Nestled among the windmill-doted hills of the Altamont Pass, the landfill blends into the surrounding grasslands. A modern landfill, the Altamont is engineered to protect the air, surface and groundwater. It utilizes state-of-the-art liners, leachate collection, groundwater monitoring and extensive landfill gas collection and control systems. The Altamont landfill meets or exceeds all federal, state, and local regulations.
Environmental Stewardship
Nearly 1,000 acres of the 2,170-acre facility are designated a certified wildlife habitat preserve under a Habitat Conservation Easement with federal and state agencies. Another 164 acres are a dedicated buffer zone between active portions of the landfill and our neighbors.
Western Burrowing Owl photo by © Frank Schulenburg / CC BY-SA 4.0
The additional acreage provides wetlands, uplands and sensitive habitats for indigenous wildlife. The Altamont is home to the endangered San Joaquin Kit Fox and the threatened California red-legged frog, Western Burrowing Owl and California Tiger Salamander. The national Wildlife Habitat Council certified the Altamont Landfill a Wildlife Habitat at Work facility in 2003.
Our commitment to the environment has been recognized by the US Environmental Protection Agency, the US Department of the Environment and the State of California, among others.
Cover photo by Gregory “Slobirdr” Smith
