Portion of Boyle Heights warehouse waste taken to Riverside County landfill

A portion of the 85 million pounds of rotting food waste from the burned Boyle Heights warehouse is being transported to a Corona landfill that has faced more than a dozen regulatory violations in the past two years.

Since 2024, the South Coast Air Quality Management District has issued more than 15 notices of violation to El Sobrante Landfill for air quality and permit conditions, many of which were related to the facility's gas regulation system, the operator's reporting obligations and other administrative issues. 

AQMD added that the landfill has had elevated temperature conditions from an underground problem that can generate sulfur-related emissions. Federal regulations require landfills to maintain gas temperatures below 145 degrees. If temperatures reach 170 degrees or higher, the facility is required to report it to local regulators.

El Sobrante reported that temperatures and carbon monoxide concentrations exceeded federal guidelines four times in April 2026, according to CalRecycle. Inspectors required them to monitor and repair "deteriorated or defective conditions."

Regulators said El Sobrante has until Aug. 5, 2027, to fix the issues. 

Riverside County's Department of Environmental Health signed an emergency waiver allowing El Sobrante to exceed its maximum tonnage limits until Sept. 30. The waiver prohibited the facility from placing any food waste in the area experiencing temperature issues. 

"It's food waste, so it's nothing that is abnormal," said Sandi Salas, a supervisor at Riverside County DEH. "It's something that can be disposed of on a regular basis. It's just a high volume due to that fire, so it needs to be removed and disposed of properly."

The county said the waiver met its requirements, including a state of emergency declared by Gov. Gavin Newsom. 

"Since all those parameters were met, and there wasn't any other concerns or any other safety measures that have come up, we would approve the waiver," Salas said. 

Contractors have been using El Sobrante and another landfill in Los Angeles County to dispose of the 85 million pounds of food debris, according to Lineage Logistics. 

Lineage began transporting the rotting food on June 28, a day before Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass set a 45-day timeline to remove all of the biohazardous waste. To do so, Lineage would need to transport roughly 1,888,889 pounds per day. 

In roughly three weeks, Lineage has removed 1,622,000 pounds, according to its cleanup tracker.

The burned warehouse has been a major concern for residents after garbage-like odors have permeated their neighborhoods. Rodents and pests feasting on the rotting food added another layer to the neighbors' problems. 

Lineage has contracted with various pest control companies to address rodents, flies, gnats, and mosquitoes. In total, 250 bait stations have been installed in the public right-of-way outside the warehouse and in the immediate neighborhood.

AQMD has also issued notices of violation to Lineage for the rotting food odors.