Second in a series. 

Re: “Will the Can-Can Be Revived Along the Creek?” 

In searching for a solution to prevent Styrofoam-type debris from ending up on the ground or in the water – Ballona Creek and the ocean – one of the sharpest minds inside City Hall suggested strategically placing trash cans creekside.

However, like other aspects of the City Council’s two-month quest for an eventual ban on polystyrene food containers, complications erupted.

The Creek runs through various jurisdictions. Among other obligations, permission must be secured by Charles Herbertson’s Public Works Dept. before old-fashioned trash cans may be positioned.
Since Public Works must be careful not to interrupt the bike path, locations are yet to be decided

“Most likely, the best places will be at road crossings, such as Duquesne, Overland, Sepulveda Boulevard,” said Mr. Herbertson. “Road crossings would make it more convenient for our crews to maintain on a regular schedule. It would be much more difficult for them to ride down the bike path half a mile to retrieve a can.”

At first the Public Works director paused when asked if uncomplicated trash cans could make a dent in the polystyrene-debris crisis.

“They could help,” said Mr. Herbertson.

If trash cans are a panacea, they only will be a partial solution.

“I don’t know if it would be a great method,” he said, “because a lot of debris gets into the creek through other methods.”

Mr. Herbertson said bike path visitors are not exclusively responsible for the scattered debris, “People drop debris on the street, and it can be blown over to the bike path.”

In a separate imaginative way to keep debris out of waterways, Mr. Herbertson’s staff has installed screens over “most” of the catch basins.

“Our preference would be that people do what good citizens are supposed to do and not throw anything on the ground,” he said.

(To be continued)