Board May Hire Consultant to Help Unload Landfills

The Board of Supervisors on Tuesday will consider whether to hire a consultant to assist the county in either selling or leasing the county’s landfill system.

Earlier this year, the board rejected a $300-million bid for the system by the county sanitation districts but said it would entertain more lucrative offers.

Hiring a consultant is likely to cost hundreds of thousands of dollars and would be the strongest indication yet that the board is interested in selling or contracting out the four active landfills. Two are in Brea and the others are in Irvine and San Juan Capistrano.

Many trash haulers and environmentalists object to selling the landfills for fear that a private company would hike dumping rates and ignore environmental rules.

If hired, the specialist would work with the county on examining the landfill resources and exploring how best to use them to generate revenue while maintaining safety and environmental standards, officials said.

“We are looking for what is best for the county overall,” said Sue Gordon, spokeswoman for the county’s Integrated Waste Management Department.