the Voice of
The Communist League of Revolutionary Workers–Internationalist
“The emancipation of the working class will only be achieved by the working class itself.”
— Karl Marx
the Voice of
The Communist League of Revolutionary Workers–Internationalist
“The emancipation of the working class will only be achieved by the working class itself.”
— Karl Marx
Mar 31, 2025
Public officials are preparing to dump millions of tons of toxic ash and rubble from the Eaton and Palisades fires into Southern California landfills that were not designed to handle high concentrations of toxic chemicals, according to a recent report from the Los Angeles Times.
An estimated 6,100 Altadena and 5,500 Pacific Palisades and Malibu homes were burned in the Los Angeles County area wildfires. The debris from such fires is known to contain heavy metals, lithium ion batteries, corrosive chemicals like pesticides, weed killers, ammunition, asbestos, and propane tanks. Heavy metals like lead cause brain damage. Lithium ion batteries used in electric cars, cell phones, and rechargeable batteries can explode and emit toxic substances.
Although such dangers are apparent, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) removed this toxic debris by hand from the burned sites within a very short time of less than one month, haphazardly, under the federal government’s pushy orders. According to the EPA, such removal should have taken at least three months if done carefully and correctly. Because of this rush, the EPA could not remove this toxic debris from about one-third of burnt properties. So, the burned environment is currently left with a massive amount of toxic debris.
The federal government is now trucking this hand-picked hazardous waste to two locations, one in Pacific Palisades and the other in the San Gabriel Valley, 15 miles from the Altadena burn zone, for sorting and storage. After learning of the government’s disguised action, hundreds of San Gabriel Valley residents confronted officials during a heated community meeting, asking how a local recreation area had become a processing site for hazardous waste from the wildfire without community input.
One of the furious area residents, Jennifer Roman, said that she was worried that the waste was being trucked through more than a half-dozen cities to reach the site. She added, “I don’t know why we should trust them. Don’t they always lie?”
Confirming her evident distrust and concerns, the federal government agencies have shared little about where they plan to dispose of the estimated 4.5 million tons of charred debris.
Last month, California Governor Gavin Newsom suspended solid waste disposal rules and permitted landfills used for municipal garbage to accept wildfire debris. One example is Sunshine Canyon, Los Angeles County’s largest active landfill, which is known for emitting excessive sulfur dioxide and dust into the communities below, and more than occasional explosive bursts and fire. Only last year, the company operating this landfill got hit with 60 violations for excessive air pollution and nuisance odor violations.
One disaster after another will lead to another catastrophe. The real culprit of these preventable disasters is the government and its officials. They are cutting money for real and solid solutions to such problems from the budget, for the sole purpose of providing tax cuts to the wealthy.