WASTE DISPOSAL AT  OLINDA  ALPHA  LANDFILL

The Olinda Alpha Landfill accepts public and commercial solid waste. The landfill does not accept hazardous waste. For information on Orange County’s four free Household Hazardous Waste Collection Centers, visit our information page here. Business hazardous waste must be handled separately. Visit our business hazardous waste referral page for details.

Olinda Alpha Landfill opens at 7 a.m. for Commercial & General public disposal. 

Special Waste Accepted at Olinda Alpha Landfill

Non-accepted Waste

  • Chemically treated wood. Disposal available at Frank R. Bowerman and Prima Deshecha landfills, for details click  here
  • Asbestos, batteries, chemicals
  • Mufflers, fuel tanks, brake linings, auto body shredder waste, fuels
  • Tires (Check with CalRecycle on proper tire disposal)
  • Paints, poisons, pesticides, contaminated soils
  • Body parts, medical waste, animal parts, radioactive material
  • Fuels, heavy metals, explosives, radioactive material
  • Liquid waste (with a moisture content of 50 percent or greater)
  • Nuisance dust

ABOUT OLINDA ALPHA LANDFILL

Opened in 1960, the Olinda Alpha Landfill is a Class III site featuring 565 total acres, of which 453 acres is permitted for refuse disposal. The landfill has enough projected capacity to serve residents and businesses until 2030. Olinda’s average disposal rate is nearly 7,000 tons per day (TPD), although it permitted up to 8,000 TPD.

Olinda was one of the first sites in the nation to construct a landfill-to-gas energy plant, powering 3,000 homes at the time. In 2012 a new plant was opened, which currently generates sufficient energy to power more than 22,000 homes. The Olinda site features various environmental protection highlights, including the use of goats for vegetation control, native vegetation protection, an on-site falconer to deter gulls and valuable groundwater monitoring wells and collection systems.

 

For more information:

  • Olinda Alpha Landfill fact sheet (PDF)
  • Anatomy of a landfill (PDF)
  • Landfill Gas-to-energy (Fact Sheet)
  • Take a virtual tour of Olinda Alpha Landfill
  • Schedule an on-site tour
  • General public documents (EIR/permit info)
  • Current public documents
  • Awards

SPECIAL FEATURES

Olinda contributes to various off-site habitat restoration efforts. These include Santiago Oaks Regional Park oak tree restoration in the City of Orange and the Puente Hills Landfill Native Habitat Preservation Authority Preserve (coastal sage scrub) in the City of Whittier.

On-site, Olinda is home to ongoing site improvements and environmental controls including a radioactive waste observation program, erosion and sediment control systems, storm water drainage and collection featuring two desilting basins with two additional planned, and native vegetation protection. For addition project information, see below.

 

Landfill Gas to Energy Plant