EDITORIAL:Who needs candidates?

OK, so Huntington Beach isn’t a destination place for presidential hopefuls raising money for their campaigns.

At least not as alluring, in that respect, as Newport Beach.

Recently, Barack Obama and John McCain have visited that city. Former President Bill Clinton — raising money for Hillary — and John Edwards are scheduled to visit in the coming weeks.

The visits are usually short, private and lucrative. Contributors pay up to $4,600 just to have a picture taken with the guest of honor.

So goes the world of politics and money, but politics and money aren’t everything.

There is an important area in which Huntington Beach outperforms nearly every other city in Orange County: keeping waste out of landfills.

A recent Orange County Grand Jury report shows that only La Palma does a better job keeping waste out of landfills.

Huntington Beach, according to the report, keeps 65% of all waste production -- including household trash, byproducts from construction and yard clippings -- out of landfills.

The rest of the county averages 48%, lower than the state mandate of 50%.

Good job. Kudos from the Independent.

The city doesn’t plan to rest on its laurels.

Instead, it’s moving to a new system for household trash that calls for residents to sort their own recycling and yard waste.

Why?

The state is considering implementing a 75% mandate.

“Yes, we’re ahead of the pack, but everybody’s going to have to do something,” said Bruce Schuman, co-president and chief executive officer of Rainbow Disposal, which sorts trash for the city.

Keeping waste out of landfills, using composting, recycling and other methods, should be a priority for all cities in the county.

Our environment is our most precious resource.

Perhaps the 48 percenters should look to the 65 percenter — Huntington Beach — for leadership on this important front.