Dive Brief:

• Residents of Pomona, CA are looking to the City Council to enact a moratorium for waste processing and recycling facilities in the area.
• In the wake of two significant fires at local facilities, business owners and residents in the community are urging council members to put regulations in place that all of the facilities with operations in the area must follow.
• As reported by Daily Bulletin, the City Council has three options to consider: continue using the traditional permit process, create an "urgency ordinance" to enact a moratorium for new construction or expansion projects involving waste and recycling businesses, or form a committee to evaluate health and safety issues stemming from these industries.

Dive Insight:

Pomona currently has over 24 waste and recycling facilities conducting business within the city limits. Councilwoman Cristina Carrizosa told Daily Bulletin, "If it is determined the city is over-saturated with such businesses, then it might be necessary to ban new businesses of that type." Many in the community claim they do not want any waste or recycling firms shuttered, but are simply seeking regulation.