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What's Dying in Sylmar's Sunshine Canyon Landfill?

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The Daily News reports that a "strong garbage smell" is permeating from the Sunshine Canyon Landfill in Sylmar, an odor that's so bad that the South Coast Air Quality Management District "has issued 15 violations against operators of the landfill so far this year, compared to four for the same time period in 2010." The smell event reaches Van Gogh Elementary School in Granada Hills, "where children, parents, and teachers complain they smell a foul odor each morning until about 10 a.m," according to the paper. A representative for the Republic Services, the landfill's operator, says they're trying to find out what's causing the problem, while the Board of Supes (half the landfill is on county land), is also involved. "While no cause is known for sure, city and county officials speculate the odor could be caused by types and quantities of trash received, methods of handling the trash, and/or a faulty landfill gas collection system among other factors." Keep digging, Republic Services. Bonus: Story has an illuminating chart showing spike in odor complaints. Image of landfill via Sunshine Canyon Landfill
· Sylmar landfill doesn't pass smell test [Daily News]