Every 5 years, the County of San Diego updates its integrated waste management plan. The current review cycle is in progress, with a final document expected September 2010 (County of San Diego, 2010). A draft chart of the disposal capacity projection (released as public information to V. M. Ponce on April 14, 2010) is shown in Fig. XX. The capacity projection (in thousands of tons per year) includes the county landfills at Miramar, Otay, Sycamore, and Borrego Springs. It does not include the proposed county landfill at Gregory Canyon and the non-county Campo landfill. Figure XX shows that sufficient landfill capacity is projected until 2028.

Figure XX also shows a sharp decrease in actual disposal tons, starting in 2005, which reflects both the economic downturn and the fact that in the past five years, the county has been making great strides to comply with the state mandated directive to: (1) reduce, (2) reuse, (3) recycle, and (4) transform, as a sustainable alternative to landfilling.

San Diego County current plans are to eventually recycle up to 75% of its solid waste stream, thereby sharply decreasing the need for additional landfill capacity in the next 20 years. The proposed Campo landfill would have to be permitted to receive county solid waste. County regulations require it to dispose of its solid waste, after recycling, first by using county facilities, and secondarily, by using non-county facilities such as the proposed Campo landfill.

In many progressive societies, efforts are now being directed toward minimizing the quantity of solid waste requiring disposal. As the data of Fig. XX shows, the future trend toward less tonnage of disposable solid waste is already a reality in San Diego County. The overriding objective, which remains to be achieved, is to reduce the need for disposable solid waste to a negligible amount. In this case, there would be little use for additional landfill space. In general, landfills are a threat to the surrounding environment. The only sensible course to take is to avoid them altogether.