Michele StuevenAs containment grows and recovery begins, multiple government and local agencies are on the ground, sifting through acres of burned homes, charred cars, and human remains while removing hazardous materials before those impacted by the Los Angeles area wildfires can repopulate.
After the ash has settled, where will the remaining metric tons of rubble and debris go? Not far, according to Los Angeles County Sanitation Districts, which are a receiving agency, not a waste hauler or collector. Much of it is headed for the Calabasas Landfill they oversee in Agoura.
“It’s almost impossible to calculate, but it’s safe to say there will be thousands of metric tons of debris and waste,” LACSD Public Information Office Michael Chee tells LA Weekly. “You’re talking about everything from concrete building materials, bricks, and mortar that was destroyed to anything that melted and got put into the mix, like furniture and untreated wood.”
In anticipation of the extra tonnage that is expected at the Calabasas facility, LACSD has applied for a waiver to increase its permitted limit at all its sites.
According to LACSD Solid Waste expert Habib Kharrat, more resources will be required, like operators to handle the additional debris and longer hours to spread out the tonnage to avoid long lines coming into the facility.
“The first thing they will take out is all the hazardous materials before any other debris can be removed and sent to the landfills,” says Kharrat of anything with lead, fluorescent lighting, paint, and household chemicals from garages, electronic waste, or treated wood with chemicals in it.
“There are special contractors that deal with hazardous materials and there are special disposal sites for those materials, depending on each type,” he says. “We don’t handle any hazardous material sites. When all of that is sifted through and all the human remains have been retrieved we will start seeing regular debris coming into our sites. The last I heard the estimate could be March before we start seeing the huge influx of solid waste to our landfills. After that, it could take many months throughout this year for all of that to be cleared out. Potentially next fall, we don’t know.”
Los Angeles County Public Works is on the ground working with FEMA and the EPA to help get contractors on board for a phase one assessment to remove the hazardous waste. In phase two they will be working with contractors to remove the material and take it to various other landfills and work with them on the cost reimbursement.
Malibu, CA – January 15: The remains of beachside homes that burned along Pacific Coast Highway during the Palisades Fire in Malibu, CA, on Wednesday, January 15, 2025. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen/MediaNews Group/Orange County Register via Getty Images)
While LA County Public Works would not divulge the other landfills expected to receive waste and debris, they did share this statement:
As indicated in the Local Health Emergency Order issued on January 15, residents should not attempt to remove hazardous fire debris themselves.
Post-fire house debris can contain toxic materials like asbestos, lead, mercury, chemicals from household products, and other heavy metals.
These materials are released into the ash and debris when structures burn and pose a risk to public health, animals, and the environment if inhaled or handled improperly.
Here’s what to expect for debris removal as we work together toward restoration.
Step 1: Hazardous Waste Removal
- The US Environmental Protection Agency, or US EPA is coordinating their fire debris assessment and household hazardous waste removal activities.
- This is done at no net cost to the property owner and inspectors will go from property to property.
- Each property with damaged or destroyed structures must be inspected, and household hazardous waste removed before any other fire debris is removed.
Step 2: Fire Debris Removal
- After hazardous materials are removed, the next phase of debris removal can begin.
- Owners of destroyed structures will have the opportunity to participate in a government-sponsored program to have their properties cleared of fire debris.
- Property owners who elect to opt-out of the government-sponsored program will be required to obtain County approval prior to removing any fire debris.
- The County will release more detailed information about the debris removal program as it becomes available.
Residents can call the County’s Debris Removal Hotline at (626) 979-5370 with questions about debris removal.
- Once the debris removal process is complete, rebuilding can begin.
Eaton Canyon Fire, Altadena (Danny Liao Photography)