Garden Grove Won’t Oppose Idea of Landfill Fees

GARDEN GROVE — The City Council has declined to support a resolution passed by the San Juan Capistrano City Council calling on county officials to abandon the idea of opening county landfills to waste from other counties.

Allowing neighboring counties to pay a fee and dump their waste in county landfills is among several options county officials are considering to generate income for the bankrupt county treasury.

San Juan Capistrano, which did not invest in the county pool, passed a resolution in January opposing the idea, and requested Garden Grove’s support.

But by voting 3 to 2 Tuesday, the council said that opening county landfills to “foreign” waste might actually lead to more efficient waste management, especially if the county decides to privatize the service.

If managed properly, the county’s five landfills will generate more income and lower trash collection fees for residents, said Councilman Mark Leyes, who voted with Mayor Bruce A. Broadwater and Councilman Ho Chung to reject the South County city’s resolution.

“But the county doesn’t manage things very well, including its cash,” said Councilman Robert F. Dinsen, drawing chuckles from his council colleagues and residents who attended Tuesday’s meeting.

Dinsen, echoing arguments by San Juan Capistrano officials, said that allowing neighboring counties to dump their trash here would cause traffic, noise, pollution and other problems while reducing the life of county landfills.

State law requires cities and counties to reduce by 25% trash dumped in landfills by the end of this year and by 50% in 2000.