Cities sign on for project aimed to extend Tajiguas Landfill lifespan

Cities participating in the Tajiguas Resource Recovery Project are getting the ball rolling on the operation, which aims to reduce the amount of trash going into the Tajiguas Landfill.

The project consists of a materials recovery facility, which will process solid waste from the Tajiguas Landfill as well as recyclable and organic material collected from other local waste programs. The resource recovery project is intended to be a “financially and environmentally responsible long-term solution” to waste management, according to an annual report from the county’s resource recovery and management division.

Solvang, Buellton, and Goleta have all approved agreements with the county Public Works Department regarding the resource recovery project, according to Public Works Department Program Manager Leslie Wells. Santa Barbara is the last participating city yet to give the green light, and its City Council will cast the final vote on the item at its Dec. 13 meeting.

More than 200,000 tons of waste was buried at Tajiguas Landfill during the 2014-15 fiscal year, according to the county report. A Nov. 30 notice from the county Public Health Department stated that the resources recovery project would reduce the landfill’s waste disposal by 60 percent and postpone its projected closure until 2036, whereas at the current disposal rate the landfill is expected to run out of room by 2023.

“The end products of these processes will be the recovery and sale of additional recyclables, green energy, compost, and soil amendments,” the report stated. It added that greenhouse gas emissions reductions from the project would equal taking 25,000 vehicles off local roads.

Environmental Health Services is collecting public comment on the project’s permit application until Dec. 14, and the county Board of Supervisors will decide whether to give final approval of the project at its Dec. 13 meeting.

Wells told the Sun that with a thumbs-up from the board, the resources recovery project should begin construction in March 2017 and is scheduled to begin operations in January 2019.

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