Simi Valley residents say they’re dealing with the stench of the food waste that came from the Lineage warehouse after it was taken to a dump in their city. Keenan Willard reports for the NBC4 News at 4:30 p.m. on Monday, Aug. 31, 2026.
The smell of the waste from Lineage’s Boyle Heights warehouse is now causing headaches for some people all the way in Ventura County.
Neighbors in Simi Valley said they’ve been dealing with the stench of the waste from the Lineage fire that was dumped at the Simi Valley Landfill. While Lineage says it finished removing more than 80 million pounds of rotting food from its warehouse in Boyle Heights, communities near the site of where the waste was taken say they aren’t too happy.
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“You can smell it,” a Simi Valley resident named Rob said. “At night, you can smell an odor.”
People who live near the landfill said the deliveries of the waste have created a significant stench, especially in the nearby Big Sky neighborhood.
Online records from the Ventura County Air Pollution Control District show more than 20 complaints about the odor from the Simi Valley Landfill this month.
In a notice of violation to the Simi Valley Landfill obtained by NBCLA, the Ventura APCD said its inspectors “noted the odor emanating from putrescent food waste as a result of the Lineage Logistics fire” and determined the odor from the food was a public nuisance.
NBCLA has reached out to the Simi Valley Landfill for a response to the concerns about the stench and notice of violation.
Waste Management said the landfill is permitted to take in food waste and added that the rotting food has been a small percentage of the waste it receives daily. The company said it’s been covering up waste from the Lineage plant and running deodorizers to cut down on the smell.
Additionally, Waste Management said with all the food waste out of the Lineage warehouse, it is not anticipating more deliveries.
