PUENTE HILLS : Report Urges Expansion of Landfill Over Next 20 Years

A potentially burgeoning Los Angeles County population and an expected shortage of landfill space necessitate further expanding the capacity of the Puente Hills landfill--one of the biggest in America--by 75 million tons of trash during the next 20 years, according to a draft environmental report released Friday.

The report also outlines a plan to create a facility at the San Gabriel Valley landfill for processing 4,000 tons of trash a day to recover recyclables. Under the plan, waste from that effort would be shipped on trains out of the county for disposal.

Three August hearings are scheduled on the report by the Sanitation Districts of Los Angeles County. Two will be in Hacienda Heights on Aug. 4 and Aug. 6 at St. John Vianney Community Center, 1345 Turnbull Canyon Road. A third will be Aug. 5 at the Downey High School cafeteria, 11040 Brookshire Ave., Downey. The hearings run from 7 to 10 p.m.