The Bay Area Air District has ordered operators of a San Jose waste management facility to correct air quality violations and reduce odors that have prompted complaints from residents across the South Bay.
The Newby Island Resource Recovery Park, in north San Jose, is a landfill and recycling center bounded by Interstate 880 to the east and the Alviso neighborhood to the west.
The facility is operated by Phoenix-based Republic Services Inc. through two subsidiaries: International Disposal Corp. of California, which oversees the landfill, and Browning-Ferris Industries of California Inc., which operates the recycling center.
According to an abatement order issued Wednesday by the Hearing Board of the Bay Area Air District, the facility has been responsible for hazardous gas emissions over the years, prompting odor complaints from residents in San Jose, Milpitas, Fremont and Newark.
The Bay Area Air District is responsible for protecting air quality in the region. Its five-member Hearing Board can issue abatement orders to entities responsible for air pollution, including the operators of Newby Island.
A 2024 study by the air district found that the Newby Island facility was the major source of odors reported by residents. Hydrogen sulfide, a gas associated with headaches, nausea and asthma, was the primary pollutant responsible for the odors, according to a district news release.
Order follows history of violations
In December 2025, the district ordered the facility’s operators to install continuous emission monitors to track hydrogen sulfide after an investigation found they had underreported pollution concentrations.
Wednesday’s abatement order reiterates the requirement for continuous emission monitors and directs the operators to improve landfill inspections by using drones to detect methane leaks.
The order also requires the operators to automate the landfill gas collection system and install air pollution monitors around the facility’s perimeter.
“Families in the South Bay have lived with persistent odors and uncertainty about what is in the air near their homes,” Philip Fine, executive officer of the Bay Area Air District, said in the news release. “This order establishes enforceable deadlines, stronger monitoring and clear consequences if Newby Island fails to comply.”
Failure to comply with the abatement order will result in further enforcement, and the district will separately assess fines for the violations that led to the order.
A spokesperson for International Disposal Corp. of California said the company appreciates the air district and Hearing Board’s focus on increasing transparency around air quality concerns and will comply with the order.
“IDCC will continue working constructively with regulators, residents and local stakeholders to meet those requirements,” spokesperson Yessica del Rincon said in an email. “IDCC and the Newby Island Landfill provide an essential service to our customers and remain committed to operating the facility safely and reliably.”
In 2022, International Disposal Corp. of California and Browning-Ferris Industries of California Inc. agreed to pay $210,000 to settle with the district over 30 notices of violation issued between 2014 and 2020 for noncompliance with air quality regulations at the landfill.
The violations included landfill gas surface leaks associated with composting operations in 2014 and 2015, landfill wellhead positive-pressure violations between 2015 and 2019, and gas collection shutdowns in 2019. The settlement also cited public nuisance violations stemming from odor complaints between 2014 and 2016.