EARTHQUAKE: THE ROAD TO RECOVERY : Dump Sites Get Their Fill of Quake Debris : Cleanup: Simi Valley closes its free service, while Fillmore still accepts brick and concrete. Landfills have extended hours and raised weight limits.

Nearly a month after an earthquake ravaged Simi Valley and Fillmore, residents continue to sort through the debris, salvaging personal items and hauling toppled chimneys and broken water heaters to the dump.

At Simi Valley City Hall, the city closed its free dump site Sunday, even though the cleanup is far from over for some residents.

“So far, we spent all our time cleaning up the inside, and now we’ve got to take care of the outside,” Simi Valley resident Philip Maciel said.

Maciel is just beginning to haul away the collapsed patio and remains of a fireplace from his home at the end of the Sabina Circle cul-de-sac.

By closing time Sunday at the dump site, the city had taken in an estimated 6,500 tons of material at a cost of $366,000, said Joe Hreha, deputy director of environmental services.

The city is applying for reimbursement from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

At the Simi Landfill, residents have brought in 4,000 tons of quake debris, said Doug Corcoran, division vice president of the landfill.

To accommodate the increase, the landfill, which opens at 7 a.m. seven days a week, now stays open until 6 p.m. each day rather than 4:30 p.m. Fees for dumping a fully loaded pickup truck have been reduced from $35.95 to $25.

Meanwhile, trucks loaded with rubble from earthquake-damaged buildings in Fillmore continue to roll up the narrow dirt road to the Toland Landfill.

The daily 135-ton limit at the dump was lifted to accommodate up to six times the usual amount of trash received each day.

On Thursday alone, the dump took in a record 630 tons of quake-related rubble, enough to fill 30 large trucks, said John Conaway, director of solid waste for Ventura County, which operates the dump.

Conaway said the landfill employs enough workers to handle the increase. “We were ready for the onslaught,” he said.

Much of the debris is coming from the 20 condemned houses and businesses that the city began demolishing last week, Conaway said.

In addition, residents with minor damage are dumping broken glass and shattered household items in dumpsters placed in hard-hit neighborhoods. The city is also supplying boxes to aid in the cleanup, and plastic sheets to cover leaky roofs.

The city will continue to allow residents to dump bricks and concrete for free at Main and Mountain View streets through Friday.

Fillmore Public Works Supt. John Kozar said residents have welcomed the city’s efforts to help with the cleanup.

“We haven’t had any complaints yet,” he said. “We got those dumpsters out there the day after the quake and, as soon as they’re full, they’re dumped.”

Like Simi Valley, Fillmore is applying to FEMA for reimbursement.

Some residents, eager to rid themselves of rubble, are hiring contractors. A table in Fillmore’s temporary building and safety office is covered with business cards from dozens of construction and demolition companies.

Fillmore resident Jim Blansett paid a contractor $3,000 to demolish his home.

“We didn’t want it postponed any longer,” he said. “It’s a potential lifetime of liability if someone breaks in and gets hurt.”

Simi Valley contractor Steven DeVries, who usually receives one or two calls a month, said he has logged 300 calls for service since the earthquake.

Last week, DeVries tore down and replaced four chimneys. He charged about $4,000 apiece, including hauling out the old chimney, and obtaining permits and materials for the new ones.

“This is great business, and it’s just the beginning because people are waiting for their insurance and FEMA money to come through,” DeVries said. “I’m going to be busy for another year or two.”

Some residents, unwilling to hire contractors, are taking matters into their own hands.

John Jones and the other 64 members of the Fairway Park Homeowners Assn. in Simi Valley refused to pay a contractor $30,000 to tear down and haul away damaged block walls throughout their east end neighborhood.

Instead, they rented a truck and tractor, and are hauling the stuff themselves.

“It’s a big project, but it’s worth it to save the money,” Jones said. “Little by little, we’re chipping away.”

Sara Catania is a Times staff writer and Scott Hadly is a correspondent.