Solid Waste Sites in California

The CalEnviroScreen is a mapping tool developed by the California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment to identify communities in California (at the census tract level) that are most affected by pollution sources. The tool uses indicators to measure environmental conditions. Solid waste sites is an environmental effects indicator, which show the locations of toxic chemicals in or near communities. From CalEnviroScreen: What are solid waste sites and facilities? Solid waste facilities are places where household garbage and other types of waste are collected, processed, or stored. These include landfills, transfer stations, and composting facilities. The waste can come from homes, industry or commercial sources. Most of these operations require permits. The communities near solid waste facilities are usually home to poor and minority residents. Why is this indicator included in CalEnviroScreen? Regulated facilities as well as illegal sites that do not follow the law can harm the environment and expose people to hazardous chemicals. Solid waste facilities can release toxic gases into the air, even after they are closed. Chemicals in waste can leach into the soil around the facility. These chemicals may eventually pose a health risk to people nearby. Composting, recycling and waste treatment facilities may produce odors, attract pests, and increase local truck traffic. How are solid waste sites and facilities measured in CalEnviroScreen 4.0? CalRecycle maintains information on solid waste facilities in California. Each solid waste facility was given a value based on its type, how much waste it handles, and whether there were violations. Closed, illegal, and abandoned disposal sites were also included. The values for all the solid waste facilities in or near each census tract were added together. This takes into account how close the facilities are to where people live. A complete description of the Solid Waste Sites and Facilities indicator can be found in the CalEnviroScreen 4.0 report. Where can I find more information about solid waste facilities? CalRecycle: Solid Waste Facilities, Sites and Operations U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region 9: Management of Municipal Solid Waste in California卡伦环境筛查工具（CalEnviroScreen）是由加州环境健康危害评估办公室（California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment）开发的空间制图工具，旨在以普查区（census tract）为基本统计单元，识别加利福尼亚州境内受污染源影响最为严重的社区。该工具通过多类指标量化评估环境状况，其中固体废物场地为一项环境影响类指标，用于展示社区内部及周边的有毒化学品分布点位。 摘自CalEnviroScreen的官方说明：什么是固体废物场地与设施？固体废物设施是指收集、处理或储存家庭垃圾及其他各类废弃物的场所，涵盖填埋场、转运站与堆肥设施。废弃物来源可涵盖住宅、工业或商业场景，此类运营活动大多需取得法定许可。固体废物设施周边的社区通常聚居着低收入群体与少数族裔居民。 为何该指标被纳入CalEnviroScreen？合规运营的设施及未遵守法规的非法站点均可能破坏生态环境，使民众暴露于危险化学品中。固体废物设施即便在关停后，仍可向大气释放有毒气体；废弃物中的化学物质可渗入设施周边土壤，最终对附近居民的健康构成潜在威胁。堆肥、回收及废物处理设施还可能产生异味、滋生害虫，并加剧当地的货运卡车交通流量。 CalEnviroScreen 4.0版本中如何量化固体废物场地与设施？加州回收资源部（CalRecycle）负责维护加利福尼亚州境内固体废物设施的相关信息。每个固体废物设施的评分依据其类型、处理废弃物的规模以及是否存在违规记录确定。已关停、非法及废弃处置场地也被纳入统计范围。将每个普查区内部及周边所有固体废物设施的评分进行累加，同时兼顾设施与居民区的空间距离。固体废物场地与设施指标的完整说明可查阅《CalEnviroScreen 4.0报告》。 何处可获取更多固体废物设施相关信息？加州回收资源部：固体废物设施、场地与运营；美国环境保护署（U.S. Environmental Protection Agency）第九区域办公室：《加州城市固体废物管理》