Sanitation Districts Withdraw Landfill Bid

The Sanitation Districts of Orange County has withdrawn its proposal to buy the county’s landfill system for $300 million after the Board of Supervisors gave the offer a cool reception.

The districts’ board of directors took the action Wednesday night, a week after an agency subcommittee recommended that the deal be scrapped.

The county and the districts had been negotiating on a possible sale of the landfills for about four months.

The sale proposal called for the sewer districts to pay the county $15 million annually for the next 20 years in exchange for the four operating landfills and more than 20 closed dumps.

Backers of the sale said placing responsibility for both solid and liquid waste in the hands of one agency would mean savings that could lead to lower landfill dumping fees.

But a majority on the Board of Supervisors opposed the offer, saying that the price was far too low. The proposal also drew mixed responses from city officials.

Besides withdrawing the proposal, the districts asked the county to return $100,000 the agencies put up in December to secure exclusive negotiations.