City Hall Scoop

Big changes are on the way for single-family and multifamily homes with manual barrel service! 🚛

📬 Postcards were sent the week of September 1 with instructions on how to customize your new set of barrels — black for trash, blue for recycling, and green for organics. Misplaced your postcard? No worries – residents can pick up new postcards at City Hall, Senior Center & Library today!

🗓 Selection window closes October 10— don’t miss your chance to pick the perfect mix for your home.

💡 How to Submit Your Selections:

• 🌐 Online: bit.ly/SPBarrelForm
• 📞 Call Athens: (888) 336-6100
• ✉️ Mail or drop off your completed postcard at City Hall

Your brand-new barrels will be delivered in early November — just in time to kick off South Pasadena’s three-stream waste collection system! ♻️✨

♻️ REMINDER: Athens Office Hours – This Friday!

Join us on Friday, September 26, from 12–2 PM at City Hall to get personalized guidance on South Pasadena’s upcoming three-stream waste collection transition.

Each session kicks off with a hands-on demo about what goes where, followed by one-on-one consultations with Athens representatives. This is a great chance to:

• Review your account
• Explore barrel and cart options
• Learn proper sorting practices

Don’t miss this opportunity to get your questions answered and prepare for the changes ahead! 🌱

🌱 THIS SATURDAY! 🌱
Get ready to dig in, South Pasadena! The City is hosting a FREE Compost & Mulch Giveaway just for our residents.

📍 Where: Arroyo Golf Course Parking Lot – 1055 Lohman Lane
🗓 When: Saturday, September 27, 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM

Bring your own sturdy container, shovel, and proof of residence to scoop up fresh compost and mulch—perfect for your fall planting and garden refresh! Supplies are limited and will be distributed on a first-come, first-served basis, so come early and don’t miss out!

Let’s grow greener together, South Pasadena! 🌼🌳

The City will be hosting a FREE Compost and Mulch Giveaway next Saturday, Sept. 27, for South Pasadena residents. Stop by the Arroyo Golf Course Parking Lot (1055 Lohman Lane) between 9:00 am – 12:00 pm. Compost and Mulch will be given away on a first-come, first-served basis to South Pasadena residents ONLY, while supplies last. Limit two 35 gallon containers per household.

Residents are asked to bring a sturdy container, a shovel, and proof of residence in South Pasadena. For more information, please visit SouthPasadenaCA.gov/EnvironmentalPrograms.

Beginning August 25, 2025, Athens Services will deliver new blue recycling and green organics containers to all commercial customers and multifamily/residential customers with bin service. A reminder postcard will be mailed out to these customers this week.

Key Reminders:

• Property owners and managers: Please let your tenants know that these new containers are arriving soon. A Manual for Multifamily Complexes is available on the City website.
• Tenants in multifamily buildings: Keep an eye out for the new blue and green containers arriving soon. Once they arrive, please begin separating your waste into the correct containers. Blue = recycling, green = organics waste, and black = trash/landfill. Visit CanIRecycleMy.com for a full breakdown of what goes where. Contact your property manager with any questions about the new program.
• Service reminder: Athens Services will begin servicing the new carts and bins the week of September 1 – 5. Due to the Labor Day holiday, service will be delayed by one business day that week.

If you have any questions about these new collection services, you can contact Athens Services at (888) 336-6100. You can also find additional details about the transition from a 2-stream collection system to a 3-stream collection system, including Frequently Asked Questions, on our City website: www.SouthPasadenaCA.gov/EnvironmentalPrograms

The new 3-stream waste collection system will apply to all waste customers citywide. Residential customers with manual barrel service (formerly known as ‘backyard service’) will be receiving new barrels from Athens Services later this year. Residential customers will also receive a postcard from Athens Services with more information about what to expect.

Come learn about South Pasadena’s city budget! The Finance Department is hosting a community meeting to open the conversation about the city’s budget for the next fiscal year. Join on Wednesday, August 6, 2025 from 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at the Community Room, located at 1115 El Centro St., South Pasadena. No RSVP needed. We are looking forward to meeting you!

The Finance Department will be hosting a Community Budget Meeting on August 6, 2025, from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m. at the Community Room, located at 1115 El Centro Street, South Pasadena.

This is a great opportunity for the South Pasadena community to ask questions about the budget process to the Finance staff and receive an overview of the budget draft for the upcoming Fiscal Year 2025-2026.

For any questions, please contact the Finance Department at financedepartment@southpasadenaca.gov or call (626) 403-7250.

Athens Services, in partnership with the City of South Pasadena, has launched a new bulky item pick-up program. All residents (including senior citizens) can now request one curbside collection of up to 5 bulky items every calendar quarter at no additional charge. Tenants in multifamily units must coordinate with their property owners or HOA to schedule service. This new program replaces Dumpster Day and Senior Citizen Dumpster Week. No more waiting for a specific day of the year to get rid of your bulky items! No more hauling bulky items to another location!

LAFD quickly contained the Collis Fire to 0.5 acres of brush in the remote Elephant Hill Open Space. No structures damaged. No evacuations. Crews will remain on scene this evening to mop up hot spots.

🔥 Cause is under investigation.
👨‍🚒 Response Time: 76 minutes

The Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD) is on scene and actively working a vegetation fire in the area of Harriman Avenue and Pullman Street, within the Elephant Hill Open Space. This incident, known as the Collis Fire, involves approximately one (1) acre of slow-moving, terrain-driven wildfire burning uphill in light grass to medium brush.

🚫 There are no evacuation orders at this time; however, heavy smoke may be visible from parts of South Pasadena.

✅ There is no immediate threat to structures.

The South Pasadena Fire Department is aware of the incident and is actively monitoring the situation in coordination with LAFD. Ground and air crews are working to contain the fire.

Please continue to avoid the area to allow emergency responders full access, and stay tuned for updates as conditions evolve.