How will closing Chiquita Canyon Landfill affect solid waste disposal in LA County?

With the Chiquita Canyon Landfill in Santa Clarita Valley area shut down due to excessive odors as of Jan. 1, can other landfills in Los Angeles County handle the extra volume of trash?

That is what a report ordered by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday, Jan. 7 intends to find out.

A motion approved by the Board of Supervisors calls for a follow-up report to address the ripple effect after closing Chiquita Canyon Landfill in Castaic. The report will be produced by Los Angeles County Public Works, the County Counsel’s Office and the director of Consumer and Business Affairs in three weeks.

The report will analyze what impacts the diverted household garbage from the shuttered landfill will have on the capacity of other county landfills, and the potential impacts to trash transfer stations.

It will answer just how long transfer stations and the other landfills can keep accepting increased amounts of trash, and whether the situation will spike household waste-hauling rates and add to illegal dumping.

A second report, due in about a month, will propose regulations to address price-gouging and “anti-competitive practices” in the solid waste disposal industry in L.A. County, according to the motion.

Household waste that had been taken to the Castaic landfill is being diverted to other landfills, reported Los Angeles County Public Works on Tuesday, Jan. 7.

Some waste haulers began making the switch months ago due to Chiquita Canyon Landfill’s problems, including a heat reaction deep within the site that raised temperatures at the landfill and caused toxic leachate to pour out of the landfill, threatening the nearby drinking water supply.

The landfill has been spewing noxious odors into the air for more than a year and that prompted more than 7,000 complaints and resulted in reports of headaches and eye irritation, and claims of cancer from nearby residents.

“Accordingly, some of the waste haulers began utilizing other landfills, including locations in Los Angeles, Ventura, and surrounding counties. These facilities have sufficient capacity to handle the additional waste,” reported Los Angeles County Public Works in a statement.

“Los Angeles County Public Works is also aware of other adjustments at transfer stations that help absorb the additional waste,” the agency reported.

Absorbing the waste that normally ended up at Chiquita Canyon is a large task.

The Castaic landfill, operated by Chiquita Canyon LLC, is a 639-acre site and is the second largest active landfill in Los Angeles County, according to the motion.

Chiquita Canyon Landfill received about 34% of all the in-county solid waste disposal in 2023, equaling about 2.1 million tons, L.A. County Public Works reported. The landfill received 7,000 tons a day of solid waste on average in 2023, the county reported.

Because the oxidation event caused elevated temperatures and could not be stopped, several state and federal agencies took action. The Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board denied Chiquita Canyon’s application to expand into areas where more waste could be deposited. The existing solid waste “cells” were filled to capacity, preventing expansion and resulting in the owners/operators’ decision to stop taking waste entirely on Jan. 1.

By no longer taking waste, the shifting of solid waste deliveries from trash trucks and the deposit of more waste in existing county landfills has shaken the county’s solid waste disposal system. The county is also concerned about trash trucks making longer trips and producing more emissions that cause smog and global warming.

“Its closure could profoundly alter waste management policies, disposal of solid waste in the county, and potential impacts to customers and rate payers whose waste was previously taken to Chiquita Canyon,” the motion stated. “The magnitude of this issue demands immediate and comprehensive planning to mitigate its far-reaching consequences,” the motion concluded.

Residents from Val Verde, as well as Castaic, Live Oak and Hasley Canyon — areas near the 639-acre landfill in the Santa Clarita Valley — have reported asthma attacks, bloody noses, skin irritations, nausea and heart palpitations to authorities.

They’ve sued the landfill, and demanded that it be shut down.

On Tuesday, some residents at the Board of Supervisors meeting said they wanted the county to declare an emergency, so agencies such as the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) that usually responds to natural disasters such as floods and fires, can provide help to residents.

Jennifer Elkins, a resident of Val Verde, the community closest to the landfill, said her children have sustained nose bleeds, hives, severe congestion, sinus issues and headaches since the odors began infiltrating the area. She wants FEMA to pay for relocating her family and other residents, at least temporarily until the problems are solved.

“We feel like we shouldn’t have to live in this toxic environment,” she said.

When asked about possible economic effects of the closure, such as higher waste hauling bills, she said she was not concerned.

“If prices go up, I would rather pay more money for my trash bill knowing my kids and family are safe and healthy,” she said.