The Palisades and Eaton Fires generated approximately 4.5 million tons of ash and debris, according to local and federal authorities. A lot of this could end up in landfills and recycling centers throughout Southern California.
LA County Department of Public Works originally identified 17 permitted locations where the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) could take this debris across the counties of Los Angeles, San Bernardino, Orange, Ventura, and Kings. State regulators removed the El Sobrante landfill in Riverside County from the list because of an ongoing chemical reaction that’s causing sulfur pollution. The following map displays the remaining 16 potential locations.
This map shows landfills and recycling centers that could potentially accept fire debris, based on a list provided by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Graphic by Darius Johari/KCRW.
Here is a list of debris disposal sites by county. Graphic by Darius Johari/KCRW.
The map represents the sites the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers could use during the cleanup.
The USACE did not respond to KCRW’s request for a list of sites that have already received ash and debris.
Six locations are recycling centers for things like concrete and metal. Nine locations are landfills. The federal agency is sending metal for recycling in Long Beach; concrete for recycling in Sun Valley; and ash and topsoil to landfills in Calabasas, Sylmar, Palmdale, and Lancaster.
These landfills typically handle only household trash and construction debris, but due to emergency orders signed by Governor Gavin Newsom, they can now accept potentially hazardous fire ash — a common practice after fire disasters in California.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers says debris that tests positive for asbestos goes to the landfill in Azusa, which is permitted to handle the toxin. The landfill in Kettleman City is authorized to handle hazardous waste, but the California Department of Toxic Substances Control has not provided KCRW details on whether or not that site is now accepting fire debris.
In some cases, residents are telling officials they don’t want the debris disposed of in their communities. The City of Calabasas is suing LA County, saying the Calabasas landfill is not equipped to receive hazardous waste, and that fire ash and debris can pose health and environmental risks. And in Sun Valley, residents say local recyclers shouldn’t accept concrete because the neighborhood is already burdened with industrial pollution.
At a community meeting in Sun Valley on March 13, Colonel Eric Swenson, the LA Wildfires Recovery Field Office commander for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, told the audience that the federal agency had now identified around 24 sites for fire debris disposal. He added that with a disaster of this size, everyone needs to do their part in the cleanup: “The most dangerous thing is to leave debris in uncontrolled locations."
Update to clarify 4/3/25: USACE provided a list of 24 places but without enough specificity to map them or determine exactly where they are.