Many Chinese immigrants in the United States have accumulated a pile of old furniture over the years that they no longer need, taking up space in their homes but struggling to find a way to dispose of it. In order to solve this issue, the California Department of Transportation (CalTrans) will be hosting a free old furniture recycling event in Los Angeles County on June 1st (Saturday).
The recycling event will take place in Pacoima, located in the northern part of Los Angeles. The collection will run from 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Due to limited space, the event may end early once the recycling truck is full.
Hammer Sui, the head of the Road Maintenance Department of CalTrans District 7, stated, “The event will be held at a transit parking lot, where people can park alongside the highway.”
Officials mentioned that staff will be on-site to accept furniture waste and approved debris for free, with limitations on certain items such as furniture, mattresses, glass, and cardboard.
Sui emphasized that hazardous waste items like car oil, petroleum products, fluorescent lights, gas cylinders, car engine parts, car paints, liquid waste including asbestos, termite-treated wood, electronic products, tires, and refrigerators will not be accepted at the event.
He reminded the public to securely fasten items during transportation, drive carefully, and slow down when approaching staff members.
Regarding the illegal dumping of waste, such as mattresses, on the roadside for convenience, Sui pointed out that this is a violation of the law. The California Department of Transportation will handle such matters if they are along the highways, and individuals caught engaging in illegal dumping may face fines.
This garbage recycling event was proposed by the governor in 2021 and has been implemented 545 times to date, collecting over 190,000 cubic yards of waste.