F-waste is costing LW more money
TRASH DISPOSAL
by Nick Massetti
LW contributor
Known in the industry as “fwaste,” furniture disposal is becoming an ever-increasing problem in Leisure World. Home renovations, home sales and just sprucing up the living room give rise to a mountain of old couches, mattresses and other large items that ends up at the dumpsters on the 1.8-acre site.
Contractors also dispose of rubbish in those boxcar-sized behemoths. According to GRF Facilities Director Mark Weaver, the only contractors allowed to dump in the GRF dumpsters are those “working directly for Mutuals replacing dry rot/termite damaged wood.”
The GRF’s monthly cost to haul and empty dumpsters has risen over the years, from $10,000 per month in 2019 to $13,000 a month today. That amounts to $156,000 in 2022 or a $2-a-month carrying charge for every LW resident.
Worse yet, all that unwanted trash is often someone else’s treasure, attracting dumpster divers who root through the bins, putting themselves at risk of getting hurt and exposing GRF to liability lawsuits. Injury liability lawsuit payouts would ultimately come out of residents’ pockets too.
There are some solutions. One simple way is to donate unwanted furniture and other large items to a charity that will pick them up for free or call a paid junk removal service provider.
GRF has identified two such nearby providers. The first is the St. Vincent de Paul Thrift Store of Long Beach, which is located at 2750 E. Pacific Coast Highway. For free pickups, call its donation number at (800) 974-3571 or visit https://svdpla.org/donate/donation-of-goods/.
The thrift store uses proceeds to help the needy become self-sufficient by providing financial and emotional support, food, clothing, furniture and resources to connect those disadvantaged to resources in Los Angeles.
The second option is Junkluggers of Orange County, which is based in Garden Grove.
Owner Joe Sandoval says the company will completely rid units of all junk. Residents are only charged for the space their clutter takes up in Junkleggers’ trucks. The minimum is $150, and a full truck is $850.
This is a good option because the junk doesn’t sit in a landfill. Junkluggers donates, repurposes and recycles unwanted items. It has a strong partnership with Patriots & Paws, which receives the vast majority of donations. To find out more call (800) 584-5865 or visit junkluggersofoc.com.
To encourage the use of these types of services, the GRF will distribute this information in resource documents given to family members who inherit units.
Residents can also submit a free classified advertisement in the LW Weekly listing items to be given away.
For more information, call (562) 431-6586, ext. 383. Let’s put the f-waste where it really belongs. —GRF Director Nick Massetti chairs the Physical Property Committee.
