League Praises Series on Hazardous Waste

On behalf of the League of Women Voters of Los Angeles County, we wish to commend The Times for the recent series of articles (Nov. 3-17) on the impact of improper disposal of chemical wastes and the need for treatment facilities to replace past practices of dumping these hazardous wastes onto land or into water. New federal and state restrictions on the disposal of liquid chemical waste make it imperative to move swiftly in siting and building plants to treat and solidify these wastes.

Our organization supports the efforts of Los Angeles County government and the regional Hazardous Waste Management Authority to expedite the provision of such services by private industry. We hope that citizens will become involved constructively in the planning and permit processes to ensure that they are performed properly rather than devoting their energies to efforts to keep any facilities from being built.

Los Angeles County generates more hazardous waste annually than any other county in the state. Other counties look to us to do our fair share in taking care of these wastes. Siting treatment plants in industrial areas where wastes are generated and locating a geologically secure residuals repository away from population centers will also represent a “fair share” distribution within the county.

We were pleased by Ruth Ryon’s reference in her Nov. 17 article to the need for waste reduction. Although everyone agrees that waste reduction is a good idea, apart from the achievements of 3-M Corp. there is little information in circulation as to how industry can reduce the quantity and toxicity of its byproducts. We hope The Times in continuing its excellent coverage of the hazardous waste crisis will explore possibilities for waste reduction.

ALISON FULLER

Pasadena

BETTY TROTTER

Northridge

Trotter is president of the League of Women Voters of Los Angeles County. Fuller is a waste management consultant.