Protesters, elected officials take action to halt flow of toxic debris to local landfills
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- Southern California residents are protesting the decision to take toxic ash and debris from the Eaton and Palisades wildfires to local landfills.
- Federal officials counter that the debris can be disposed safely at the local landfills, and that trucking it to far away hazardous waste dumps would require longer truck trips that would delay the cleanup.
Kelly Martino stood in front of the thundering hood of a Freightliner semi-truck hauling waste from the Palisades fire, determined to block it from entering the Calabasas Landfill.
Martino was among the several dozen people who protested at the site Monday, concerned that the ash, debris and soil being carted to the landfill might be potentially toxic.
The crowd chanted “Back it up!” and wielded handwritten signs that read “No Toxic Dumping.” As the queue of trucks grew longer, sheriff‘s deputies threatened to make arrests if the crowd didn’t disperse. The protestors stood their ground.
“All the ash and sludge and debris is going to come here — and that’s not acceptable to us,” said Martino, who lives nearby in Agoura Hills. “And we’re not going to wait for a bunch of kids to get sick in 20 years.”
A similar protest also took place last Saturday at Calabasas Landfill and on Wednesday in Granada Hills near the Sunshine Canyon Landfill. The protesters say they are concerned that toxic chemicals from the fires could drift into their neighborhoods as airborne dust or leach into the groundwater. They want authorities to instead truck the waste to landfills designed for hazardous waste — facilities with sturdy liners to prevent leakage and monitors to detect unintended discharges.
Federal officials counter that the debris can be disposed safely at the local landfills, and that trucking it to far away hazardous waste dumps would require longer truck trips that would delay the cleanup.
“By far the greatest risk to the community is to have uncontrolled hazards on 13,000-plus properties,” said Col. Eric Swenson of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. “And our mission is to get it from an uncontrolled environment on these individual parcels to a controlled environment that’s safe for that type of material.”
The estimated 4.5 million tons of ash and wreckage from the Eaton and Palisades fires is one of the largest amounts of disaster debris in California’s recent history.
Previous assessments found that wildfire ash had levels of toxic chemicals to be considered hazardous waste by California standards. But wildfire debris has been taken to landfills before any testing has been performed.
At the entrance of the Calabasas Landfill, a variety of signage outlines the facility’s policy on the matter. One reads “No hazardous waste.” Another lists electronics and household items that are not accepted because they may contain toxic substances.
A newly installed sign warns that any incoming fire debris must have a certificate that verifies it is nonhazardous. That provision, however, applies only to private contractors — not federally hired crews taking part in the debris removal.
“You legally cannot bring a battery or a can of spray paint into this landfill,” said Dallas Lawrence, an Agoura Hills resident and president of the Las Virgenes School Board in Calabasas. “But now they’re allowing hundreds of thousands of tons of burnt batteries, paint chips and other things in this community. It’s incomprehensible.”
Officials with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency say they have cleared visible hazardous materials, such as batteries, from thousands of sites before the Army Corps oversees the disposal of ash and other rubble.
Lawrence said he’s worried about the children whose homes and schools are within a mile of the landfill.
“Our youngest kids are the most susceptible to the damage of these chemicals,” Lawrence said. “There are many other places this can go. Our community has one very clear task. And that is to pause this process, let the county, state, federal government actually study the environmental impact and put together a plan that guarantees that no toxic chemicals come into a residential community.”
Here are the landfills that could take toxic waste from the L.A. wildfires in the coming weeks — many have not accepted hazardous materials in the past.
In Granada Hills, a few dozen people protested this week outside of Van Gogh Elementary, a school about a mile away from Sunshine Canyon Landfill. The landfill is in a mountain pass with strong winds, and neighbors fear toxic dust and ash will be blown into communities downwind.
“They’re literally in hazmat suits, scooping up all this material because it’s hazardous,” said resident Erick Fefferman.
“If they’re depositing that, that material from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m., there’s portions of that material that is going to get dry. The Santa Ana winds are going to keep blowing, which can then disperse that particulate matter, the dust and the ash across the north San Fernando Valley.”
The landfills, Fefferman added, stand to make a substantial profit by accepting the voluminous amounts of debris. Many landfills are privately owned and charge roughly $100 per ton to accept municipal waste or construction debris.
Los Angeles City Councilman John Lee, who represents the northwest San Fernando Valley, last week introduced a measure calling on the city attorney to take legal action to temporarily block wildfire debris from being dumped at Sunshine Canyon, citing The Times’ reporting about a lack of testing. The motion was approved
“The proposal for Sunshine Canyon Landfill to accept this debris, without sufficient testing and oversight, is an insult to the communities that are located near this landfill,” Lee said. “Our district has already faced numerous environmental challenges, and I simply can’t allow another one to make its way to our neighborhoods.”
Representatives for Republic Services, the owner of Sunshine Canyon, said the landfill is equipped to handle the incoming fire debris.
“Sunshine Canyon is a strong community partner and a responsible option for this non-hazardous waste,” a statement read. “We have extensive experience handling fire 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.”
Calabasas city officials also tapped its city attorney to explore legal remedies to pause the flow of debris to the Calabasas Landfill.
Some elected officials have complained about a lack of transparency. No public agency has provided a comprehensive list of landfills that will accept this debris or the routes used to haul it, leaving residents in the dark.
Los Angeles County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath said she shared the residents’ frustration. She hosted town halls for community members who live near some of these landfills. But she said the information she’s received is still insufficient.
“This is a bureaucratic disaster. It is unacceptable and it must end,” Horvath said in a statement. “Every level of government has failed to provide the basic information our communities deserve on the plan for fire debris disposal.”
Swenson said Simi Valley Landfill, Calabasas Landfill, Azusa Land Reclamation, Sunshine Canyon Landfill and El Sobrante Landfill in Corona were expected to receive disaster debris.
The Lamb Canyon and Badlands landfills in Riverside County also requested emergency waivers for an increase in tonnage. County spokesperson Brooke Federico said those landfills would take refuse that would normally go to El Sobrante.
At the Calabasas Landfill this week, the truck being blocked by protesters turned around and drove away after an hour.
The crowd erupted into cheers. Debris shipments bound for Calabasas Landfill were paused for a week, pending the L.A. County Board of Supervisors meeting next week.
“Today you saw the community rise up because our state and county leaders have been missing in action,” Lawrence said. “So the community rose up. We came together. We shut down the landfill today.”
