The Antelope Valley Public Landfill, aka Waste Management Antelope Valley Landfill, is so large that you can see it from outer space on Google Earth, and the residents of our city are seeking support in capping this landfill and shutting it down.

The landfill started as a small, family-owned operation in the 1950s, but has since been sold to Waste Management. Waste Management then merged a separate, existing dump with the Palmdale dump, and it has grown in size exponentially since then. The landfill was supposed to be capped in 2007, but has now managed to push the closing date to 2044 after receiving several permit modifications to grant its expansion. This allows it to remain open 37 years past its original closing date.

This facility is approximately one mile long and half a mile wide and is located less than a mile from several homes, schools, parks, grocery stores, hospitals, et cetera. There are no fences or danger signs warning people of its presence. It can be seen from a mile away and smells like garbage on certain days. In addition to the site and smell, this dump is tearing up and destroying beautiful desert ranchland (full of rolling hills and native plants, such as the endangered Joshua Tree) and is also threatening many different wildlife species. It is also encroaching on natural creek waterways, which could contaminate ground water, and is very close to the California Aqueduct. There is also concern over how it is affecting the local air quality and whether or not it could release toxic gases into the atmosphere.

Because of the many reasons listed above, we would like to have this dump capped and shut down, and any appreciate support we could get from the public would be greatly appreciated.