SIMI VALLEY : Landfill Seeks Trash From Outside County

Hoping to boost profits, the owner of the Simi Valley Landfill wants to begin accepting 800 tons of trash from three San Diego County cities.

Waste Management of California is being considered for a contract to bring in trash from Oceanside, Carlsbad and Escondido, said Simi landfill President Greg Louchnane.

If Waste Management wins the contract, it would dump those cities’ trash in the Simi Valley landfill for about a year. After the end of the first year, Waste Management would then take the daily load of trash to a recycling center now under construction in San Bernardino, Louchnane said.

East county residents and civic leaders have opposed dumping trash from the west county and other counties into the landfill.

At the same time, an increase in recycling has cut the volume of trash dumped at the Simi landfill--and reduced the landfill’s profits.

Since the decline began, landfill officials have actively sought trash from other cities. But a county ordinance prevented most out-of-county waste from entering the landfill.

The Ventura County Board of Supervisors in October refused to renew the ordinance.

In the refusal, the board said a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling made the ordinance unconstitutional, thus allowing the way for Waste Management to seek trash from other counties.