Chicago Grade Landfill, Inc
325 Cuyama Lane, Nipomo, California, United States

The Chicago Grade Landfill is an existing Class III Waste Management Facility located in northern San Luis Obispo County, California, see Site Overview Map. The site is operated by Chicago Grade Landfill, Inc., a California corporation, under California Solid Waste Facilities Permit No. 40-AA-0008. The 45.4 acre permitted area is located within a 188-acre parcel.

The Chicago Grade Landfill owns 100% interest in Santa Maria Transfer, Inc., a permitted 500-ton per day facility located in southern San Luis Obispo County. The transfer station, which opened in November 2001, increased the landfill’s waste stream and provided financial stability to the consolidated operation.

Recycling

We're proud to have developed one of the most advanced and comprehensive recycling facilities in the state. We've recently added a state-of-the-art Demolition and Construction Waste Recycling Operation that can handle up-to 175 tons of waste each day - which has helped out the county goal of 50% county-wide recycling!

We are not done though! See out proposed materials recovery facility and waste to energy plant which will allow is to recycle up to 80% of incomming waste! LINK

Our recycling programs enable you to safely and easily drop off a wide variety of items, from bottles and cans to large appliances and construction and demolition waste.

• Common Household Recycling Items - We provide several recycle bins for free dropoff of plastic/glass bottles, aluminum, tin cans, plastic containers, cardboard, and newspaper

• Construction and Demolition Materials - Includes: wood, metal, and concret

• Green Waste/Wood Waste (fee applies) - Includes grass, shrubs, stumps, and other yard waste

• Appliances (fee applies, see below) - Includes: refrigerators, water heaters, washer/dryer, dishwasher, freezer

• Tires (fee applies) - Includes: truck, passenger car, and farm equipment tires

Metals Recovery

Appliances, other white goods and miscellaneous metals are accepted. The white goods are placed in 40 CY boxes and hauled offsite on an intermittent basis. Refrigeration units containing freon are piled separately until the freon is removed and the unit certified by a licensed technician before being shipped off-site to the scrap metal yard.

All surface water drainage from the metals or wood waste stockpile area is directed to a storm water detention basin. Testing of the accumulated storm water in the detention basin is in accordance with the Storm Water Pollution Prevention Plan.

Waste Handling

Incoming wastes are weighed, categorized by the scale house attendant as disposable or recyclable, and catalogued as to origin. Disposable waste is unloaded directly at the landfill working face. Vehicles with disposal waste follow marked access roads to the disposal area and are directed to appropriate unloading spaces by landfill personnel. Waste can be deposited at the top deck above the daily cell, at the lower deck, or both depending on customer volumes and proximity of the daily cell to an outside slope.

The dimensions of the unloading area vary depending on the available space adjacent to the working face. Typically, an area of approximately 50 feet by 100 feet is adequate for both commercial and public vehicles. The unloading area is usually located within 100 feet of the working face in order to minimize the push distance between the unloading area and the working face where waste is spread and compacted. The landfill customers perform unloading, either by mechanical or manual means. Commercial vehicles are generally self-unloading, and public vehicles usually must be manually unloaded. The unloaded wastes are visually inspected for hazardous, prohibited materials or salvageable materials prior to spreading the wastes over the working face for compaction.

Household hazardous wastes are accepted by the IWMA’s collection facility, located on a leased-acre site on the landfill parcel. Unloading practices and handling procedures at the HHW facility are the responsibility of the IWMA.

Enviromental Protection

The facility location minimizes many potential public health concerns commonly associated with waste disposal sites. By having a large buffer between the waste prosessing activities and neighboring residents. As well as utilizing the latest enviromental monitoring procedures. The location is relatively remote, surrounded by a large buffer area of low-density agricultural properties, and is contained within a canyon. The facility is designed to minimize the propagation or harborage of flies, rodents or other vectors and the creation of nuisances related to waste disposal. Minimizing ponded water and covering the waste each night minimize the harborage and propagation of flies and mosquitoes.

Two lined waste management units have been installed at the site with a leachate collection and removal system (LCRS). Future horizontal expansions will also have composite base liners and LCRSs. The lined cells essentially eliminate the potential for surface or groundwater impairment. (There has never been a casse of a leak in a landfill when constructed to current liner standards) Four sediment basins have been constructed onsite to control surface water discharge from the site.