City of Manhattan Beach
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Ocean Protection
The City of Manhattan Beach is committed to safeguarding our oceans by undertaking comprehensive and meticulously planned stormwater and urban runoff initiatives to address pollutants of concern such as bacteria and trash and to manager stormwater resources in a more sustainable way. The City's stormwater projects and programs are designed to intercept and manage runoff and debris, to prevent harmful impacts to our precious marine ecosystems and coastline along the Santa Monica Bay. Through diligent and purposeful efforts, Manhattan Beach is taking proactive measures to ensure that our ocean remains pristine and free from the detrimental effects of pollution and waste. These projects not only protect our ocean, they are critical elements of the City’s plan to achieve compliance with State and Federal water quality regulations, protect human health, and ensure the resiliency of coastal infrastructure in the face of climate change.
Ocean Protection Video Series
Journey with the City of Manhattan Beach through this educational video series.
THE CITY'S STORMWATER AND URBAN RUNOFF INITIATIVES
The City of Manhattan Beach has effectively eliminated dry weather urban runoff to the Santa Monica Bay by diverting this flow from the storm drain system to the sanitary sewer system for recycling and eventual reuse. On average, the City prevents over 8M gallons of urban runoff from reaching the ocean each year through completed dry weather diversion projects which has markedly improved beach water quality during dry weather. While this progress is noteworthy, there is still work to be done to protect our coastline during wet weather. Managing runoff during a storm requires robustly engineered systems. The storm drain system that we rely on today was built decades ago and was not designed to prevent stormwater pollution or to capture stormwater for beneficial use. The City is working hard to meet these challenges, and has secured over $30M in external funding to supplement its Storm Drain fee investments to complete important stormwater projects designed to achieve ambitious goals for ocean protection and coastal resiliency:
- Zero trash discharged to the ocean from the City's storm drains;
- 54% reduction in wet weather bacterial pollution loading to Santa Monica Bay;
- 1.7 million gallons of water treated per day to remove copper and zinc in stormwater flowing to Dominguez Channel;
- Completion of nine (9) high-priority Capital Improvement Projects over 20 years to reduce localized flooding, improve water quality and enhance water supply.
- Restoration of over 3 acres of dune habitat to create a living shoreline, extending the City's total restored dune habitat to over half the length of the City’s 2.1-mile shoreline.
Select an 'Ocean Protection' Initiative to Learn More
TAKE ACTION
Voice Your Support
Submit a quick survey response that voices your support of Manhattan Beach's local ocean protection initiatives using the link below!
Continued Learning from the 'Ocean Protection' Video Series
Volunteer
Local organizations to support that are working vigilantly to protect our Santa Monica Bay:
Sign Up for the Sustainability Newsletter
Update to Holiday Tree Recycling and Other Refuse Holiday Services
Collection Dates Extended and Important Message from Waste Management
- Date: 12/28/2020 (all day)
- Introduction: Important information from Waste Management regarding holiday tree collection.
Waste Management will collect and recycle holiday trees. Collection began on December 28, 2020 and dates have been extended through January 22, 2021. Please take a moment to read the below statement from Waste Management about possible holiday tree collection delays. If you experience a delay in holiday tree collection, please note that Waste Management will be going back through routes to retrieve missed trees. If you'd like to report your missed pick up, you can contact Waste Management directly by phone at (310) 830-7100 or you can click here to place a work order through the Government Outreach work order system (select Topic "Refuse Services-Trash," then click "Make a Request" and complete/submit the online form. Instructions for holiday tree recycling: Residents may place trees next to their carts before 7:30 AM on their regular collection date for free pick-up and recycling. Trees must be less than 7 feet long or cut into 7-foot sections (neither Waste Management nor City employees can cut trees for residents). Please remove all lights, decorations, tinsel, ornaments, and metal stands. Flocked trees will be collected at the curb but cannot be recycled.
Waste Management released the following statement on January 12, 2021:
“We are currently experiencing staffing shortages due to COVID-19 and state and local regulatory orders and requirements. Waste Management’s first priority has been to continue residential curbside collection of trash, green waste and recycling regular scheduled collection days. Therefore, Waste Management will extend and collect Christmas trees through January 22, 2021. Please remember that residents are asked to remove all decorations, including tinsel, lights, ornaments and tree stands.”
Holiday Light Recycling & Other Hazardous Waste Collection
Holiday lights and artificial holiday trees with lights built-in are considered E-waste (electronic waste). Do you have unwanted Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) such as paint, chemicals, solvents, thermometers, batteries, compact fluorescent bulbs, etc.? Dispose of HHW safely for recycling! Manhattan Beach residents have doorstep and drop-off options. Click here to get all the 411 on safe HHW disposal and recycling!
Additional Refuse Collection
Waste Management will collect any additional trash and recycling materials that do not fit in a resident’s carts from December 28, 2020 - January 15, 2021 on a resident's collection day only. This allowance was designed to assist residents with the refuse overflow which naturally happens during the holiday season. Extra materials should be placed in bags, adjacent to the container they represent (extra bags of trash next to trash cart, extra bags of recycling next to recycling cart, etc.). All bags or broken down boxes must be at the curb before 7:30 a.m. All boxes should still be broken down.
Bulky Item Collection
Bulky items such as furniture or appliances need to be scheduled for pick up by contacting WM Customer Service at (310) 830-7100. With the new solid waste contract that began on July 1, 2020, residents now get six (6) visits per year, with three (3) items per visit, for an annual total of 18 items. Bulky items are scheduled for a residents' regular collection day; a separate truck will arrive to collect the bulky items (not the regular collection truck).
Check out the Winter 20-21 Newsletters for important information on how to reduce and properly handle holiday waste.
Residential Winter 20-21 Newsletter (Waste Management)
Commercial Winter 20-21 Newsletter (Waste Management)
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