita has led the way in implementing new programs, and should be praised for its insistence on recycling, he said. ``What should matter is whether you are encouraging recycling and whether you are doing it, not what the numbers say, especially when we know the system isn't foolproof,'' Mohajer said. ``But people like good numbers, and get upset when they aren't so good.'' CAPTION(S): 2 photos Photo: (1 -- color) Anthony Royality of Quality Paper Fibers Inc. checks cans and plastics Wednesday that are ready to be shipped for recycling.David R. Crane/Staff Photographer (2) Workers sort trash from newspapers as they stand on a moving conveyor Conveyor A horizontal, inclined, declined, or vertical machine for moving or transporting bulk materials, packages, or objects in a path predetermined by the design of the device and having points of loading and discharge fixed or selective. that dumps DUMPS a lethal inherited disorder of Holstein cattle that causes infertility. The name is an acronym of Deficiency of Uridine MonoPhosphate S the paper into a recycling bin. David R. Crane/Staff Photographer |
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