Local News in Brief : Countywide : Dumping Plan Sought for Household Wastes

To discourage illegal dumping of household hazardous wastes, county health officials are proposing the creation of two special collection stations at existing landfills and working with four private stations elsewhere in the county to handle such materials.

Operating the pilot program would cost about $1.2 million a year. To pay for it, county officials have proposed a 25-cent a ton surcharge on trash deposited at county landfills.

The proposal is part of a series of changes in landfill fees recommended by county health and waste management experts. Under the plan, the basic landfill rate on July 1 would jump from the current fee of $11 per ton to $13.75 per ton, which includes the surcharge. Fees for individual trucks using the landfills would increase from $4 to $5 a load, but the rate for individual cars would remain at $3 per load.

The Board of Supervisors is scheduled to hold a public hearing on the proposal at 9:30 a.m. Wednesday.

The fee increases are being proposed to offset the costs of the planned closings of the Coyote Canyon landfill south of Irvine and the Santiago Canyon landfill east of Orange later this year, and the simultaneous opening of the Bee Canyon Landfill northeast of Irvine, officials said.

Complying with more stringent environmental regulations for disposing and handling trash also has proved more costly for the county.

The special collection stations for household hazardous wastes would be created at existing landfills in Brea and San Juan Capistrano. The county also would work with private facilities in Anaheim, Stanton, Huntington Beach and Irvine.