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November 3, 2005 – CLOSING YEAR IFFY FOR LANDFILL (Daily News)

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https://www.thefreelibrary.com/CLOSING+YEAR+IFFY+FOR+LANDFILL.-a0138291833

Sunshine Canyon Landfill could take in up to 57 million tons more trash than officials have predicted, potentially extending the life span of the Granada Hills dump far past the 26 years that are expected, according to a consultant hired by dump opponents.

At the request of attorneys hired by local activists, Wisconsin-based landfill engineer J.W. Spear analyzed trash decomposition and compression to show that Browning Ferris Industries underestimated the dump’s 90-million ton capacity and 26-year life span. Longtime Granada Hills activists in the North Valley Coalition now have the backing of national environmental giants, the Sierra Club and Natural Resources Defense Council, plus the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, which represents BFI’s workers, in their fight over Sunshine Canyon.

Spear’s report was submitted to Los Angeles County officials this week. The county’s Regional Planning Commission is considering a new land-use permit for Sunshine Canyon Landfill today.

The newly formed coalition of residents, environmental groups and organized labor is pushing for a guarantee that the landfill will close when it reaches 90 million tons or after 26 years – as officials have always estimated. Currently, the permit allows BFI to keep adding trash until the dump is full – even years longer than anticipated.

“A closure date would be advantageous and give an end point to the agony that surrounding communities have suffered,” said Jan Chatten-Brown, an attorney representing Protect Our Water and Environmental Resources, or POWER.

The Teamsters local, whose contract with BFI expires in 2007, decided to join to coalition because its members are residents of the community, said spokeswoman Leigh Strope.

“They are concerned about the impact this landfill is having on the health and safety of their families and their children.”

In Sun Valley, the Teamsters have rallied to support BFI competitor, Waste Management, which has proposed to expand Bradley Landfill and build a transfer station.

BFI District Manager Greg Loughnane said the POWER coalition’s request is misguided. The closure date is an estimate. The landfill’s permit regulates the footprint of the dump, not its capacity or life span.

“Market conditions will dictate when the landfill will close,” he said.

Carlos Ruiz, with Los Angeles County Department of Public Works’ Environmental Programs, said his group’s previous analysis conflicts with Spear’s report. County analysts found Sunshine Canyon Landfill can take about 92 million tons and last an extra year or two at the most.

BFI is seeking a new land-use permit to combine two separate dumps – one in county jurisdiction and one in city jurisdiction – into one massive landfill. The joint landfill could take in up to 12,100 tons of trash per day, generating an estimated 2,500 truck trips a day.

November 4, 2005 – Sunshine Canyon Landfill Needs a Sunset, Says POWER (ENN)

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https://www.enn.com/top_stories/article/16728

SANTA MONICA, California — The Sunshine Canyon landfill in the San Fernando Valley could expose residents in the region to more trash for a far longer period than they are being told, according to Protect Our Water and Environmental Resources (POWER), a coalition of environmental and labor groups dedicated to protecting residents of Southern California from the dangers of landfills. The community surrounding Sunshine Canyon should not be forced to bear the burdens of the landfill for longer than governmental reports previously represented.

A permit proposal for Sunshine Canyon, submitted by BFI/Allied Waste, will be considered at a hearing Thursday at the Los Angeles County Regional Planning Commission. Area residents should know that previous environmental documents stating that the facility has the capacity to receive 90 million tons and would close after about 26 years are unreliable. This is because there is no provision guaranteeing that the landfill will close when it receives 90 million tons or after 26 years. POWER is requesting that the Commission require a tonnage limit or closure date.

Sunshine Canyon could actually take in much more waste than 90 million tons, according to a new study prepared for the coalition by landfill engineer J.W. Spear, who has more than 25 years of experience in the waste management industry. The study found that 24 million to 57 million more tons of waste could go into the landfill, on top of the 90 million that has been projected.

“Mr. Spear’s credentials are impressive and the North Valley Coalition believes his conclusions support our contention that this landfill will be much larger than analyzed in the environmental documentation. Its impacts on the community, indeed the city and county as a whole, have not been adequately addressed,” said Wayde Hunter, President of the North Valley Coalition, which represents residents in the area of the landfill.

Because the tonnage determines the closure date of the landfill, this could mean that the landfill would operate far longer than the 26 years now estimated. There is no requirement that will force the landfill to close when 90 million tons have been deposited or when 26 years have elapsed.

“The North San Fernando Valley continues to suffer from the negative effects of the Sunshine Canyon Landfill. The time has come to put an end to this environmentally polluting practice and start recovering our waste for beneficial use as described in my RENEW LA plan,” said Los Angeles City Councilmember Greig Smith.

The POWER coalition includes the North Valley Coalition, Sierra Club, Natural Resources Defense Council, Environmental Law Foundation, and the International Brotherhood of Teamsters.

November 4, 2004 – Los Angeles to Study Urban Landfills (Waste360)

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https://waste360.com/news/los-angeles

The Los Angeles City Council has agreed to pay for a study on urban landfills using funds from a trust fund created a decade ago by the operators of Sunshine Canyon landfill. The $100,000 to be used is the last of the money remaining in the $1 million fund created by Browning Ferris Industries, the landfill’s operator.

The study will look at ways the city can deal with landfills and the city’s trash over the next 20 years. Los Angeles Mayor James Hahn has promised to stop using Sunshine Canyon for residential trash disposal by 2006 and will fight the use of urban landfills. There is a June 2005 deadline for the city to decide the fate of its contract with Sunshine Canyon.

