GLENDALE LOOKS TO EXPAND LANDFILL MOVE WOULD POSTPONE NEED TO TRANSPORT WASTE BY RAIL.

Byline: EUGENE TONG Staff Writer

GLENDALE -- The City Council is considering expanding the Scholl Canyon Landfill, a move intended to postpone when the city will need to haul away garbage by rail and triple the cost of waste disposal.

The 300-acre landfill in the canyons north of Glenoaks Boulevard is expected to reach capacity by 2020, but a proposal to pile trash to about 1,700 feet -- about 175 feet higher than the current permit allows -- could extend that by 12-15 years.

``By doing that, we buy years of additional time to take in rubbish instead of having to take it by rail,'' Mayor Dave Weaver said.

The council took up the proposal in a study session earlier this month and ordered the Department of Public Works to begin an environmental review.

Two options are on the drawing board: Extend only the landfill's height, which could add about 12 years of capacity, or increase the height and width to add 15 years, said Steve Zurn, the city's director of public works.

The landfill sits on a total of 400 acres, and receives about 1,500 tons of waste per day. Ridges separate the landfill's active face on the east end and hillside homes in Pasadena.

Weaver said the extension would allow the city to raise the local recycling rate -- currently about 50 percent -- and minimize reliance on waste disposal by rail. As local landfills reach capacity, the county Sanitation Districts, which operates Scholl Canyon, plans to ship trash to regional landfills planned in Riverside and Imperial counties.

One ``megadump,'' the Mesquite Regional Landfill, is slated to open in 2008-09 and is designed to take in up to 20,000 tons of trash per day. But the cost of shipping waste by train 170 miles southeast of Los Angeles is more than triple -- about $100 per ton compared with the $30 per ton Glendale now spends on disposal, Zurn said.

To aid the transition, the Sanitation Districts of Los Angeles County plans to subsidize rail haul to keep costs at $65 per ton until 2024.

But Weaver believes the city needs to seek alternatives.

``If we buy that time, we can look at ways to recycle 100 percent,'' he said.

The city is increasing trash fees 5 percent beginning this month, a 64- cent increase for residential customers that brought monthly rates to $13.47. The move, which was expected to raise $650,000, allows the city to keep pace with rising costs and build reserves for the moment Scholl Canyon closes, officials said.

The city earns about $7.7 million a year in royalties from disposal fees.

But even with preparation, Zurn said waste disposal will continue to be an issue for the city.

``We've always looked at ways to reduce and eliminate waste that goes to the landfill,'' he said. ``But at the end of the day, we produce a certain amount (of trash), and we're going to need to handle that in the future.''

The Scholl Canyon Landfill opened in 1961 and is operated under a joint powers agreement between the city, county and the county Sanitation Districts. The city owns a majority of the property, though Los Angeles County and Southern California Edison also have stakes.

Besides waste disposal, the city has found other uses for the facility. A network of pipes captures flammable methane gases, which are sent to the city's Grayson Power Plant to generate electricity.

The filled west end was redeveloped into a golf course and sports center.

eugene.tong(at)dailynews.com

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CAPTION(S):

2 photos, map

Photo:

(1) Green waste is shredded into mulch at the Scholl Canyon Landfill. The landfill is currently expected to reach capacity by 2020.

(2) Trucks unload their trash at the Scholl Canyon Landfill. Glendale is considering piling waste higher, which would keep the landfill in use longer.

John McCoy/Staff Photographer

Map:

Scholl Canyon landfill

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