Trash companies' odors have AQMD's nose out of joint.

AFTER years of complaints from nearby residents about odors from recycling waste transfer facilities, the South Coast Air Quality Management District is cracking down on trash companies.

Under a proposed rule that will be considered at a public hearing next month, operators of recycling and waste transfer facilities must submit an "odor management plan" either to the air district or to another solid waste regulatory agency and then take steps to reduce odors. These could range from covering all trucks entering and exiting the facility, to more frequent sweeping, to enclosing the entire site.

According to the AQMD, the rule would cover 48 existing facilities, unless they either have drawn or plan to draw up an odor management plan to submit to other local agencies with jurisdiction over solid waste.

Facilities that do not have any residentially-zoned property within 1,000 feet of their premises are exempted from the rule.

Many of the facilities targeted in the rule are owned and operated by two of the biggest trash hauling companies in the nation: Browning Ferris Industries and Waste Management Inc. Both companies participated in a "working group" that helped AQMD staff develop the rule.

Charles White, director of regulatory affairs for the western region at Waste Management, said that once the proposal was amended to allow companies to demonstrate compliance by submitting an odor management plan to other solid waste regulatory agencies, his company had no major objections to the proposed rule.

"We'd rather see the solid waste agencies be the ones responsible for enforcement of odor management plan, since they are the ones who have the experience with these facilities," he said.

"But we have no major problems with this rule, since it does give the option to stick with the solid waste agencies."

White said Waste Management tries to respond as quickly as possible to odor or noise complaints from nearby residents.

BY HOWARD FINE 

Staff Reporter