Two California Counties Talking Trash

Riverside County is considering taking on 225,000 tons of Los Angeles County’s trash a year as a way to bolster its coffers.

Riverside County will bid for the responsibility as one of the options it is exploring to make money off its landfill system, according to a report from the Press-Enterprise newspaper.

Riverside’s Board of Supervisors voted in favor of bidding to take on trash once headed for the Puente Hills Landfill, which is slated to close Oct. 31, according to the paper.

Riverside County has plenty of room in its six active landfills for the Los Angeles County garbage, according to local officials.

Trash from around Los Angeles County could bring in anywhere from $1.125 million to $2.5 million annually to the general fund.

The actual payout depends on the rate set in the contract.

Riverside County’s revenue has declined by $200 million since 2007, and the county faces huge new expenses, including pay raises given to employees in exchange for pension reform and an expansion of the Indio jail to ease crowding that has forced the early release of thousands of inmates.

Staff presented the results of a report on the county’s landfill system at the supervisor’s meeting.

The estimated value of the entire system — including six active and 32 inactive landfills — is anywhere from negative $10 million to $127 million, depending on how much trash is received and the rate of return buyers would expect from their investment, according to the news report.

For reprint and licensing requests for this article, click here.
California
MORE FROM BOND BUYER