The casual stroll down Isla Vista’s most notorious street will soon be rewarded with a few extra places to stash beer cans – in bright blue recycle bins.

In a special meeting last night, members of the Isla Vista Recreation and Park District discussed ways to drastically increase recycling efforts on Del Playa Drive and throughout I.V. and voted to implement a formal recycling program for the street. With help from a recent donation of $5,000’s worth of large blue recycling containers from the Shoreline Preservation Fund, the IVRPD is now encouraging students to throw their empty cans into the new blue recycling bins that will soon be scattered up and down DP.

Although the IVRPD hopes to place additional bins throughout the rest of I.V., the new program must first prove to be successful on DP, one of the streets where recycling levels are very low, according to IVRPD Adopt-A-Block member Jessica Van Leuven.

“Trash has become such an issue that we want to make people aware,” Van Leuven said. “A lot of people create trash and don’t know where it’s going.”

According to Scott Bull, a representative of the Shoreline Preservation Fund, the IVRPD currently has additional plans to increase recycling in the area – including a door-to-door campaign where volunteers will distribute flyers with information about recycling, but funding for such measures does not yet exist.

“Approximately $2,000 is needed for the development, design and production of these posters,” he said.

Furthermore, the IVRPD board has expressed concern that recycling in the area might be hindered by the fact that local residents may be confused by the tan color painted on the existing DP recycling bins.

In addition, Bull said there were financial obstacles to implementing the program in its fullest capacity. While the original $5,000 donated by the Shoreline Preservation Fund will cover the cost of 96 new recycling bins, he said, the IVRPD will need an additional $4,300 to replace all the current tan-colored bins on DP.

However, Bull said he is remaining optimistic about raising money and making the program successful.

“The Shoreline Preservation Fund, students and residents put money up to initiate change,” he said. “We think the county will be excited to work with [all of] them.”

The IVRPD board will discuss more specific plans for the campaign at their meeting in two weeks.