Scholl Canyon Landfill facts for kids
The Scholl Canyon Landfill is a large place where solid waste (which is just another name for trash!) is taken for disposal. It's located in eastern Glendale, in Los Angeles County, California.
This big area covers about 314 acres of land. It's found near the Ventura Freeway and the Glendale Freeway. The City of Glendale owns this landfill, and it first opened way back in 1961.
The landfill accepts many different types of waste. This includes regular household trash, asphalt, clean dirt, yard trimmings (called green waste), old tires, and materials from construction or demolition projects.
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How Much Trash Can It Hold?
As of December 2011, the landfill was using about 314 acres for trash. It is allowed to use a total of 440 acres.
This landfill can receive about 3,400 tons of trash every single day! It still has about 9,900,000 cubic yards of space left for waste. Experts believe it will reach its full capacity and close around the year 2030.
Turning Trash into Power!
Did you know that trash can help make electricity? In 1994, a special pipeline was built. This pipeline is about 5 miles long.
It carries methane gas, which is produced naturally by the trash breaking down inside the landfill. This gas goes to the city's Grayson Power Plant. At the plant, the methane gas is mixed with natural gas. This mixture is then used to power three of the plant's units, creating electricity for Glendale.
For example, in 2012, the plant generated about 80,000 MWh (megawatt-hours) of electricity using gas from the Scholl Canyon Landfill. This provided about 7% of all the energy Glendale needed!
What's Next for the Landfill?
The City of Glendale has a goal called the "Zero Waste Policy," which started in 2010. This policy aims to manage waste in a very clean and high-tech way. Because of this, they have thought about expanding the landfill.
In 2014, the city looked into the possible effects of expanding the landfill. They studied new technologies that could turn waste into energy, instead of just burying it. Some ideas include methods like gasification or pyrolysis, which use heat to break down trash.
However, the city announced in October 2015 that they "have no immediate plans" to expand the landfill. They might not expand it for a long time, or even ever, depending on how well their other waste management plans work out.
Fun on Top of the Trash
Believe it or not, there's a golf course and tennis courts built on part of the landfill! The Scholl Canyon Golf and Tennis Club opened in 1993.
This 56-acre project was built on the northwest section of the landfill. It replaced an older golf course that had to close in 1989. That's because unsafe levels of methane gas were escaping from under the course. Now, with modern technology, the new club is a safe and fun place for people to play golf and tennis.
