Anaheim Disposal

One of Orange County's largest waste haulers has pulled much of its business out of a county-run landfill, forcing the county to impose an emergency hiring freeze and consider raising fees as it scrambles to make up a projected $12-million yearly loss. "This is a big chunk of money," said Frank J. Bowerman, director and chief engineer of the county's Integrated Waste Management Department. "It's created quite a problem for us."

Those who live in single-family homes will be able to dispose of their Christmas trees simply by putting them out with their trash, the city's refuse collection company said. Anaheim Disposal will pick up trees on the same day as an area's regular trash collection from Sunday through Jan. 7. The trees must have their stands and all decorations, including tinsel, removed. Trees over six feet tall must be cut in half. Flocked trees will be accepted.

In the wake of a recent move by one Orange County trash hauler that threatened to unravel the county's landfill operations, the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday approved a far-reaching study to examine a new system of trash contracting. The study, which will examine creation of a joint-powers authority to oversee the county landfills, marks the first attempt by the county to create a system that would force local haulers to bring their waste to Orange County landfills.

A trash-hauling firm in Anaheim that triggered a garbage crisis for Orange County last year when it took its business out of the county's landfills is threatening to pull out once again. The development came in a letter received Monday by Board of Supervisors Chairman Roger R. Stanton from Vincent Taormina, the chief executive officer of Anaheim Disposal Inc. And the news did not sit well with some officials.

An Anaheim trash hauler that created a crisis when it abruptly pulled its business out of Orange County last month appears to be backtracking from its unconditional pledge to return, county officials said Friday.

Did a behind-the-scenes political maneuver intended to thwart creation of a Gypsum Canyon jail and landfill spark the unusual garbage crisis of the past week? Around the county's Hall of Administration, in the offices of local waste haulers and at several city halls, observers are convinced that it did.

Under intense pressure from Orange County officials, an Anaheim trash hauler agreed Thursday to bring its business back to a county-run landfill by Sept. 1, ending a threat of increased garbage fees. The hauler, Anaheim Disposal, had stunned county officials by pulling out of the Olinda landfill near Brea and beginning to ship most of its 2,500 tons of daily garbage to a private West Covina landfill.

Garbage pickups came to a virtual halt in four Orange County cities and parts of five others Thursday as 220 workers from two Anaheim-based disposal companies quit work in what officials called a wildcat strike. The cause of the walkout was not clear, nor was its duration. The affected areas include Anaheim, Garden Grove, Brea and Placentia, some unincorporated areas and parts of Costa Mesa, Westminster, Stanton, Santa Ana and Orange.

Orange County officials may soon begin inviting a limited number of Los Angeles haulers to dump about 2,500 tons of garbage each day in county landfills. If adopted, the proposal would end a decades-old ban on outside trash in local landfills. The idea, outlined in a memo by the head of the finance committee of Orange County's Integrated Waste Management Commission, comes in response to the potential annual loss of $12 million in dumping fees at the Olinda landfill near Brea.

A trash-hauling firm in Anaheim that triggered a garbage crisis for Orange County last year when it took its business out of the county's landfills is threatening to pull out once again. The development came in a letter received Monday by Board of Supervisors Chairman Roger R. Stanton from Vincent Taormina, the chief executive officer of Anaheim Disposal Inc. And the news did not sit well with some officials.

If there were ever any doubts about who has held sway over the city's trash industry, they were buried along with Cosmo (Dick) Taormina. On that spring day in 1984, top city officials crowded Anaheim's First Christian Church to pay their respects to the gregarious man some called the "garbologist." After the church service, a convoy of polished trash trucks--some from competing firms--met the long, slow funeral procession at the cemetery gates.

The city's code enforcement division, a neighborhood group and volunteers are organizing a weeklong cleanup of central Anaheim beginning Friday. The city and the Central City Neighborhood Council will place trash bins for use by residents in an area bordered by Santa Ana Street, La Palma Avenue, Harbor Boulevard and East Street. Bulky items can be placed in the bins, which will be picked up on Sept. 27.

An Anaheim trash hauler that created a crisis when it abruptly pulled its business out of Orange County last month appears to be backtracking from its unconditional pledge to return, county officials said Friday.

In the wake of a recent move by one Orange County trash hauler that threatened to unravel the county's landfill operations, the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday approved a far-reaching study to examine a new system of trash contracting. The study, which will examine creation of a joint-powers authority to oversee the county landfills, marks the first attempt by the county to create a system that would force local haulers to bring their waste to Orange County landfills.

The news analysis ("Officials Think Something Stinks in Garbage Gambit," Aug. 18) and related editorial ("Dumping a Political Problem?" Aug. 20) based on an anonymous source in the county administrative office are completely off base. I first learned of the solid waste fiscal crisis and the Anaheim Disposal decision to haul to Los Angeles County from county official Vicki Wilson late last week. I had not previously met or discussed this problem or strategy with the owners of Anaheim Disposal or with the city of Anaheim, the Irvine Co., any members of the county Solid Waste Management Commission or anyone else.

Did a behind-the-scenes political maneuver intended to thwart creation of a Gypsum Canyon jail and landfill spark the unusual garbage crisis of the past week? Around the county's Hall of Administration, in the offices of local waste haulers and at several city halls, observers are convinced that it did.

The news analysis ("Officials Think Something Stinks in Garbage Gambit," Aug. 18) and related editorial ("Dumping a Political Problem?" Aug. 20) based on an anonymous source in the county administrative office are completely off base. I first learned of the solid waste fiscal crisis and the Anaheim Disposal decision to haul to Los Angeles County from county official Vicki Wilson late last week. I had not previously met or discussed this problem or strategy with the owners of Anaheim Disposal or with the city of Anaheim, the Irvine Co., any members of the county Solid Waste Management Commission or anyone else.

If there were ever any doubts about who has held sway over the city's trash industry, they were buried along with Cosmo (Dick) Taormina. On that spring day in 1984, top city officials crowded Anaheim's First Christian Church to pay their respects to the gregarious man some called the "garbologist." After the church service, a convoy of polished trash trucks--some from competing firms--met the long, slow funeral procession at the cemetery gates.

Under intense pressure from Orange County officials, a local trash hauler reversed direction Thursday and agreed to bring its business back to a county landfill by Sept. 1. The hauler, Anaheim Disposal, had surprised county officials last week by pulling out of the Olinda landfill near Brea and shipping most of its 2,500 tons of garbage each day to a private West Covina dump.

Under intense pressure from Orange County officials, an Anaheim trash hauler agreed Thursday to bring its business back to a county-run landfill by Sept. 1, ending a threat of increased garbage fees. The hauler, Anaheim Disposal, had stunned county officials by pulling out of the Olinda landfill near Brea and beginning to ship most of its 2,500 tons of daily garbage to a private West Covina landfill.