There are few issues that unite Californians quite like recycling.
We faithfully separate bottles and cans, pay the California Redemption Value (CRV) deposit every time we buy a qualifying beverage, and trust that those containers will be recycled rather than buried in a landfill.
So, when Evergreen Recycling proposed opening a CRV redemption center at the former San Pedro Cleaners site at 16th and Gaffey, it sounded like the kind of project most people would immediately support. Except that’s not what happened.
Within days, neighbors began asking questions that had little to do with recycling itself. Would a redemption center encourage more people to rummage through residential recycling bins in search of cans worth cash? Or would providing a convenient place to redeem CRV containers actually reduce those problems while increasing recycling rates throughout San Pedro?
Those are fair questions. As with most community issues, the answers probably aren’t as simple as either side would like them to be.
THE CASE FOR EVERGREEN
Evergreen makes a compelling argument that San Pedro has become what California now calls a “redemption desert.” As recycling centers have disappeared across the state, residents continue to pay CRV deposits but have fewer convenient places to redeem them.
The company says its facility would close that gap by creating local jobs, hiring San Pedro residents, supporting nonprofits, and donating one percent of its annual gross revenue to community organizations. The proposal also includes security cameras, on-site staff, indoor redemption, anti-loitering policies, and other measures intended to keep the property clean, safe, and well-managed. On paper, it’s hard to argue against making recycling more convenient.
THE NEIGHBORHOOD CONCERNS
But neighbors aren’t really debating recycling. They’re talking about what they’ve seen firsthand. Everyone who has lived here for a long time has seen shopping carts overflowing with cans and bottles moving through residential neighborhoods. Many of us have heard recycling bins being opened the night before trash day, or have walked outside to find blue bins left open with recyclables scattered across the sidewalk.
Most longtime residents also remember the recycling center in the grocery store parking lot at First Street and Bandini. It often became sticky, smelly, and overcrowded. Long lines formed, surrounding businesses dealt with the resulting impacts, and many neighbors associated it with people collecting cans from residential trash bins.
I also can’t help but think about the people behind those shopping carts. Imagine how difficult life must be when digging through someone else’s trash has become your only source of income. That’s a sobering reality.
At the same time, I find myself asking another question. Are they providing an environmental service by keeping recyclables out of landfills, or are they simply redeeming the CRV deposits that homeowners already paid, shifting costs back into California’s redemption system? The answer probably isn’t black and white.
California law already limits redemptions to 50 containers per person per day. For most people, that’s only a few dollars back, or less than the cost of a Bee’s Knees at Sirens Java & Tea. That limit may discourage anyone from loading pickup trucks full of containers to cash in at a single location.
Rather than focusing entirely on how a handful of people might redeem more CRV deposits, I’d rather spend our energy on a bigger question: How do we help San Pedro recycle more while creating something that adds value to our community?
FINDING COMMON GROUND
Maybe the conversation shouldn’t be about whether San Pedro deserves a redemption center. It probably does. The better conversation is how we make one work FOR San Pedro instead of simply placing it IN San Pedro.
One option is Evergreen’s mobile redemption trailer. Imagine it parked at Point Fermin during Music by the Sea, at a waterfront festival, a classic car show, LA Fleet Week, or a World Cup Fan Zone event at West Harbor. Thousands of bottles and cans that might otherwise end up in trash bins or the ocean could instead generate revenue for the very organizations hosting those events while showcasing San Pedro’s commitment to sustainability.
Or imagine bringing that concept directly into our schools. A mobile redemption trailer could rotate among campuses, encouraging students and families to collect recyclable containers during school-wide drives. The proceeds could benefit the San Pedro Education Foundation while teaching the next generation that recycling isn’t just good for the environment; it can directly support their classrooms. Full disclosure: I’m a founding board member of SPEF, so I admit that idea especially appeals to me.
Sometimes the best community conversations aren’t about choosing between yes or no. They’re about asking whether there’s an even better idea waiting to be discovered by working together in compromise. This may be one of those conversations. spt
Lee Williams is a local real estate expert, community advocate, and harbor commissioner at the Port of LA. He believes in smart growth and investing in community, culture, art, and history. He can be reached at lee@lamove.com.
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