The Santa Barbara County Public Works Department, Resource Recovery & Waste Management (RRWM) Division proposes to modify the operation of the Tajiguas Landfill to add a Resource Recovery Project (Project) that would process recyclables and organic material from municipal solid waste. The Project includes the addition of a Materials Recovery Facility (MRF) and Dry Fermentation Anaerobic Digestion (AD) Facility to the Tajiguas Landfill. Recyclables would be recovered at the MRF and processed for sale. Recovered organic material would be processed in the AD Facility and residue would be disposed at the landfill. The AD facility would produce biogas which would be used as a source of energy at the facility and digestate which would be cured into soil amendments.
Padre assisted the RRWM with the preparation of a Subsequent Environmental Impact Report (SEIR) for the Project. The SEIR evaluated eight alternatives in detail including the proposed Project. No significant and unavoidable impacts were determined to result from implementation of the Project, excluding those associated with extending the life of the landfill (which is an objective of the Project). Significant but mitigable impacts were identified in the areas of scenic resources, biological resources, hazardous materials, geological hazards, land use, water resources. The Project is also generally sensitive to the public due to the location of the Tajiguas Landfill in the Gaviota coast rural region.
The SEIR was subject to extensive internal review by the “Public Participants” for the project which include the jurisdictional areas served by the Tajiguas Landfill. Specifically, the Public Participants include the County of Santa Barbara, and cities of Santa Barbara, Goleta, Buellton and Solvang.
The RRWM web site can be accessed at https://conversiontechnologystudy.com/
The Santa Barbara Independent discusses the project at www.independent.com/news/2014/sep/04/trash-new-commodity/