Trash System Trashed: A labor-backed advocacy group called the Los Angeles Alliance for a New Economy released a study yesterday pointing a finger the city's waste disposal system and calling it polluting and wasteful.

According to an article in the L.A. Times, the group is pushing for the adoption of a franchise system that it says would encourage competition, raise recycling rates, provide green jobs and bolster city revenue:

"Private haulers operate on a permit basis that critics say falls short of recycling goals and lacks standards and accountability. According to the study, the city has little control over where trash goes or how it is handled, and even 'recycled' materials can end up in landfills.

"While L.A. officials hail the city as a leader in recycling, the report notes that many people still don't have the option of recycling trash. Los Angeles residences and businesses still send a vast amount of waste -- some 3.5 million tons annually -- to landfills and incinerators, the study says. The proposed move to a franchise system with competitive bidding, the study noted, comes as the region faces a looming crisis, with area landfills nearing capacity."

Squeeze Test: With the Super Bowl coming up in 10 days, the city of Fort Worth is conducting a high-tech, eco-friendly waste collection experiment that it hopes to expand more widely soon.

The Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports that the city's waste contractor, Waste Management, has donated 10 solar-powered garbage compactors and four recycling centers for a six-month trial. If the test meets expectations, the program may be extended to the Stockyards historic district, the Will Rogers Memorial Center sports complex, and city parks.

The mailbox-sized compactors hold five times as much trash as typical barrels, so they require emptying only once a week instead of daily. They are in use in a handful of cities, including Philadelphia, Boston, Chicago, Dallas and San Antonio.

Philadelphia has 500 of the solar compactors stationed throughout the city, and officials there estimate the savings will total $12 million over 10 years, according to the Star-Telegram.

Pete Fehrenbach is managing editor of Waste & Recycling News. Past installments of this column are collected in the Inbox archive.