The Los Angeles County Sanitation Districts are a public agency focused on converting waste into resources like recycled water, energy and recycled materials. The agency consists of 24 independent special districts serving about 5.5 million people in Los Angeles County. The service areas in the map below cover approximately 850 square miles and encompass 78 cities and unincorporated areas in the county.

To maximize efficiency and reduce costs, the 24 Sanitation Districts work cooperatively with one administrative staff headquartered near the City of Whittier. Each Sanitation District has a Board of Directors consisting of the mayor of each city served, and the Chair of the County Board of Supervisors for unincorporated territory. Each Sanitation District pays its proportionate share of administrative costs.

Wastewater Management

The Sanitation Districts were created in 1923 to construct, operate, and maintain facilities that collect and treat domestic and industrial wastewater (sewage). The agency operates and maintains the regional wastewater collection system, which includes approximately 1,400 miles of sewers, 49 pumping plants, and 11 wastewater treatment plants that transport and treat about half the wastewater in Los Angeles County. Collectively, the Sanitation Districts treat about 400 million gallons of water per day, which is enough to fill the Rose Bowl nearly five times a day. Over the last 60 years, the Sanitation Districts have been the nation's largest producer of recycled water.

Solid Waste Management

In the 1950s, the Sanitation Districts were given responsibility for solid waste management (excluding trash pickup). The agency’s solid waste management system currently provides about one-fifth of the countywide solid waste disposal needs through the operation of two sanitary landfills and three materials recovery/transfer facilities. The Sanitation Districts also have two facilities that convert landfill gas into renewable energy and are also a partner in a refuse-to-energy facility.

The agency helps run the Household Hazardous Waste and Electronic Waste Collection Program. This program gives Los Angeles County residents a free and environmentally-friendly way to dispose of unwanted household chemicals and electronic waste that cannot be put into the regular trash.

Converting Waste Into Resources

The Sanitation Districts are innovators in the production of green energy and water recycling. Approximately 67 megawatts of electricity are created in the Sanitation Districts’ wastewater and solid waste operations, which is enough to supply power to 67,000 homes. Water reclamation plants produce 100 million gallons per day of recycled water that is beneficially reused at over 850 locations including groundwater replenishment, outdoor irrigation, agriculture and industrial water supply. That is equivalent to the water needs of 340,000 Southern California homes.

For additional information, please see our Fact Sheet or contact us.

Sanitation Districts' Service Area

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