Republic Services Inc

Trash happens. And whenever public officials need to find a place to put it, controversy happens too. There's a role for everyone in making these two facts of life easier to live with. Consumers and businesses can do their part by recycling paper, metal, cardboard and glass; by composting yard trimmings, and by shopping smarter to avoid purchases with more throwaway packaging than useful product.

Dennis Montano stood on a corner in Granada Hills one recent brisk morning, lifted his nose to the sky and sniffed. "Right now, I don't smell anything," Montano said. That was good news for the embattled Sunshine Canyon Landfill. The disposal site operates roughly a mile away in Sylmar but has roiled the Granada Hills North neighborhood with a potpourri of foul smells. In the face of numerous complaints and dozens of public nuisance violations, the company has organized an "odor patrol team" in an effort to improve community relations and comply with state regulations.

The bear market of the last two years slammed many stock portfolios, and more than a few stock pickers' reputations. But the rough times on Wall Street also brought new stars to light in the mutual fund business. Some conservative stock fund managers who sweat the fundamentals have produced superior performance for their shareholders since the market's bubble burst in spring 2000.