Supervisor Says West Cities Should Stop Dumping at Simi Valley : Environment: Vicky Howard says those communities should be responsible for their own waste. Her plan would ban daily shipment of 80 tons of trash.

Ventura County Supervisor Vicky Howard on Friday proposed stopping west county cities from hauling trash to the Simi Valley Landfill, saying it is time those cities take responsibility for their own waste.

Expanding on a request she made to the Ventura County Waste Commission, Howard said the county should stand by its current solid-waste management plan that divides the county into four geographical regions for trash disposal.

“I believe east county waste should be handled in the east county, and west county waste should be handled in the west county,” said Howard, who represents the Simi Valley area, where the landfill is located.

If adopted by the Waste Commission, the policy could end shipments of about 80 tons a day of residual waste that Gold Coast Recycling of Ventura has been sending to Simi Valley since last December.

A Gold Coast Recycling spokeswoman was unavailable for comment Friday.

But the prospect of a ban on shipments of trash to Simi Valley was welcome news to the operators of Bailard Landfill in Oxnard, which stands to benefit if Gold Coast Recycling is forced to dispose of its trash locally.

In making the proposal, Howard joined other east county officials in her concern that the apparent defeat of the proposed Weldon Canyon Landfill will mean more of the west county’s trash will be hauled to the Simi Valley Landfill.

Transporting more waste to Simi Valley would have a devastating effect on the area’s air quality, traffic congestion and noise levels, Moorpark Councilman Scott Montgomery said. The Moorpark City Council last week asked county and state waste officials to oppose such shipments, saying the environmental review of the Simi Valley Landfill did not consider the addition of trash from outside the area.

Howard’s opposition to transporting trash from the west county is crucial to the east county’s effort to prevent the practice, Montgomery said.

“Unless we have her outspoken support, we could be in real trouble,” he said.

Howard, who supported Weldon Canyon as a site for a west county landfill, said west county residents must now evaluate the alternatives to Weldon Canyon other than relying on the Simi Valley Landfill.

“I think there are many alternatives, but my concern is none are proven,” Howard said. “The west county must decide what it will do with its residual trash and be aware that the east county does not welcome their trash.”

Opponents of Waste Management Inc.’s proposed landfill in Weldon Canyon emphasized their support for hauling trash by railroad outside the state, or extensive recycling, mulching or composting yard waste. But the cost of such alternatives has not been determined and may not be feasible, Howard cautioned.

Other options include the continued operation of the Bailard Landfill by the Regional Sanitation District beyond its scheduled closing date in December. Or, the west county could contract with the Chiquita Canyon Landfill in Los Angeles County.

If Howard’s proposal is adopted by the Waste Commission, Gold Coast Recycling could be forced to halt its daily shipments of residual trash that it started in December.

By sending its trash to Simi Valley, the company saves about $20 a ton in tipping fees, which more than compensates for the increased transportation costs, according to Michael E. Williams of Waste Management Inc., which operates the Simi Valley Landfill.

Sanitation District General Manager Clint Whitney, who oversees the Bailard Landfill, said he was glad to see Howard take a stand against trash shipments to Simi Valley.

“We raised the issue before the Waste Commission six months ago, but it fell on deaf ears,” Whitney said. “Sending trash to the east county hurts us financially, and we would love to have the tonnage back.”

Supervisor Maggie Kildee, who chaired Wednesday’s meeting of the Waste Commission, said she could understand the sentiments of east county residents who oppose receiving more trash from the west county.

“People get upset when someone is dumping their trash in your back yard,” Kildee said. “There’s a feeling, ‘We’ve taken care of our trash; now it’s time to take care of yours.’ ”