SCOPE has been working to hold the Chiquita Canyon Landfill accountable to the citizens of Val Verde and the Santa Clarita Valley since 1997, when the landfill sought to expand it’s operations. SCOPE worked with the community of Val Verde to oppose the expansion. The community then negotiated with the county and the operator of the landfill at the time, Newhall Land and Farming, to add certain requirements to the Conditional Use Permit. The landfill agreed to contribute financially to a community benefit fund for the residents of Val Verde, and to cease operations when it reached 23 million tons of accepted waste or 2019, whichever came first.

In 2015, the landfill reached its tonnage capacity but received a “Clean Hands Waiver” from the County that allowed continued operation, despite the clear language in the CUP. Over the next few years, the landfill continued to accept waste from all over Southern California with only 10% being from the local area of Santa Clarita. In 2017, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors approved yet another Conditional Use Permit with the landfill that had changed hand and was w owned by the 3+ billion dollar multinational corporation, Waste Connections. This time the County tripled the waste capacity with a closure requirement of 63 million tons or the year 2047, whichever comes first.