September 28, 1991 – Judge Postpones Start of Construction to Expand Sunshine Canyon Dump (L.A. Times)

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https://articles.latimes.com/1991-09-28/local/me-2909_1_sunshine-canyon-landfill

A judge Friday temporarily halted the beginning of construction on the expansion of Sunshine Canyon Landfill into 200 acres of Los Angeles County-controlled land above Granada Hills.

Construction was set to start Monday–two weeks before a lawsuit opposing the dump expansion is scheduled to be heard.

Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Ronald M. Sohigian issued a temporary restraining order halting the project at the request of the city of Los Angeles, which is suing Los Angeles County and Browning-Ferris Industries, the landfill’s owner.

Study: Biodegradable products in landfills may be harmful

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https://www.wasterecyclingnews.com/landfill/landfill-report.html?id=1306942437

Biodegradable products, such as disposable cups and utensils, may be doing more harm than good in landfills, according to researchers from North Carolina State University.

The study, which was published online in Environmental Science & Technology, found that so-called eco-friendly products release a powerful greenhouse gas as they break down.

The problem is attributable to the rate at which biodegradable materials break down, the study found. According to Federal Trade Commission guidelines, products marked as biodegradable should decompose within “a reasonably short period of time” after disposal.

But that rapid deterioration may be environmentally harmful, the researchers found.

Federal regulations do not require landfills that collect methane to install gas collection systems for at least two years after the waste is buried. If materials break down and release methane too quickly, the study said, much of the methane will likely be emitted before the collection technology is installed. This means less potential fuel for energy use and more greenhouse gas emissions.

The researchers found that a slower rate of biodegradation is more environmentally friendly because the majority of the methane production will occur after the methane collection system is in place.

“Methane can be a valuable energy source when captured, but is a potent greenhouse gas when released into the atmosphere,” said Morton Barlaz, co-author of the study and a professor and head of N.C. State’s Department of Civil, Construction and Environmental Engineering, in a statement. “In other words, biodegradable products are not necessarily more environmentally friendly when disposed of in landfills.”

New research shows why landfills produce methane

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https://www.wasterecyclingnews.com/landfill/landfill-report.html?id=1302571046

April 12 — New research out of North Carolina has discovered exactly why landfills produce methane.

North Carolina State University researchers said they have identified a species of microbe — Methanosarcina bakeri — that “appears to be the key” to allow production of the gas.

“Landfills receive a wide variety of solid waste, and that waste generally starts out with a fairly low pH level,” said Francis de los Reyes, an associate professor of civil engineering and co-author of a paper describing the research.

“The low pH level makes it difficult for most methanogens — methane-producing organisms — to survive. We started this project in hopes of better understanding the mechanism that raises the pH level in landfills, fostering the growth of methanogens,” de los Reyes said.

Researches discovered that the microbe M. bakeri survives in at low pH levels, consumes acids and produces methane. This increases pH levels and makes an area “more amenable for other methanogens,” the school said.

Moisture leaching through a landfill then spreads the high pH levels, allowing other parts of the disposal site to continue the process, research shows.

“The research community can use our findings to explore ways of accelerating the methane-generation process,” de los Reyes said, “creating methane more quickly for power generation and making additional room in the landfill for waste disposal.”

The findings are explained in a paper, “Effect of Spatial Differences in Microbial Activity, pH, and Substrate Levels on Methanogenesis Initiation in Refuse,” that´s being published in the April issue of “Allied and Environmental Microbiology.”

The paper was co-authored by Bryan Staley, who is president and CEO of the Environmental Research and Education Foundation, de los Reyes, and Morton Barlaz, a professor and department head of civil, construction and environmental engineering at N.C. State. Research funding was provided by Waste Management Inc. and the foundation. Staley worked on the project while he was a doctoral student at the university.

Walmart diverts 80% of waste from landfills in California

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Retail giant Walmart said it has diverted 80% of its waste from landfills at its California operations.

The California stores are acting as a bellwether for the company´s waste reduction plans, being implemented at all 4,400 U.S. Walmarts, Sam´s Clubs and distribution centers.

“We are proud of the progress we are making toward our zero waste goal, but realize we still have more work to do,” said Bill Simon, president and CEO of Walmart U.S. “We are committed to actively finding and developing solutions that are both good for the environment and good for business. Through this program we are able to provide the raw materials needed to make new products, recycle millions of pounds of commodities and reduce the environmental impact of landfills.”

The company has achieved its diversion goals by recycling cardboard, paper, aluminum, plastic bags, wood pallets, polystyrene apparel. The company also donates excess food to food banks and uses expired food and other organics to create animal feed, energy or compost.

Walmart began implementing and tracking waste reduction efforts in California in 2009. The nationwide program, based on the California model, will include an ongoing review to monitor the program´s success.

For more information, click here.

February 17, 2011 – Billionaire Increases Investment in Republic Services (Waste and Recycling News)

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https://www.wasterecyclingnews.com/headlines2.html?id=1266420718

Warren Buffett likes trash.

The well-known investor, whose every financial move is watched closely by Wall Street, has substantially increased his investment in Republic Services Inc., the nation´s No. 2 solid waste management company.

In a new filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, Buffett´s Berkshire Hathaway Inc. says it held 8,290,500 shares of the company´s stock as of the end of 2009.

That compares with 3,625,000 shares at the end of last year´s third quarter.

Buffett joins billionaire buddy Bill Gates with substantial holdings in Republic Services. Gates has been a long-time investor in the company, and Buffett only started buying stock within recent months. Berkshire Hathaway, a publicly traded company, owns stock in about 40 other firms.

Contact Waste & Recycling News senior reporter Jim Johnson at 937-964-1289 or jpjohnson@crain.com