SANTA MONICA RECYCLES: SOME OF THE BASICS
Santa Monica has an estimated residential population of 86,000, and a daytime population of 200,000. In the year 2004, Santa Monica recycled 67% of the 365,537 tons of waste generated. From the year 2000-2004, Santa Monica residents doubled their recycling rates. The City of Santa Monica collects trash and recycling for all residential customers and approximately 30% of commercial customers. The city hauls approximately 70% of the total Santa Monica waste stream, the remainder is hauled by private entities (8,000 residential, 42,000 multi-family and 1,600 commercial accounts).

• All the trash collected by Santa Monica is buried at Puente Hills Landfill, located in unincorporated Los Angeles County, adjacent to the City of Whittier. The 60 mile round-trip is made by transfer trailer truck (15 trips per day). Puente Hills Landfill is the largest in the nation - owned and operated by the County Sanitation Districts of Los Angeles since 1970 – and it accepts waste from 60 cities and private haulers with 1 BILLION tons deposited to date.
   
• The Puente Hills Landfill has a permitted remaining capacity of 38 million tons, which, at an average rate of 12,000 tons per day, Puente Hills has a remaining life span of approximately 10 years. The Sanitation Districts have begun implementing plans for the eventual long haul of solid waste-by-rail to more remote disposal sites. Part of this waste-by-rail system includes a Materials Recovery and Rail Loading Facility (MRF) where waste is recycled and prepared for transfer to regional landfills in the short term, and to remote landfills by rail in the long term. Santa Monica will be sending non-recyclable waste to Puente Hills Landfill for decades to come – eventually sending the waste further and further away. Waste reduction and recycling is an important element of Santa Monica’s strategy to contain costs and build a more sustainable community.