San Diego apartment and condo communities lack recycling options

Deanna Hart

Residents of San Diego apartment complexes and condominiums are finding limited access to recycling bins in their communities, which property owners blame on cost, lack of space and resident turnover. In the Southern California city, where more than half of the county’s multi-unit sites are located, only about 10 percent offer recycling options, making California’s recycling goal of 50 percent difficult to attain. Currently, officials are considering a proposed state law that would create ordinances promoting recycling in multi-unit sites.

In the early 1990s, the region’s cities adopted recycling ordinances, requiring apartment and condominium property owners to provide recycling options for their residents. According to the state waste management board, many cities have not enforced the ordinances because of understaffing. Experts say that interest in recycling programs has skyrocketed in an effort to abide by state law.