IN EXCESS

Reduce, reuse and recycle is the environmental battle cry of the country. Keeping track of trash is serious business in Los Angeles County--a 1989 state law mandates that every city in California cut its waste by 25% by 1995 and 50% by 2000. A Sisyphean task if you consider the amount of debris dumped each year, much of it unnecessary. “There’s a significant amount of packaging manufacturers should eliminate. If people don’t buy it, manufacturers will get the message,” says Barbara Cathey, solid waste administrator for Pasadena.

A city-by-city scan in order of increasing per-person prodigiousness (includes residential and commercial waste):

Glendale: 86,300 tons annually--just under half a ton per person. An 8% reduction since recycling began in 1990.

West Hollywood: 36,771 tons annually--1.02 tons per person each year. A 15% reduction since recycling began in 1990.

Pasadena: 151,000 tons annually--1.1 tons per person. A 9% reduction since recycling began in March, 1990.

Los Angeles: 4,680,000 tons annually--1.3 tons per person yearly. 1.8% of total waste stream recycled; recycling programs not fully implemented.

Santa Monica: 124,000 tons annually--1.4 tons per person. A 17% reduction since recycling began in 1981.

Burbank: 143,000 tons dumped annually--more than 1.5 tons per person each year. A 25.87% reduction since 1981.

And the winner is:

Beverly Hills: 82,000 tons yearly--2.5 tons (5,000 pounds) per person. Recycling just began in August, 1991.

Now, that’s a lot of garbage.