Santa Cruz County outlines Buena Vista landfill replacement, explores methane-to-hydrogen and organics processing

Santa Cruz County officials told the Board of Supervisors on Jan. 14 that the Buena Vista landfill has roughly four to six years of remaining capacity at current disposal rates and that the county is moving forward with planning, procuring and environmental review for a replacement transfer station and organics-processing options.

The briefing, presented for the county’s Recycling and Solid Waste Services, outlined a project schedule and funding picture. Staff said a bid for the Ben Lomond transfer station project was scheduled to be issued Feb. 12, 2025, with bids due March 26, 2025; construction is estimated at about 200 days and the October 2024 cost estimate for construction is $8.2 million. County staff also said closure costs for the Buena Vista landfill are currently estimated at $15 million to $20 million in today’s dollars and that the county closure fund holds about $14 million. The county has a five‑year parcel-based infrastructure and closure charge that began in 2023, and staff said the charge reduces the amount the county will need to borrow for construction.

Why this matters: the county’s south-county residents rely on local disposal access, and state laws including SB 1383 (organic waste reduction) and SB 54 (producer responsibility for packaging) are changing how jurisdictions manage organics and packaging. Staff told supervisors the county must put new infrastructure in place before landfill capacity is exhausted to maintain service and compliance.

Options and technology: presenters said the county is evaluating multiple ways to handle organics and landfill gas, and will weigh cost, permitting and partner options. Possible approaches discussed included on-site composting, continued transfer of organics to Marina for processing, anaerobic digestion, biochar and landfill-gas-to-energy projects. Staff said county conversations have included Ameresco (the county’s current landfill gas-to-energy contractor, whose contract expires January 2026), 3CE and other technology providers. County staff plan to issue a request for proposals for landfill-gas-to-energy options in spring 2025 and to evaluate partnerships that could convert methane to hydrogen or other fuels; staff said existing landfill gas could theoretically support the energy needs of a substantial vehicle fleet if a technology partner is identified.

Regulatory and program context: staff reviewed how SB 1383 requires organics diversion and edible food recovery and noted the county’s work with food-recovery partners such as Second Harvest Food Bank and Gray Bears. The county has been rolling out educational programs, the Carrot donation app to simplify edible-food donations, green‑schools outreach covering more than 1,400 students and enforcement steps tied to state rules. Staff also described the county’s efforts to reduce illegal dumping through a public campaign (Pitch In Santa Cruz), placement of cameras and hiring of a code‑enforcement investigator focused on solid-waste violations.

Disaster debris and contingency planning: presenters urged the board to consider “cradle‑to‑grave” debris management for storms and fires so eligible debris is tracked and monitored for state and FEMA reimbursement. Staff said unmonitored or mixed debris can jeopardize reimbursement and that GreenWaste and other franchise partners have agreed to monitoring roles.

Next steps and oversight: staff said the county is preparing an environmental impact report (EIR) for the Buena Vista project and expects to circulate the draft EIR later in 2025; staff also said the transfer-station bid process will move forward and that the board will see contract and bonding recommendations before construction. The board voted to accept and file the long-term planning progress report and directed staff to return with updates by Dec. 16, 2025.

Speakers during the briefing included Carolyn Burke, Assistant Public Works Director, and county recycling and solid-waste staff (presenter identified in the record as the Recycling & Solid Waste Services presenter). Staff identified Casey Klassa as the Solid Waste Services manager who had a family emergency and could not present. Several supervisors asked about technology choices, timing of the draft EIR and how hydrogen production might serve Metro’s bus fleet; supervisors and staff discussed the tradeoffs between transporting organics for off-site processing versus on-site processing and the capital and partner needs for anaerobic digestion or hydrogen production.

Ending: staff did not recommend a single technology; instead they proposed pursuing a competitive procurement and environmental review while using the current parcel charge funds and existing contracts to cover interim needs. The board accepted the report and will receive further procurement and EIR updates later in 2025.