GARBAGE EVERYWHERE: Remember the “trash crisis�--the fear...

GARBAGE EVERYWHERE: Remember the “trash crisis�--the fear of dwindling dump space and garbage rotting in the streets? Well, the crisis has been a no-show. . . . Even with more people, trash disposal in Los Angeles County actually has fallen 19%--to 38,000 tons daily from 47,000 tons in 1988.

DROOPY ECONOMY: The economic slide is one cause. Recycling is another. Nearly 33% of household trash in Los Angeles is being diverted from landfills through curbside recycling of yard trimmings, bottles, cans and paper. . . . According to the latest data, diversion rates in the East and West Valley exceed the citywide average. Burbank also diverts more than 35% of household trash.

AHEAD OF THE CURVE: To keep up with waste reduction mandates, UCLA Extension now offers courses in “garbage law.� . . . As a UCLA student in the early ‘70s, Prof. Eugene Tseng, above, was assigned to “take a pile of garbage and cow manure and basically invent things so it doesn’t have to go into disposal.� Tseng has patents for construction materials made from trash. . . . “Once I got into the garbage can,� Tseng mused, “I was never able to get out.�

DOWN TO EARTH: Composting is the ultimate in recycling. On a recent Saturday at Pierce College, city officials sold more than 1,400 composting bins. . . . “We would rather that people keep their material in their own back yard rather than have us pick it up,� said Dave Mays of the city recycling program. “It saves us money, and it is an excellent hobby for home gardeners.�

BIG BUSINESS: Waste giant BFI gets about 12% of its revenues from recycling. Waste Management Inc. is planning about $56 million in recycling improvements at its Bradley West Landfill in Sun Valley. . . . Bob Fagan, who calls recycling “the world’s second-oldest profession,� says his Sun Valley Paper Stock Inc. will spend $3 million on a new plant and equipment. “Are we betting on the future?� Fagan asked. “Yes sir, we sure are.