LA County Board of Supervisors unanimously approve controversial plan to increase daily wildfire debris dumping at landfills
The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday unanimously approved a controversial plan that will increase daily dumping limits at three county landfills as crews continue to process debris from the Palisades and Eaton Fire burn zones.
The decision comes despite days worth of protest from residents across the county, especially those living near the Calabasas Landfill, which had dumping restrictions removed by board members on Tuesday. The daily allowance of dumping will also be increased at the Lancaster Landfill and the Sunshine Canyon Landfill in Granada Hills as well.
Typically the Calabasas Landfill only accepts waste from the surrounding areas, including Hidden Hills, Agoura Hills, Malibu, Westlake Village and Thousand Oaks. Now, the landfill will accept material from outside of that specific area for at least six months.
Both the Sunshine Canyon and Lancaster landfills have already been operating as wildfire debris dumping sites, but Tuesday's resolution will increase the daily tonnage limit from 12,000 to 15,000 at the Granada Hills-based landfill, and from 3,000 tons to 7,000 tons in Lancaster.
The Lancaster Landfill was already operating on a temporary waiver to accept up to 5,000 tons a day as it was drawing debris from the Bridge Fire, which burned in 2024 in the Angeles National Forest.
Prior to Tuesday's vote, the supervisors were met with the displeasure of hundreds of residents denouncing the plan. They voiced a myriad of concerns but focused mainly on the potential toxicity that could spread from the ongoing disposal of waste from the fires.
Among those were Calabasas Mayor Peter Kraut and Mayor pro tem James Bozajian, who have vocally expressed their opposition to the local landfill's use for fire debris.
"We have little reason to believe hazardous and non-hazardous materials can be separated," Bozajian said at the meeting.
The city previously filed a temporary restraining order that prevented typical intakes at the landfill, but a LA County Superior Court judge ruled against it.
Both county and federal officials who also joined Tuesday's meeting said that hazardous wastes removed from the fire zones by the United States Environmental Protection Agency were not being taken to any of the landfills. They said they were instead being taken to other dumps that were capable of handling such debris.
On top of that, they contended that debris like ash and wood being removed from fire zones by Army Corp of Engineers is being packaged, delivered and stored at dumps in a way that won't present any danger to the community.
Their arguments were not met with satisfaction from residents.
"The health and well-being of our residents should not be jeopardized in the name of expedience," said Randi Feilich, the vice chair of the Calabasas Environmental Commission. "It is necessary that the county take every measure necessary to ensure full remediation of any harmful toxins."
"Chemicals from the TVs, the iPads, the laptops. All of that that was in these homes is in this ash and it can't be separated," said Kelly Martino, a Calabasas resident speaking with KCAL News.
Phase 1 of hazardous material removal is expected to be fully completed by the end of the week, with Phase 2 already underway in some areas.
