As one landfill closes to Los Angeles and its 88 cities, another has opened its doors and is ramping up its capacity. In Orange County, the Material Recovery Facility in Whittier is planning to expand its capacity from a current 150 tons per day to as much as 4,400 tons per day.
The increase is needed to prepare for the influx of waste when the Puente Hills Landfill closes. Currently, Los Angeles ships its garbage to the landfill near Hacienda Heights, but as it closes the garbage will need to go elsewhere. In order to accommodate the extra flows of garbage, the County is being asked to extend the facility’s permitted hours from 18 to 24 hours per day. Since 1999, the sorting facility has been restricted from operating during peak business hours of 6 to 9 a.m. and 4 to 7 p.m.
Residents around the facility don’t like the planned extension, as the flow of garbage trucks has the potential to snarl traffic.
Read the full story at the San Gabriel Valley Tribune.