Republic Services reports 55,000‑ton year‑over‑year drop at La Paz Landfill, plans new cell
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Summary
Peter Sternberg, general manager for Republic Services' Yuma/Imperial unit, told the La Paz County Board that inbound tonnage fell from about 261,000 tons in 2023 to about 189,000 last year, that a new landfill cell will be constructed within months, and that environmental monitoring (groundwater sampling, air permit review) showed no areas of concern.
Republic Services presented its annual report to the La Paz County Board of Supervisors on Feb. 17, with Peter Sternberg, the company’s general manager for the Yuma and Imperial area, describing recent volume declines, ongoing operations and environmental compliance at the La Paz Landfill.
Sternberg said incoming tonnage fell from roughly 261,000 tons in 2023 to about 189,000 in the most recent year — a drop he attributed in part to the LA fires and reduced special-waste shipments from California. "We had pretty good, one of our best years in '23... This past year we dropped down to 189,000," he said, and noted the decline represents about a 55,000‑ton change year over year.
Despite lower volumes, Sternberg told the board Republic will begin construction of a new landfill cell within the next month and that host-fee revenue — paid to the county on a per‑ton basis — remains roughly in line with prior years. He explained the company realigned business units and added environmental-services capabilities to handle remediation and different waste streams.
On environmental compliance, Republic reported zero notices of violation from the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality during the year. Sternberg said groundwater monitoring that had been paused for five years resumed last year and the site completed an air-permit inspection that requested additional paperwork but cited no areas of concern. "When we look at Republic Services, our number one priority is environmental health and safety," he said.
Board members asked several follow-up questions: county officials sought clarification that hazardous wastes are managed appropriately (Sternberg confirmed the landfill is a lined facility and that hazardous streams are managed to hazardous-landfill standards when required), and one supervisor raised concern about customer rate changes in other county service areas, citing reported single‑year increases of up to 11 percent and asking Republic to provide justification for future rate adjustments.
Sternberg invited supervisors to inspect new-cell liner construction when work begins and said Republic will continue internal audits and external monitoring. No formal action was required by the board on the presentation.
