SUNSHINE CANYON ALTERNATIVES GET DUMPED ON AS TOO EXPENSIVE.

Byline: Kerry Cavanaugh Staff Writer

Sunshine Canyon Landfill in Granada Hills remains the most viable option for Angelenos' trash, city sanitation officials said Thursday after reviewing new contract bids and finding that using a remote dump would cost taxpayers up to $30 million more a year.

Critics of the landfill owned by Browning-Ferris Industries were disappointed with the results, saying they had hoped the city would be able to locate a different dump without breaking the budget.

``This is not good news,'' said City Councilman Greig Smith, who has pushed city leaders to develop a new trash plan rather than use the dump in his district.

``We have to craft a proposal that is economically viable. (This amount) is out of the question, and the council is not going to go for that.''

The trash disposal options - which include dumps in Riverside and Kings counties - were outlined in a Bureau of Sanitation report released Thursday, and will be discussed at the Board of Public Works hearing Monday.

The City Council now has three choices as its members consider whether to renew a five-year, $157 million contract with BFI.

Since 2003, city leaders have sought alternatives to Sunshine Canyon Landfill, but they've always come back to the Granada Hills dump as the least-expensive option.

Last summer, the City Council almost rejected the BFI contract, with critics demanding dramatic action to end the city's dependence on urban dumps. Council members sided with Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, who warned that the city was being irresponsible and could end up paying millions more to dump trash elsewhere.

Later, the council agreed to postpone the vote six months while city staff studied other trash options. The council must vote on the contract by Feb. 28.

``Most council members feel like we would like to change business as usual, but not at any price because we still have to hire police officers, build more parks and take care of the streets and sidewalks,'' Council President Eric Garcetti said.

The city could stick with the cheapest option and continue to haul roughly 3.6 million tons of trash per year to Sunshine Canyon Landfill, angering Granada Hills activists who complain about truck traffic and air pollution in the neighborhood. That costs $29 million per year.

One alternative would be to use Sunshine Canyon Landfill for some trash and send the rest to El Sobrante Landfill in Corona, which is owned by Waste Management Inc. That would cost $44 million, or $15 million more than the current BFI contract.

Another option would be to sign up with Waste Management and MDSI of Los Angeles. Waste Management has proposed trucking trash 60 miles to El Sobrante. MDSI would haul garbage 200 miles to Avenal Landfill in the San Joaquin Valley. The two companies would replace BFI for $59 million a year, roughly $30 million more than BFI.

BFI District Manager Greg Loughnane said Sunshine Canyon Landfill appears to be the most environmentally friendly choice for the city.

``The other options are clearly landfill operations. They're at greater distances and it's going to require more trucks, which will ultimately mean more traffic and more air pollution.''

North Valley Coalition activist Kim Thompson said she is disappointed with the choices - all landfills with little talk of sorting or pulling recyclables from the trash.

``This is zero movement whatsoever. It's a giant step sideways. I would at least like to have seen some effort to recycle. All this does is landfill.''

Bureau of Sanitation officials said they are working to reduce the city's dependence on landfills, following Smith's RENEW LA plan to build a trash-to-energy plant in the city by 2010 and offering recycling to apartment buildings in 2008.

Kerry Cavanaugh, [phone]

kerry.cavanaugh(at)dailynews.com

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TALKING TRASH

SOURCE: Bureau of Sanitation