Dive Brief:
- Buena Vista Landfill’s final cell is being prepared for use, marking the beginning of the end of the site’s useful life. The final cell’s preparation means the landfill will be full and probably will close by 2035.
- The Santa Cruz Sentinel reports that by the end of May, workers will finish digging a pit for the cell, which will allow waste to be dumped in this last active area of the landfill for up to 20 more years.
- Because the region also is served by another landfill, Buena Vista Landfill’s closure 20 years from now will not leave the populace in a bind, with nowhere to dump waste.
Dive Insight:
The exact time of the useful life of Buena Vista Landfill’s last cell is not entirely clear, but it could be extended, depending upon how that space is used.
"Depending on garbage rates, if we can recycle more, it will be closer to 20 years," Kasey Kolassa, Buena Vista’s recycling and solid waste manager told the Santa Cruz Sentinel.
