Recycling Facility Opponents Air Views

More than two dozen Diamond Bar and Walnut residents spoke out Thursday against a proposed recycling/sorting facility in nearby City of Industry, saying the pollution and traffic it might generate would greatly reduce the quality of their lives.

About 100 residents and business owners aired their concerns at Industry City Hall about the reclamation center during the first public hearing on a draft environmental impact report for the project.

As proposed, the center, known as a Materials Recovery and Transfer Facility, would be developed on a 40-acre parcel south of Valley Boulevard, east of Grand Avenue. Several Walnut and Diamond Bar homes are nearby, some less than half a mile from the site.

The facility would accept up to 5,700 tons of trash per day after it is opened in 1998.

Walnut Mayor William T. Choctaw told the council that the environmental report does not address his concerns about air pollution, odor and noise.

“I’m prepared to fight this all the way,” Choctaw, a Walnut physician, said after addressing the council.

Others, including Diamond Bar Mayor Gary G. Miller and Walnut resident Greg Arakelian, vowed to see that the project is built elsewhere. Miller said his city hired an independent consultant to review Industry’s EIR and that a report is forthcoming.

“We’re the dump capital of L.A. Tell them to take the trash back to L.A.,” said Ray Russi of Walnut.

According to the draft environmental report, a reclamation center is necessary because area landfills are at or near capacity.

Trash generated in Industry and from other San Gabriel Valley cities would be transferred to the center by truck, with materials to be recycled, separated and transferred out by train.

Much of the trash would consist of cardboard, high-grade paper, wood wastes and organic materials such as plants, according to the report.

Carl Bennett, an Industry business owner, testified in support of the project, saying it would be camouflaged and “environmentally friendly.”

The two-hour public hearing ended without action being taken. Industry council members told the audience that its comments will be taken into consideration in preparing the final EIR.