Thieves Put Pinch on Recyclers : Crime: Residents are livid that city-issued plastic containers are disappearing from curbs. Some people blame scavengers seeking to get money for discarded cans, bottles and newspapers.

SANTA MONICA — There are thieves among us.

That’s the word among peeved Santa Monicans whose city-issued recycling containers have been stolen.

Just who would have the gall to steal containers that are part of a community’s environmental effort to reduce the number of disposable diapers, plastics, bottles and cans in landfills? That is the burning question for people such as April Newman, who has had containers for bottles, cans and plastics stolen repeatedly from in front of her Hill Street home, despite her efforts to police the morning pickups.

“What are they doing with all those bins? Is there a black market for them?” said an exasperated Newman. “Are they melting them down and selling them?”

She is so annoyed that she said she’s thinking about ambushing the culprits.

“I have a truck with a camper and tinted windows parked by the trash and I am thinking of sitting in it on pickup day, waiting for them, kicking open the door and ambushing the people doing it.”

Although this problem might seem petty to some, it is an aggravating transgression of a social contract and an irritating inconvenience. It also costs money.

Jon Root, Santa Monica waste reduction coordinator, said that from 1989 to 1992, the city spent about $26,636 for 12,670 of the five-gallon buckets for bottles, cans and plastics, at about $2 apiece.

So many of the buckets have been taken that the city has been out of them for six months and is in the process of designing something that would be morethief-repellent.

Dale Newman, April Newman’s brother, has had 20 buckets stolen from his curb. He said the city won’t give him any more.

“I started using old trash cans instead,” said Dale Newman, “and they took those too.”

And, he added, “I went to all the trouble to sort out the stuff for the city, and it’s not for (thieves).”

Conspiracy theories abound about who could be taking the buckets. Residents’ speculations vary from the homeless to professional scavengers to neighbors who hoard them.

But those who know about recycling think the culprits are after the recyclables inside the buckets. Recycling centers pay about 67 cents a pound for aluminum cans, 5 cents a pound for glass and about 5 cents for each 24-ounce plastic container.

Root speculates that scavengers take the entire bucket to cut down on noise. Rather than rattling the materials by dumping them, drawing unwanted attention, they just take the whole bucket. So, he said, the bucket toll results from scavengers’ efforts to raise money by recycling. He said that Los Angeles, Culver City and West Hollywood have complained of the same problem.

Many residents said they don’t mind people taking their recyclables. But, they stressed, please, just leave the buckets.

Others, however, were less inclined to give their recyclables to anyone other than the city.

Frank Lewis, who has avoided losing his containers and their contents by policing the process when the recycling truck arrives, said: “I call (the people taking recyclables) bums. I was raised with the idea that, if a sign says, ‘No Scavenging. This container and contents property of City of Santa Monica, may be fined up to $500,’ the city should go through with (punishing people).”

There have been a couple of citations given out, but the problem is not a city priority. Deputy City Atty. Jerry Gordon said that about once or twice a month residents call the police about scavengers, who are given a citation if they are caught stealing.

Root said the city is no longer replacing the buckets because of the theft problem. But, he said, “we are encouraging people to use anything to hold their recyclables.

“Our main concern, is that the recyclables are sorted,” he said.

The city recently hung door tags to alert residents that the city would pick up items in any type of container, including paper bags, planter pots, or cardboard boxes, Root said. But residents interviewed for this story were unaware of the policy. Some residents have been throwing away their recyclables because they thought the city would collect recyclables only if they were in city-issued containers, which is the policy with trash.

Barbara Lossos, who lives on Pacific Street and had her newspaper bin stolen along with bottle, can and plastic containers, for months has been throwing away her newspapers and other recyclables for lack of the proper bins.

“Trash and recycling is a big issue,” said Lossos. “They stole my newspaper bin first week out. I thought it was a pretty good looking bin. I think I called the city once, but I never got new ones.”

Meanwhile, frustrated residents are wondering what is happening to the hundreds of buckets that have disappeared.

“I have seen them in peoples’ garages with tools in them, some with trees planted in them, in the backs of gardeners trucks and ‘stuccoers’ tape the holes up and use them,” Root said.

One woman, who asked to remain anonymous, admitted to taking one of the buckets, scraping off the city’s logo, and using it to mix margaritas for a party.

Despite the growing problem, Root says the city is still coming out ahead in the amount of material recycled because of an increase in the number of people recycling since the city started the program and because recycling centers are buying more material.

“Our collections are higher than they have ever been,” said Root. “We estimate that we are going to do between 7,000 and 7,200 tons of recyclables in this coming fiscal year and that compares with 1991-1992’s 5,688 tons.”

But that is little to comfort those who are offended by a violation of higher principles aimed at a cleaner, healthier Earth. A mild “eco-vigilantism” does not appear to be out of the question for some.

It seems small, but anyone who is concerned about recycling is conscientious and all this shows that some people just don’t care,” said April Newman. “We finally got curbside recycling, and these people are screwing it up. It makes me angry each and every time it happens. I feel like putting a bucket out there and painting (on it) Take this and you die. “