The Solid Waste Local Enforcement Agency (LEA) is certified by the
California Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery to enforce
state solid waste laws and regulations in San Diego County, excluding
the City of San Diego. The LEA has the primary responsibility for
ensuring the proper operation, permitting and closure of solid waste
facilities, operations and disposal sites. The LEA also has
responsibilities for ensuring the review and approval of post-closure
land use activities at closed solid waste disposal sites. The LEA
works to protect public health, safety and the well being of our
communities and environment from the impacts of solid waste
management/recycling and disposal by:
- Preventing environmental damage from existing and future solid waste facilities and operations through careful and thorough permit management, inspection, enforcement, complaint response and education.
- Maintaining all active Solid Waste Facility Permits within our jurisdiction with up to date information and consistent with current laws and regulations.
- Completing all required inspections at each active and closed facility and taking appropriate enforcement actions as necessary.
- Ensuring quick response to complaints received regarding facilities, operations or disposal sites within the jurisdiction of the LEA and taking appropriate enforcement actions as necessary.
- Maintaining LEA certification in good standing with the California Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery (CalRecycle formerly the California Integrated Waste Management Board (CIWMB)).
- Promoting interagency cooperation with all entities involved in solid waste management and disposal in San Diego County.
- Maintaining communication with CalRecycle as well as other local enforcement and regulatory agencies.
Contact Us
For questions about a solid waste facility in the County, except for within the City of San Diego, please contact us at (858) 565-5173 or by email at lwqduty.deh@sdcounty.ca.gov.
Solid Waste Complaints
For solid waste facility complaints, please fill out our Complaint Form and e-mail it to lwqduty.deh@sdcounty.ca.gov .
If you wish to report illegal dumping in the unincorporated areas of the County, please call County Code Enforcement at (858) 694-2705 or email PDSCodeCompliance@sdcounty.ca.gov.
Public Notices - Proposed Solid Waste
Facility Permit Activity
The following public notices are provided to interested parties related to solid waste facilities or operations. Some of these notices are legally required and others are provided for information only. These notices are grouped by facility name and number and can be viewed using the links provided below.
Facility Name and Number | Description of Project | Date Accepted | Statutory Time Line Waived | Contact |
Otay Mesa Composting Facility 37-AA-0988
| Otay Mesa Compost Facility is an existing composting facility, operating under a registration tier solid waste facility permit in San Diego, California. The facility accepts 300 tons per day of the following feedstocks for composting: green material, vegetative food material, agricultural material, and construction and demolition wood. In addition to the existing feedstocks, the operator is proposing to accept food material for composting, which requires a full tier solid waste facility permit in the form of a Compostable Materials Handling Facility Permit, increase the permitted daily tonnage from 300 tons per day to 500 tons per day, increase the maximum permitted site capacity from 12,500 cubic yards to 30,000 cubic yards, change the annual capacity from 90,000 tons to 180,000 cubic yards, and be able to utilize an aerated static pile compost process. The permitted days and hours of operation (Monday - Sunday 6:00 am to 6:00 pm) and the operating area (7.13 acres) will remain the same.
Public informational meeting November 8, 2023 (Wednesday) at 6:00 pm Virtual Meeting: Zoom Meeting Passcode: 927168 Call-in Phone No. 1 (669) 444-9171 | 10/18/23 | N/A | Juliet Tran, EHS III |
Otay Landfill 37-AA-0984
| Otay Landfill Composting Operation is an existing composting facility located on the Otay Landfill operating under a Compostable Materials Handling Facility Permit that is independent and separate from the Otay Landfill Solid Waste Facility Permit.
The proposed revised Compostable Materials Handling Facility permit includes an increase in maximum permitted tonnage from 200 tons per day to 400 tons per day; an increase in the composting site capacity from 108,000 cubic yards to 217,400 cubic yards; updates to the operating documents, including corrections of typographical, grammatical, and formatting errors; and updates to the permit findings and conditions.
Virtual Meeting: Zoom Meeting Meeting ID: 832 5828 2014 Passcode: 630269 Call-in Phone No. 1 (669) 444-9171 | 11/21/2023 | Yes 06/19/2023 |
Juliet Tran, EHS III |
Universal Refuse Removal Recycling and Transfer Facility 37-AA-0929
| Universal Refuse Removal Recycling and Transfer Facility is an existing solid waste transfer/processing facility permitted under a full Solid Waste Facilities Permit issued on February 12, 2020. The RFI, in the form of a Transfer Processing Report, amendment application package includes the addition of a stormwater treatment system, a compressed natural gas fueling station, updated facility contact information, incorporates descriptions of the organic waste measurements and record-keeping procedures required pursuant to SB 1383 Short-lived Climate Pollutants: Organic Waste Reduction regulations, removes references to a public buy-back center and the designated area for baling recycled materials which no longer exist on the property. Additionally, the amendment corrects the number of Limited Volume Transfer Operations on the property to one and updates figures and attachments to reflect the previously mentioned changes. It further corrects typographical, grammatical, and formatting errors in the TPR. | 11/28/2023 | N/A | Juliet Tran, EHS III |
Proposed Projects – California Environmental Quality Act Public Review
The Solid Waste Local Enforcement Agency (LEA) is responsible for the review and approval of applications for Solid Waste Facility Permits in all areas of the County of San Diego, with the exception of the City of San Diego. Depending on the project planning process, the LEA may serve as the lead agency for compliance with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). Information on current proposed projects under CEQA review is provided below.
| Proposed Project | Project Description | Contact |
East Otay Mesa Recycling Collection Center and Landfill
| LEA is
preparing an Environmental Impact Report (EIR) for a new
recycling collection center and class III solid waste landfill
located in East Otay Mesa in southern San Diego County. The proposed recycling collection center and class III solid waste landfill would occupy approximately 340 acres of the 450-acre site. The remaining 110 acres would remain undeveloped. The proposed project would be located in the unincorporated area of south San Diego County, approximately two miles east of the Siempre Viva Road exit from Interstate 905, one-quarter mile from Loop Road/Paseo De La Fuente and east of planned State Route 11. To receive notifications when there is an update to this project, please add your email to our list-serve via GovDelivery - East Otay Mesa Landfill Updates. |
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Additional Information
- Permits Required for a Solid Waste Facility
- To learn more about the permitting process for Solid Waste Facility Permits, please visit the Cal Recycle Basic Permit Process webpage.
- CalRecycle’s CEQA 101 brochure provides more information on the CEQA review process for solid waste facilities.
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