Trash Talk: Montrose Waste Goes Solar

Walking by garbage cans along Honolulu Avenue on Mondays might show you all the fun from the Montrose weekend in the form of Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf cups, Froyo spoons or pizza boxes from the Sunday Harvest Market.

Now, Glendale City officials are hoping that new solar trash compactors may change the trash pile up in the area. 

Glendale Public Works Department installed two new solar trash compactors on the corners of Honolulu Avenue and Ocean View Boulevard in Montrose. The solar trash containers have a spot for recycled materials (bottles, cans and paper) and other non-recyclable items.

One is located in front of  and was installed Wednesday and another in front of the  and was added about two weeks ago, Mario Nunez of Glendale's Public Works Department told Patch. 

Local volunteer Steve Pierce contacted Montrose Shopping Park Association Executive Director Dale Dawson, who then told Glendale officials about heavy trash along Honolulu Avenue, particularly on Monday mornings, he said.

It was so bad that Pierce often found himself picking up trash on his own. 

"It’s ridiculous having this much trash after all the events," he said. 

Glendale Public Works Department answered Pierce and others' request and brought in solar compactors and new trash liner containers. 

"There was no red tape, there were no studies, no conference calls. That’s what really what makes the community well, the kind of the response that the city and public works gave," Pierce said. 

Now, Glendale Public Works will collect trash earlier, around 7 a.m. Monday mornings on Honolulu Avenue.

The compactors - called Big Belly Solar Compactor - cost about $4,500 each and are bolted into the the sidewalk, Nunez said. 

Nunez said it's a good thing to have a lot of trash in the area because it means that there is economic activity. 

"The point here is we're trying to take care of the trash flow. Maybe there's some economic activity going on here," Nunez said. "There are good things happening here so we need to be more efficient. We're trying to help the merchants and keep making Montrose a good place to be."

"I think it's going to be great for the community because everyone is really conscious about being green," Froyo Life manager Sara Nicholas told Patch. 

"On weekends we have the farmer's market going on. It's going to be great not to worry about [the trash] or stare at it so often," Nicholas said.  

Locals with questions about the new compactor can visit www.glendalewaste.com or call (818) 548-3916.