ORANGE COUNTY PERSPECTIVE : Dumping a Political Problem?

An Orange County garbage crisis seems to have been averted when Anaheim Disposal changed its mind and agreed to return its business to the county’s Olinda landfill. But the controversy has left harsh lessons and troubling questions.

Absent any formal agreements, the county could easily be shaken again should a major hauler decide to take its business elsewhere. As the recent case indicated, that could throw the county’s waste management budget into chaos and interrupt long-term planning. A new policy of contracting with haulers is in order so that the county isn’t caught by surprise again.

The lingering questions center on what role Anaheim Disposal’s diversion of garbage to Los Angeles County played in efforts to head off construction of a new jail in Gypsum Canyon near the Anaheim Hills. Gypsum Canyon is the site the Board of Supervisors has selected for a new jail, and the county may be able to purchase it for a landfill and then preserve part of the canyon for a jail site. That would keep the area from being utilized some other way.

How does that fit in with Anaheim Disposal’s decision to haul its trash to West Covina instead of the county dump? It’s hard to say, but obviously, less garbage taken to Olinda would decrease the need for a new landfill in Gypsum Canyon and remove the urgency of getting the canyon into county hands.

The Board of Supervisors’ most vehement voice against building a jail in Gypsum Canyon is Supervisor Don R. Roth, a former Anaheim mayor. Roth received $6,300 in contributions for his board race in 1986 from Anaheim Disposal officers and affiliates--indicating strong ties to the company. Roth vehemently denies any connection between the jail and Anaheim Disposal’s temporary defection. But he did publicly defend the company’s right to move. The company says Anaheim officials--not Roth--had urged them to move.

Clearly, politics is at play here. But this is a dangerous game. Any hauler could change landfills with no notice. Contracts are needed to assure Orange County of no further surprises.