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Residents ask planning commission to investigate whether out‑of‑county waste reaches John Smith Road Landfill
Summary
Two residents urged greater transparency about whether non‑county trash is routed through the county transfer station and then disposed at John Smith Road Landfill, and asked the commission to obtain and share data on waste sources.
Two residents raised concerns during the public‑comment period about whether the county’s transfer station and the John Smith Road Landfill are receiving waste originating outside San Benito County.
An unnamed resident opened public comment by asking, “Tons a day of in county trash. So where is this coming from? Have we ascertained that information? Are we allowing out of county waste stream into our county to then be dispersed, disposed, and otherwise sorted?” The speaker said there are rumors that trailers are relabeled or switched between cabs so trucks appear to be local when the waste may be from out of county.
Bridget Bohmenthorp added she worried the landfill has limited remaining capacity — estimated by her at about 10 years — and urged transparency about whether imported waste is being transferred to the county landfill. She said she followed a 20‑ton truck to the landfill and believed “Recology only picks up our trash in these smaller trash trucks,” which led her to suspect additional loads might be coming from outside the county. Both speakers urged the commission to obtain records on who uses the drop‑off and who transports waste to John Smith Road Landfill and to present the information to the public.
The chair thanked the commenters; no staff report or formal action on waste hauling practices was on the commission agenda. Commissioners did not take action during the meeting on the request, but the public comments were recorded on the meeting record.
