WHITTIER, CA — (Marketwired) — 10/28/13 — After 56 years of operation, the Puente Hills Landfill, owned and operated by the Sanitation Districts of Los Angeles County, will close on October 31, 2013. Although trash will no longer be accepted at the landfill, five other Districts– facilities are available to meet the waste management needs of businesses and the community.
“The closure ends an era of cost effective and environmentally sound landfilling operations at the facility, which has been a model for landfills across the country,” stated Grace Robinson Chan, Sanitation Districts Chief Engineer and General Manager.
The Puente Hills Landfill first opened in 1957 as the private San Gabriel Valley Dump. The Sanitation Districts purchased the landfill in 1970 for a regional disposal facility. The conditional use permit (CUP), issued by Los Angeles County, requires the site to close upon completion of the final fill design or on October 31, 2013, whichever occurs first.
The Puente Hills Landfill has employed numerous innovative, environmental approaches including generating electricity from landfill gas, managing materials recovery and recycling programs, dedicating the landfill property to a regional park after closure, and acquiring and maintaining local native habitat as open space. In addition, the state-of-the-art facility included extensive practices to manage odors, dust, birds, and providing landscaping to blend with the local native habitat. The landfill has been a popular destination for thousands of students and solid waste operators from throughout the world.
It is estimated that it will take 12 to 18 months for construction of the final cover and to complete other closure work after October 31, 2013. Afterwards, filled areas of the landfill will be made available to Los Angeles County Department of Parks and Recreation for development of a park. The Sanitation Districts will continue to maintain and monitor the landfill for at least 30 years or longer to protect public health and the environment.
Upon the closure of the Puente Hills Landfill, residents and commercial haulers are encouraged to use other nearby Sanitation Districts– facilities for disposal and recycling, including the Puente Hills Materials Recovery Facility (MRF) which shares the same entrance with the landfill.
The Puente Hills MRF will accept all waste for recycling and disposal, including commercial, construction/demolition, and residential wastes. The Puente Hills MRF will also accept green waste at a discounted rate. Beginning November 1, 2013, the Puente Hills MRF is scheduled to be open from 6:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Saturday, to receive materials.
Other Sanitation Districts– facilities, the Downey Area Recycling and Transfer Facility, the South Gate Transfer Station, the Commerce Refuse-to-Energy Facility, and the Southeast Resource and Recovery Facility located in Long Beach, will also be open and available to serve the region.
“Although closure of the landfill ends the service of one of the premier solid waste facilities in the country, we are confident that our other facilities will bring a seamless transition with a focus on recycling,” stated Chuck Boehmke, Departmental Engineer for Solid Waste Management.
For more information on hours and operations of all Sanitation Districts– solid waste facilities, please visit .
The Sanitation Districts are a regional agency consisting of 23 independent special districts serving over 5.5 million people in 78 cities and unincorporated territory within Los Angeles County. The Sanitation Districts protect public health and the environment through innovative and cost-effective wastewater and solid waste management, and in doing so convert waste into resources such as recycled water, energy, and recycled materials. For more information on the Sanitation Districts, please visit .