End of an Innovator as Massive Puente Hills Landfill in California Closes

After 56 years of operation, the Puente Hills Landfill - the largest landfill sire in the U.S. - will close its gates for the final time today. Currently owned and operated by the Sanitation Districts of Los Angeles County, the Puente Hills Landfill first opened in 1957 as the private San Gabriel Valley Dump. The Sanitation Districts purchased the landfill in 1970 for use as a regional disposal facility. The Conditional Use Permit (CUP), issued by Los Angeles County, required the site to close upon completion of the final fill design or on October 31, 2013, whichever came first. "The closure ends an era of cost effective and environmentally sound landfilling operations at the facility, which has been a model for landfills across the country," commented Grace Robinson Chan, Sanitation Districts’ chief engineer and general manager. Although waste will no longer be accepted at the landfill, the Sanitation Districts noted that they have five other facilities available to meet the waste management needs of businesses and the community. End of an Innovator According to the Districts, Puente Hills Landfill has employed numerous innovative, environmental approaches including landfill gas to energy (pictured left), managing materials recovery and recycling programs, dedicating the landfill property to a regional park after closure, and acquiring and maintaining local native habitat as open space. In addition, the state-of-the-art facility included extensive practices to manage odours, dust, birds, and providing landscaping to blend with the local native habitat. Further to this the operator noted that the landfill has been a popular destination for thousands of students and solid waste operators from throughout the world. Materials Recycling Facility Upon the closure of the Puente Hills Landfill, residents and commercial haulers are encouraged to use other nearby Sanitation Districts' facilities for disposal and recycling, including the Puente Hills Materials Recovery Facility (MRF) which shares the same entrance with the landfill. The Districts said that the Puente Hills MRF will accept all waste for recycling and disposal, including commercial, construction/demolition, and residential wastes – as well as green waste at a discounted rate. Other Sanitation Districts' facilities, the Downey Area Recycling and Transfer Facility, the South Gate Transfer Station, the Commerce Refuse-to-Energy Facility, and the Southeast Resource and Recovery Facility located in Long Beach, will also be open and available to serve the region. "Although closure of the landfill ends the service of one of the premier solid waste facilities in the country, we are confident that our other facilities will bring a seamless transition with a focus on recycling," stated Chuck Boehmke, Departmental Engineer for Solid Waste Management. Closure It is estimated that it will take 12 to 18 months for construction of the final cover and to complete other closure work after October 31, 2013. Afterwards, filled areas of the landfill will be made available to Los Angeles County Department of Parks and Recreation for development of a park. The Sanitation Districts said that they will continue to maintain and monitor the landfill for at least the next 30 years or more to protect public health and the environment. Read More Filming Landfill in LA With 3750 m2 of intermediate deck often needing daily cover, time constraints have been a major concern at one of the world's largest landfill sites in Los Angeles. Mark Cadwallader explains how, following evaluation of many alternative daily cover materials, the County found the solution in degradable plastic film laid down by a self-propelled deployer. 2500 TPD Recycling Plant Planned in California Santa Fe Springs, California based waste and recycling company, Universal Waste Systems, has proposed developing a new material recycling facility (MRF) at its current site in northern Santa Fe Springs. 20 MW Farm & Food Waste to Biogas for Grid Injection Plant in U.S. HDR has been awarded a contract for the design, construction and start-up of a 20 MW equivalent AD facility that will produce biogas from wastes for injection into the grid.