02/08/2025
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has approved a toxic waste sorting site at Will Rogers Beach, sparking outrage among residents, environmentalists, and local businesses. The site will be used to process wildfire debris containing asbestos, heavy metals, dioxins, and other hazardous pollutants—all just steps from the Pacific Ocean.
Malibu Said No—Why Can’t We?
Concerned citizens are taking action, organizing a protest on Sunday, February 9, 2025, at 10:00 AM to demand that the site be relocated to a safer, more controlled environment. Protesters will meet at 810 Pacific Coast Highway (Beach Parking Lot 8N, next to the Jonathan Club) and march to Will Rogers Parking Lot to voice their opposition.
Adjacent to High Density Population - A Looming Environmental and Public Health Disaster
We are profoundly disappointed by the plan to repurpose this invaluable local resource—a sanctuary of tranquility, biodiversity, and recreation for all—into a hazardous waste sorting site. This decision is not only short-sighted but also presents significant risks to public health, our ecosystem, and local economy.
We recognize the extreme devastation the recent fires have caused—homes reduced to ash, businesses lost, and lives upended. The urgency of cleanup is undeniable. But this decision is not a solution—it is a new crisis.
Toxic contaminants from the wildfire debris could leach into the soil and waterways. Onshore winds will carry hazardous particulates, compromising the air quality where people live, work, and play. The risk to our ocean’s health is just as alarming.
This Will Only Cause More Harm to Our Community
Local businesses, already struggling, will suffer further as visitors avoid a town marked by environmental neglect. The economic, environmental, and public safety risks of this plan cannot be ignored.
To store, even temporarily, the remnants of catastrophe at the fragile boundary of land and sea is to invite irreversible damage. Wildfire debris isn’t just ash—it’s poison. Asbestos, heavy metals, dioxins, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) will not remain contained. Our beaches are already suffering from post-fire trauma, presenting serious risks to public health.
The EPA must have an unwavering focus on preventing additional disaster or damage to our communities and waterways.
Instead of a responsible and strategic approach to hazardous waste disposal, the EPA has chosen expedience over caution, forcing an already struggling community to bear the brunt of yet another disaster.
A single storm or a single misstep, and these toxins will enter the ocean, poisoning marine life, contaminating fisheries, and polluting the air we breathe.
The EPA assures us that precautions are being taken. But look at the Topanga site—it is not safely contained, nor is it secured with added safety measures.
There are alternatives: industrial zones designed for containment, engineered landfills, and environmental scientists who understand the delicate balance of our coastal ecosystems. Or stage the debris in an already burned-out area in the Palisades.
This isn’t a question of feasibility or convenience—it’s a question of willingness to act responsibly.
Our Beaches Are Sacred—
The beach is one of the few places where all people find sanctuary. To contaminate this shared refuge is to jeopardize the health and well-being of every person who seeks solace at the shore.
The ocean belongs to all of us, and is one of the few places where everyone, regardless of income, can seek refuge and recreation.
This is not just any stretch of sand. Will Rogers Beach IS a member of our community.
It is where our children have summer camp, families gather together, and friends play sports. The beach is what brought us here, it's WHO we are, it's what we love.
MALIBU SAID NO.
WILL ROGERS SAYS NO TOO.
(WE STAND WITH YOU TOPANGA!)
This decision threatens our health, our beaches, and our future. Will we rise to protect our shores? Or will we allow negligence to poison the inheritance of future generations?
📅 Sunday, February 9, 2025
⏰ 10:00 AM
MEET AT 810 PACIFIC COAST HIGHWAY, or BEACH PARKING LOT 8N, next to the Jonathan Club. We will march to Will Rogers Parking lot.
Don’t Forget to Make Posters!...and out of an abundance of caution, recommend bringing a mask.
We demand the EPA make choices in the best interest of public safety and environmental protection. We can’t afford to risk additional calamity and impact more of this great city.
Updates on the protest plans will be added to this petition and emailed to signatories as they develop.
See for yourself. Watch the footage from the Topanga waste site—the EPA claims to be careful, yet their "containment" is anything but safe. It looks like an open-air dump.
Hazardous Toxic Waste Site created on Sensitive LA Beach - Palisades Fire Clean Up on Topanga credit:
A History of EPA Failures:
This is not the first time the EPA has prioritized expediency over caution:
- 2015: The Gold King Mine spill—EPA contractors released 3 million gallons of toxic waste into the Animas River.
- 1980s: EPA mismanagement of Superfund sites left entire communities exposed to industrial toxins.
- Flint, Michigan: Regulatory failure led to poisoned drinking water with long-term health effects.
Hazardous waste must be processed in controlled environments—NOT on our shores. This is a matter of political will, not feasibility.
Malibu took action against having a Clean Up Site - So should we!
🚨 This is not a “safe” decision—it is a dangerous one.
Poster Artwork by Veronica Velasquez , Venice Helping Hub
www.Change.org/WillRogers
