Santa Barbara County to Add AD Facility to Tajiguas Landfill

The proposed Material Recovery Facility would sort municipal solid waste coming into a 56,500- to 66,500-square-foot facility into three categories: recyclables that would be recovered and processed for sale; organics that would be recovered and processed in the proposed Anaerobic Digestion Facility; and “residue” — waste that cannot be diverted from the landfill.

The Anaerobic Digestion Facility would be roughly 63,600 square feet, and would turn organic waste into either “bio-gas,” which would both drive on-site power generators for Tajiguas’ use as well as be sent to the power grid, or “digestate,” compost or soil amendments that can be sold for agricultural or landscaping use.

The Material Recovery Facility has a design capacity of up to 250,000 tons of waste per year, which would yield up to 90,000 tons per year of recycled material that ultimately would be sold for reuse.

The Anaerobic Digestion Facility has a design capacity of up to 73,600 tons of organic waste per year. Under the project, another 100,000 tons per year of “residue” would still be sent into the landfill.

A composting area and supporting facilities and infrastructure are also to be added to the site.