SR-503-001-02-01 (7)
Attachment D
Summary of Planned Local Landfill Closures
The largest landfill in operation in the US today is Puente Hills Landfill, which is owned and
operated by the Los Angeles County Sanitation Districts (LACSD). Puente Hills, the lowest cost
disposal option in the region at $18.05 per-ton, has a daily permitted maximum of 13,200 tons,
which is usually reached very early in the day around noon and sometimes earlier. After a
lengthy and ongoing re-permitting process, Puente Hills Landfill has obtained a new land use
permit and is still awaiting approval of technical permits from the State?s Waste Management
Board and the Regional Water Quality Control Board. In order to obtain the land use permit,
LACSD had to guarantee that the landfill will close by October 31, 2013 and LACSD will not
seek to expand the facility or renew its permit.
There are several other conditions of Puente Hills new land use permit that must be met by
certain dates or the permitted maximum daily tonnage will be reduced. LACSD must begin
development of a remote landfill by 2007; begin operating a remote landfill by 2008; and start
operating an intermodal facility by 2009 that would transfer containers of refuse to a train for
transport by rail to a remote landfill. Failure to meet any of these requirements will result in
mandatory reductions of Puente Hills? maximum daily permitted capacity.
The LACSD has purchased Mesquite Landfill located near the eastern border of the state after
litigation associated with the property was settled. LACSD plans to develop and start operating
Mesquite Landfill by 2008 in order to meet its land use permit requirements. LACSD hopes to
break ground next month on a material recovery facility (MRF) to be built on the Puente Hills
Landfill that will be permitted to process 4,000 tons-per-day of material. LACSD is currently
evaluating various locations for an intermodal facility that it must be operating by 2009.
Waste Management?s Bradley Landfill was supposed to reach maximum capacity and close
sometime this year. Waste Management recently obtained a permit revision, not an expansion,
which would allow the landfill to stay open a few more years by squeezing some additional
capacity out of its current site. The landfill has greatly scaled back the amount of waste it has
accepted to conserve its diminishing capacity. In April 2007 its land use permit expires.
Sunshine Canyon Landfill operated by BFI, which occupies land in both LA City and LA
County, is only operating in the portion of the landfill located on the unincorporated county land,
which is currently projected to reach its maximum permitted tonnage in 2007. BFI, which has a
disposal agreement with the City of Los Angeles, is in the process of obtaining a permit to begin
disposal operations in the portion of the landfill that lies within the City of Los Angeles. If
approved this permit would only be for 5 years at 5,000 tons-per-day. Any future expansions,
extensions, or modifications to the permits for this facility will meet very heavy community
opposition. The LA Mayor?s Landfill Oversight Committee is recommending that after June
2006, LA not deliver any portion of LA City controlled waste to a landfill, which lies wholly or
partially within the City of Los Angeles.
Summary of Planned Local Landfill Closures 2
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