Officials Assure Public that No Hazardous Waste Will Be Accepted

Granada Hills residents gathered on Tuesday, Feb. 18, to protest fire debris from the Palisades and Eaton wildfires being transported to Sunshine Canyon Landfill. The demonstration took place near Van Gogh Elementary School, where community members voiced concerns about potential environmental and health risks.

Proposed Fire Debris Storage at Sunshine Canyon Landfill

Sunshine Canyon Landfill is one of seven sites proposed to store debris from the Palisades and Eaton fires, which caused significant damage in Los Angeles in January. To accommodate this debris, Republic Services, the landfill’s operator, is requesting a waiver from the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors. This waiver would temporarily increase the landfill’s daily tonnage limit from 12,100 to 15,000 tons and extend operating hours by one hour on weekdays and two hours on Saturdays (source).

Odor Complaints and Community Concerns

Residents have long voiced concerns about the landfill’s impact on air quality. The South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD) received 118 odor complaints about Sunshine Canyon in January alone (source). Since 2016, the landfill has faced orders to reduce foul odors, but complaints persist (source).

At a recent community meeting, approximately 100 residents opposed the debris storage plan (source). A change.org petition with 1,000 signatures is also demanding the debris be relocated elsewhere.

Republic Services’ Response

Sunshine Canyon Landfill is classified as a Class III municipal solid waste landfill, meaning it does not accept household hazardous waste (source). A Republic Services representative defended the landfill’s ability to handle fire waste, stating:

“Sunshine Canyon is a strong community partner and a responsible option for this non-hazardous waste. The landfill has a state-of-the-art liner system, cover system and robust gas collection system to help ensure the material is managed safely and responsibly.”

Before debris is transported to Sunshine Canyon, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) removes all household hazardous materials during “Phase 1” cleanup. The remaining debris is managed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in “Phase 2.”

Protesters Demand Alternative Disposal Sites

Despite these assurances, some residents remain unconvinced. Protester Helen Attai, 67, expressed her frustration:

“We want to prove that this is safe, everyone is telling us that this isn’t going to be tested. They don’t know if this is safe. Why don’t you put it in the desert where nobody lives? It’s not fair to us, to the Calabasas people, to Burbank people.”

Meg Volk, 71, criticized the landfill’s history of odor complaints and questioned its ability to handle additional waste:

“This landfill has had 2,187 complaints of odor in 2024 and 65 complaints of violation from SCAQMD. They’re incapable of controlling their on-site odors now with 12,000 tons and they think with more they can do better? We don’t trust them, they are part of the problem.”

Concerns Over Air and Water Quality

Many residents fear potential contamination of the nearby Los Angeles Aqueduct Cascades. Emil Steven Mitev, a 17-year-old former Van Gogh Elementary student, recalled experiencing landfill odors as a child:

“It’s in close proximity to many neighborhoods, there’s schools with kids with growing lungs, additionally there’s a vital reservoir with water near the landfill. If the water reservoir is affected, it affects not only our San Fernando Valley, but the entire county of Los Angeles.”

Calls for Government Action

Local leaders are also responding to residents’ concerns. The L.A. County Board of Supervisors will discuss the landfill issue at their Feb. 25 meeting. Supervisors Lindsey Horvath and Kathryn Barger have requested an audit of Sunshine Canyon Landfill following increased odor complaints (source).

At a Feb. 19 press conference, Supervisor Horvath addressed the landfill debris plan:

“As we know, there’s been a lot of frustration in the community and I think that’s resulted from our inability to provide basic answers to residents’ questions on what the plan details are.”

Horvath clarified that while the county cannot regulate landfill licensing, it does control operating hours and daily tonnage limits. The Feb. 25 meeting will provide an opportunity for further discussion with the community before any final decisions are made.

What’s Next?

With residents determined to oppose the plan, the upcoming Board of Supervisors meeting will be a critical moment in the debate over where wildfire debris should be stored. Community members continue to push for alternatives that ensure public health and environmental safety.

Dive Brief:

• The U.S. EPA says it will reevaluate its estimation methods for measuring carbon monoxide, volatile organic compounds and nitrogen oxides in MSW landfill emissions in an effort to settle a lawsuit brought by environmental groups in July 2022.
• The Environmental Integrity Project, the Sierra Club and the Chesapeake Climate Action Network said in the lawsuit that EPA hasn’t updated its landfill emission estimation methods since 1998. The Clean Air Act requires the agency to reevaluate them every three years. 
• The EPA issued a proposed consent decree on Thursday, saying it would either suggest updated evaluation methods by Jan. 15, 2024, or determine that such updates aren’t needed. The EPA will solicit public comments on the consent decree until March 13.

Landfill operators and related companies are facing growing scrutiny around emissions testing, and some are investing in diverse methods for measuring emissions such as methane. Changes to how the EPA estimates such emissions might eventually affect some aspects of landfill management and operations.

The EPA agreed to look at how it estimates releases of some emissions in municipal solid waste landfills, according to the consent decree. If it determines updates are needed, the EPA agreed to submit a draft revision to the estimation methods, known as “emission factors,” in January 2024. The final rule is due by Aug. 14, 2024. 

The Environmental Integrity Project and the other groups leading the lawsuit allege EPA has been undercounting carbon monoxide, VOCs and nitrogen oxide releases by as much as 25%. The EPA proposed an amendment to the estimation methods in 2008, but it did not finalize the amendment even though, the lawsuit states, the agency “expressly acknowledg[ed]” that the 1998 methods are “inaccurate in ways that tend to underestimate emissions.” The EPA has declined to comment on the consent decree or the lawsuit.

The EPA needs to update its methods to more accurately regulate landfills, better track how emissions are escaping and hold potential polluters accountable for greenhouse gas emissions, the environmental groups said. 

“There’s been a significant change in what we know about landfill emissions the past several decades,” Jennifer Duggan, EIP’s deputy director, told Reuters.

The Solid Waste Association of North America plans to “participate in the EPA’s review of the emission factors,” said CEO David Biderman. 

The consent decree and any possible updates to EPA estimation methods likely won’t affect landfill operators for a few years, but some operators have already had certain emissions monitoring methods on their mind.

These operators say they support finding more accurate emissions measurement strategies, which could show they emit less methane and other emissions than environmental groups think. Some are using satellites in an attempt to more precisely measure methane, for example.

Yet the variety of testing methods for certain emissions, plus the cost to carry out such testing, can complicate operations. Landfill operators are also under pressure from the Biden administration to adopt better measurement methods, as the administration’s climate strategy mentions landfills as a priority for reducing greenhouse gases. 

The EPA consent decree comes about a year and a half after the agency issued a final rule setting methane emissions thresholds for MSW landfills, a decision that prompted some operators to make plans to update their emissions systems. That rule was long tied up in a separate lawsuit that was resolved in 2021. 

From https://www.wastedive.com/news/epa-consent-decree-msw-landfill-emissions/642606/