San Bernardino County this week took a step toward an arrangement with a combination of sanitation districts in Los Angeles County that could generate over $260 million in revenue to San Bernardino County over 15 years in exchange for accepting trash generated by as many as three dozen cities.
This week, the county board of supervisors authorized Gerry Newcombe, San Bernardino County’s public works director, to submit a proposal responding to a request for proposal from the Sanitation Districts of Los Angeles County for municipal solid waste disposal services, with a range of the per ton charge that will be similar to other contracts the county has approved for the disposal of waste.
Newcombe this week told the board of supervisors, “The Sanitation District of Los Angeles County is soliciting proposals for municipal solid waste disposal services in order to secure capacity for their waste after the expiration of their waste disposal agreement with Orange County, which expires June 30, 2016. The term of the agreement will be for five years, with two additional five year extension options. The county currently allows waste to be imported into the Mid-Valley and San Timoteo Sanitary Landfills through its operations contract with Athens Services at a price of $29.53 per ton. Athens also imports waste to the Victorville Sanitary Land fill at $26.91 per ton. Additionally, the county has an importation agreement with the City of Claremont at a price of $28.72 per ton. Those agreements differ in length of term and volume of waste from the agreement expected to result from this proposal. As a comparison, the various cities within the county that have waste disposal agreements pay $39.38 per ton.”
Newcombe continued, “The San Bernardino County Department of Public Works – Solid Waste Management Division has determined that there is existing, and future capacity at the Mid-Valley Sanitary Landfill due to the decrease in the volume of the waste stream being delivered to the county’s solid waste disposal system as a result of the economic downturn and increased state recycling requirements. The Mid-Valley Sanitary Landfill currently has enough additional capacity to accept 2,500 tons per day of additional imported waste. Should the San Bernardino County Department of Public Works – Solid Waste Management Division be selected for importation of solid waste, San Bernardino County Department of Public Works – Solid Waste Management Division will return to the board for approval of the resulting revenue contract.”
Just prior to the board of supervisors meeting on Tuesday, Newcombe told the Sentinel that he anticipated any arrangement with the Sanitation District of Los Angeles County for receiving trash at the Mid-Valley Sanitary Landfill would probably initially be in the range of 1,000 tons per day, which is well below the 2,500 tons he said Mid-Valley has capacity for on a daily basis. The county’s solid waste management division is currently operating at a deficit, he said. Closing a deal with Sanitation District of Los Angeles County, Newcombe said, would very likely result in the San Bernardino County Solid Waste Management District no longer running at a deficit.
Newcombe said the Sanitation District of Los Angeles County provides service to most of the cities in Los Angeles County with the exception of the City of Los Angeles itself.
Newcombe said he was reluctant to disclose at this point what the San Bernardino County per ton rate for receiving trash into its landfill will be because he did not want to tip off any other entities bidding on the disposal contract with the Sanitation District of Los Angeles County. He did not, however, object to the Sentinel’s assumption that the contract, if it is obtained, would generate roughly $27 for every ton of refuse placed into the Mid-Valley Landfill.