A Los Angeles County official is calling for increased efforts to develop waste conversion technologies for its 8 million tons of waste currently sent to landfills.

County Board Supervisor Don Knabe filed a motion calling county departments and sanitation districts to work with federal and state legislators to change and adopt laws and regulations to encourage the development of conversion technologies in the county.

In a news release Knabe gave the example that the county’s annual waste could produce more than half a billion gallons of renewable biofuels.

In his motion Knabe also recommended reaching out to state agencies and working with conversion technology companies.

“Conversion technologies are critical to ensuring the county’s ability to manage its waste in the future, thereby protecting public health and safety, and the environment,” Knabe said. “Yet many companies have decided not to pursue projects here due to uncertainty created by California’s outdated regulations.”