California air quality regulators are doing the bare minimum to curb landfill pollution

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Written by: Guest Commentary

Yasmina Valdivia

Yasmina Valdivia has lived in the Los Angeles County community of Val Verde for a long time and is an activist.

I’ve lived in the Val Verde neighborhood in Los Angeles County for 48 years. I grew up there, reared my kids there, and my spouse and I intend to retire there. There was a time when people would greet one another on the street, children would ride their bikes, and you wouldn’t have to worry about the quality of the air you breathed.

However, the filth and odor from the Chiquita Canyon Landfill have contaminated the once-clean, breathable air. Sadly, the air is becoming toxic rather than just uncomfortable.

My neighbors and I have been raising concerns about the landfill’s harmful pollution emissions for years. Chronic symptoms such as headaches, rashes, burning eyes, and persistent nausea have been experienced by myself, my friends, and family. Asthma attacks, gastrointestinal troubles, migraines, and even reproductive disorders are all common complaints.

Methane, a highly polluting greenhouse gas that contributes significantly to global warming, is also released in large quantities from California landfills. Methane emissions from California landfills were predicted to be equal to more than 5 million cars on the road in 2023 alone. Natural disasters, such as the terrible January wildfires from which the Los Angeles region is currently recovering, are being made worse by greenhouse gases.

There are those with the authority to take action. Standards for the detection and management of methane emissions by landfill operators are established by the California Air Resources Board. Since 2010, such guidelines, known as the Landfill Methane Rule, have not been modified. That was fifteen years ago. And even though the Air Resources Board is currently thinking about changing the regulations, they are going too slowly and are attempting to get away with very little.

Basic, tried-and-true methods that could save our health and climate are not included in CARB’s most recent proposed revisions to landfill laws. Commonsense changes to landfill operations might cut methane emissions in half by 2050, according to a recent analysis by Industrious Labs. Cutting back on methane also means cutting back on harmful co-pollutants that cause illness.

According to one survey, the majority of people who live in Val Verde frequently get headaches. That’s not typical. More than 14,000 complaints regarding the landfill were filed with the South Coast Air Quality Management District in 2024 alone, and the situation has only gotten worse.

Although Val Verde’s predicament is heartbreaking, I’ve discovered that it’s regrettably not exceptional. The state is home to more than 300 landfills, many of which, including Avenal Landfill in Avenal, Clover Flat Landfill in Calistoga, and Newby Island in Milpitas, have made headlines for making the local population ill. This is due to the fact that landfills release harmful pollutants such as sulfur dioxide, benzene, and volatile organic compounds.

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Communities of color are frequently the ones who suffer the most from waste pollution, such as Val Verde, where almost 60% of the population is Hispanic. According to a survey by Industrious Labs, it is no accident that 70% of California’s highest-emitting landfills are situated in these communities. Toxic exposure is costing communities like mine in the form of medical costs, missed school days, and shorter lives.

Right now, CARB could have a significant impact by enforcing stricter landfill cover regulations, ensuring that more landfill gas is captured before it leaks into the atmosphere, and employing proven technology to detect undetectable methane leaks.

These are ready-to-use, reasonably priced, and efficient solutions; they are not radical.

I became an activist after witnessing the suffering of those I care about. There was nothing I could do. I started to voice my opinions to legislators and elected officials at all governmental levels, not just those in my community. I even testified before the Air Resources Board earlier this year and told my tale to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency last year.

Communities around California have long had to pay the price of poor landfill management. We have fulfilled our responsibilities by waiting, testifying, and suffering. CARB must now fulfill its mandate to safeguard California communities.

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These communities are unaware they ve lived near toxic gas for decades. Why has no action been taken?

CalMatters has further information.

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