TITLE
Recommendation to respectfully request City Council support the County of Los Angeles’ efforts to evaluate and promote development of next generation conversion technologies that minimize landfill disposal, create “green collar” jobs, and utilize waste material in an environmentally beneficial manner.
Request that City Manager work with the County of Los Angeles to ensure that Long Beach is considered for any future partnerships for the development of conversion technology facilities.
Request City’s legislative advocates work with the County of Los Angeles to support legislation that establishes a viable permitting process for conversion technologies that protect public health, safety and the environment, and provides full diversion credit for these technologies under the California Integrated Waste Management Act.
DISCUSSION
The City of Long Beach is among the nation's leaders in waste diversion due to the thoughtful planning and investment by city leaders and the Environmental Services Bureau in the Southeast Resource Recovery Facility (SERRF), which began commercial operation in 1988. According to City documents, SERRF is a publicly owned solid waste management facility that uses mass burn technology to reduce the volume of solid waste by about 80% while recovering electrical energy. The facility is owned by a separate authority created by a joint powers agreement between the Sanitation Districts of Los Angeles County and the City of Long Beach, but is operated by a private company under contract. Residential and commercial solid waste from Long Beach and surrounding contracting communities is combusted in high temperature boilers to produce steam, which in turn is used to run a turbine-generator creating 36 megawatts of electricity. The SERRF site generates enough power each year to supply 40,000 residential homes with electricity and has reduced solid waste from entering landfills by over four million cubic yards. In addition, the SERRF site has ...
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