Welcome to the Waste Management Guadalupe Recycling and Disposal Facility
Serving San Jose and Santa Clara County Residents and Businesses, Guadalupe Recycling and Disposal Facility has been providing safe and reliable recycling and disposal services to San Jose and southern Santa Clara County residents and businesses since 1929. Guadalupe is owned and operated by WM, the country’s leading environmental services company.
Size: 411-acre site supports a 115-acre recycling and landfill operation.
Permits: Class III disposal facility for non-hazardous materials. Guadalupe meets or exceeds all federal, state, and local requirements for landfill management and is regulated by the California Regional Water Quality Control Board, Bay Area Air Quality Management District, CalRecycle and the City of San Jose Department of Planning and Code Enforcement.
Capacity: Permitted to accept 3,650 tons of material daily.
Landfilling
Materials that cannot be diverted for recycling are disposed at the working face of the landfill. The modern landfill cell is engineered to protect the environment. It features state-of-the-art liners, leachate collection, groundwater monitoring and extensive landfill gas collection and control systems. Guadalupe meets or exceeds all federal, state, and local regulations.
Throughout the day, heavy equipment operators crush and compact the waste into the disposal cell. This process forms a tightly packed layer of waste, reduces settlement and conserves landfill space. At the end of each day, bulldozers spread a layer of compacted soil or alternative cover (such as sludge mixed with wood waste) over the exposed garbage. This daily cover, required by law, keeps the waste in place, deters scavenging by animals, helps repel rainwater and minimizes odors.
Gas Collection
A natural by-product of landfilling is landfill gas. Landfill gas results from the decay of organic materials present in a landfill. Landfill gas contains more than 50 percent methane gas and the balance is carbon dioxide and other materials. Guadalupe collects the gas through an extensive network of wells and currently flares it. A permit to construct a landfill gas to electricity plant is currently under regulatory review. When completed, the plant is estimated to produce renewable clean energy to power the equivalent of up to 3,000 homes.
