Over the repeated objections of environmental leaders and, notably, three of seven councilmembers, the city and county of Santa Barbara voted to move forward with a $122 million project to construct a Costco-sized facility at the Tajiguas Landfill to sort, recycle, and process the trash generated by more than 210,000 area residents. Critics objected to further industrializing the Gaviota Coast and suggested that better ways to manage waste streams exist. Supporters acknowledged the tons of trash the project will divert from the landfill and how it will reduce greenhouse-gas emissions, the equivalent of taking more than 22,000 cars off the road a year.
