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Miramar Landfill & Greenery

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General Information

  • Almost 910,000 tons of trash is disposed of yearly at the Miramar Landfill.
  • The landfill spans over 1,500 acres and is the City of San Diego's only active landfill.
  • The landfill opened on Dec. 7, 1959, and has since operated in three areas: north, south and west.
  • The South Miramar Landfill operated from 1959 to 1973, the North Miramar Landfill operated from 1973 to 1983, and the West Miramar Landfill, which is still in operation today, opened in 1983.
  • At this environmentally secure, lined landfill, the City's trash is covered daily in conformance with regulatory and environmental requirements.
  • Methane, a greenhouse gas produced as a byproduct of the landfill, is captured and used to provide 90% of the fuel to power electrical generators at the Metropolitan Biosolids Center.
  • Organic materials, including vegetative and food wastes, are diverted from the landfill and processed to become high-quality mulch, compost and wood chips at the Greenery, and are available to the public. 
  • Learn more about the benefits of compost, how to use compost and FREE compost giveaway events for City of San Diego residents on our Compost Giveaway Events & Resources webpage.

Location and Hours

The Miramar Landfill and Recycling Center is at 5180 Convoy St., San Diego.

Business hours are Monday through Saturday from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Please note, the Miramar Landfill and Recycling Center are closed on Sundays.

LANDFILL: Self-dumping vehicles are accepted until 4:30 p.m., and NO clean-fill dirt program trucks after 4 p.m.

GREENERY: City Personnel Tractor Loading "only" until 4:30 p.m. (fees apply)

The Miramar Landfill and Recycling Center is CLOSED on the following holidays: New Year's Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day.

Inclement Weather

During rain or other weather-related conditions, the landfill and greenery operations reserve the right to temporarily close/restrict certain types of vehicles and trailers for safety reasons. This would occur in the event conditions at the tipping deck are not conducive to the maneuvering of certain types of vehicles and trailers. It is a safety issue for the public and employees and a hindrance to operations when dealing with incapacitated vehicles.

Operations

Facts

  • Approximately 275,000 vehicles bring trash to the Miramar Landfill each year.
  • About 1,050-1,100 customers bring materials to the landfill each day.
  • The landfill is open 306 days a year, rain or shine.
  • About 3,900 tons of trash are accepted on weekdays and lesser amounts on Saturdays.
  • Customers' vehicles are randomly checked for hazardous materials.
  • Approximately 44,000 pounds of hazardous substances are discovered and diverted for proper disposal each year.
  • San Diego, with a population of over 1.4 million, disposes of approximately 1.58 million tons of trash per year, with approximately 870,000 tons going to the Miramar Landfill per year.
  • The City's recycling programs help reduce the amount of materials sent to the landfill which helps extend the life of the landfill and reduces methane emissions by diverting organic materials to the Greenery for composting.
  • All cities in California are required to reduce, reuse or recycle half of their trash or face a $10,000 per-day fine. In 2004, the City of San Diego met this requirement with a 52% diversion rate. Today, we are at a 66% diversion rate.
  • Trash composition studies indicate that 76% of San Diego's trash can be recycled.
  • San Diegans throw away enough recyclables to
    • energize over 181,000 households for a year;
    • conserve 3,355,937 barrels of oil;
    • fuel over 400 cars for a year (156,610,400 gallons/25 miles per gallon/15,000 miles/year)

Solid Waste Collection Franchises

The City of San Diego operates a non-exclusive Solid Waste Collection System, which consists of companies that provide collection services within the City of San Diego. These companies have franchise agreements with the City and pay franchise and AB939 fees.

The franchise system is governed by the San Diego Municipal Code, Article 6: Collection, Transportation and Disposal of Trash and Solid Waste. These municipal codes include franchise requirements, exclusions and the application process.

For more information on Franchise Administration, contact the Environmental Services Customer Support Center at 858-694-7000 or email trash@sandiego.gov.

Publications

Contact

If you have questions or concerns about the Miramar Landfill, please contact the Environmental Services Customer Support Center at 858-694-7000 or email trash@sandiego.gov.

Miramar Landfill