Mission Beach residents want curbside recycling to help stop trashcans from overflowing. The population skyrockets during the summer months and, along with it, so does the rubbish, but the city stopped its supplemental trash pickup services during the summer. The Mission Beach Town Council (MBTC) is now calling on the city to extend curbside recycling to Mission Beach, the only residential community in San Diego that doesn’t have it. Overflowing garbage bins may cast a negative image on the neighborhood and possibly hurt tourism, said MBTC member Bob Craig. “Unless we come up with a plan by summertime, it’s going to be a black eye – not just on Mission Beach but on the city [of San Diego],” Craig said. Dedicated recyclers in the area often load their cars with a week’s worth of recyclable material and deliver it to a pickup at Santa Clara Recreation Center in Mission Beach. Many residents, however, simply toss recyclable material in the garbage, which goes straight to the Miramar landfill that is quickly filling to capacity. City officials recently worked with Marine Corps Air Station, Mirmar to extend the life of the city’s sole landfill to 2017. District-2 City Council representative Kevin Faulconer said the recycling program is long overdue. His office has requested a cost analysis of implementing a recycling program in Mission Beach. The community opted out of the program several years ago because some residents felt there was no room for the bins, said 20-year resident Bill Bradshaw. “The community has talked about recycling for a long time,” Faulconer said. “Some supported it in the past and some have not. Now there’s some consensus and the community wants to have recycling…I think the city should do this.” The city requires recycling services for neighborhoods, according to Steven Grealy, waste reduction program manager with the city’s Environmental Services Department. But with the city facing budget woes, a recycling program may not be affordable right now, he said. “There will be a cost,” Grealy said. “Right now, we don’t have the…funds.” Implementing any program requires working with the community to find the most efficient and convenient pickup routes and times, Grealy said. Mission Beach has narrow alleys and corridors and large bins could inconvenience some neighbors. Residents can request a smaller bin from the city. Grealy recommends recycling plastic grocery bags at a grocery store. Plastic bags become too dirty and unusable when tossed in a blue bin with other material. The city earns revenue from its partnerships with national recycling companies. Last year, the city made about $6.1 million, according to Grealy. State law requires the city to recycle about half of its waste. The city recycled approximately 55 percent of its waste stream in 2006, according to Grealy. Mission Beach resident Jasmine Kung said the city should pay attention to the recycling needs of Mission Beach residents. “We have to make recycling easier for people,” Kung said. “All we’re asking from the city is that they provide us with the blue bins and provide us with the service they already provide for every other community in the city.” Mission Beach Town Council representatives recommend residents write to Councilmember Faulconer and the mayor’s office to request curbside recycling.