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Waste Connections (the parent company to Waste Solutions Group of San Benito, LLC, the operator of the John Smith Road Landfill) has learned that certain residents of San Benito County have recently received a mailer from Don’t Dump on San Benito, a group of people opposing the proposed John Smith Road Landfill Expansion. Overall, this mailer attempts to create a very inaccurate picture of the proposed expansion. In addition, it presents eleven specific incorrect allegations about the proposed expansion. Waste Connections’ response to the overall mailer and the incorrect allegations follows.

Overall corrections

The mailer attempts to create the very misleading impression that “wealthy” Silicon Valley communities are dumping all their trash at John Smith Road Landfill (JSRL). This is simply not true. During 2021, the last full year during which, JSRL accepted out-of-County waste, only 14% of Santa Clara County’s waste went to JSRL. In contrast, during the same year, 24% of San Benito County’s waste went to landfills in other counties. San Benito County residents are taking advantage of other counties more than residents of other counties are taking advantage of San Benito County. (Source: CalRecycle data)

Responses to specific false allegations:

False allegation: For 10 years County Supervisors let Silicon Valley dump its garbage cheaply in San Benito.

Response: This is incorrect. County supervisors did not suddenly “open the gate” to out-of-county refuse 10 years ago. Solid waste has always crossed county lines, in both directions. In addition, since 2013, state law restricts the county’s ability to prohibit waste disposal based on origin by the California Integrated Waste Management Act (California Public Resources Code §§ 40002 and 40059.3).

False allegation: 80% of garbage is from three counties in Silicon Valley.

Response: This is incorrect. During 2021, the last full year during which, John Smith Road Landfill accepted out-of-county waste, the total out-of-county waste from all jurisdictions (not just Silicon Valley) was 68.69 percent of the total waste received at the landfill. (Source: CalRecycle data)

False Allegation: These wealthy counties pay about half the rate that San Benito residents pay to dump their garbage here.

Response: This is incorrect. The total cost out-of-county residents pay to dispose of their waste at JSRL is much higher than the total cost San Benito County residents pay to dispose of their waste at JSRL. Transfer station cost estimates from the John Smith Road Landfill Revenue Analysis prepared for the county indicate that Santa Clara County (Morgan Hill and Gilroy) residents may be paying approximately $100 per ton (including transportation) to dispose of their wastes at JSRL, while San Benito County residents pay only $44.75 per ton (including transportation) for this service.

False allegation: Silicon Valley’s garbage is filling up our landfill. (There’s room left for just 15 years of our own county’s garbage.)

Response: This is incorrect and misleading. First, San Benito County residents have filled more of the JSRL capacity than out-of-county residents. Second, the acceptance of some waste from outside the county is necessary to make this local landfill economically viable. In 1989, EPA adopted Subtitle-D regulations that were intended to force closure of low-volume rural landfills, by making the landfilling cost so high that low-volume landfills are not financially sustainable. Since that time, it has not been possible to maintain JSRL into the future as an economically viable low-volume rural landfill.

False Allegation: Now, county supervisors want to make the landfill five times bigger to
accommodate more garbage from Silicon Valley.

Response: This is incorrect. The county’s objective is not “to accommodate more garbage from Silicon Valley.” The objective is to create a financially sustainable facility that will allow the county to control its waste management for over 50 years, while providing much needed revenue for the county.

False allegation: Traffic, noise & air pollution from a constant flow of semi-trucks hauling Silicon Valley garbage to our landfill.

Response: This is incomplete and misleading. The EIR requires the landfill to comply with comprehensive mitigation measures to reduce all potential landfill impacts to the environment, including the community.

False Allegation: Roads damaged by heavy garbage trucks. (Revenue from out of county garbage is not enough to repair all the road damage.)

Response: This is incorrect. Revenues will be ten times greater than the cost to improve and maintain county roads. (San Benito County Landfill Expansion Road Impact Analysis and Code 9111 Evaluation of Proposed Initiative to Amend General Plan, both prepared for San Benito County)

False Allegation: Lower property values on the east side of Hollister.

Response: This is incorrect. There is no evidence to support this.

False Allegation: Toxic chemicals leaking from Landfill into our groundwater (PFAS is a recent leak).

Response: This is incorrect. Existing impacts to groundwater are from the old unlined area that existed prior to Waste Connections’ operation of the landfill. The expanded landfill area will be required to include multiple tiers of environmental protection that this older area did not have. Monitoring data shows that the groundwater corrective action program (approved by the Regional Water Quality Control Board) is effective in capturing and reducing prior groundwater impacts. In addition, groundwater monitoring data shows that PFAS in groundwater are part of the impacts from the old unlined area and that the groundwater corrective action program is effective in capturing and reducing these impacts, also.

False Allegation: Methane leaks from Landfill.

Response: This is incorrect. Perimeter monitoring for methane leaks from the landfill show that there are no leaks.

False Allegation: Damage to the reputation of our beautiful county.

Response: This is incorrect. There is no evidence to support this.

Summary:

In 1968 the county created John Smith Road Landfill as part of its critical infrastructure to protect human health and the environment. Since that time, JSRL has fulfilled its purpose and provided dependable, cost-effective solid waste disposal for county residents. Now, in the face of Federal regulations intended to force closure of these essential rural facilities, Waste Connections has worked with the county to provide not only continued long-term waste management under county control, but also a badly needed revenue source for the county. The county should not let NIMBY’s, many of whom arrived in the county recently, to attack and sabotage a county asset that has provided an essential service since 1968.