Greig Smith was elected to the L.A. City Council in 2003. Greig has been a leader in the effort to end the use of landfills in urban areas. He recently passed legislation that mandated a time-certain reduction in tonnage allowed to be dumped in the Sunshine Canyon Landfill, phasing out its use by the City over the next five years.
Greig has traveled the world seeking best practices for the handling of solid waste. He served on the City’s Landfill Oversight Committee where he chaired its Future Alternative Technologies Subcommittee. He serves on SCAG’s Solid Waste Task Force, as well as the County of Los Angeles’ Integrated Waste Management Task Force.
Greig authored and introduced R.E.N.E.W. LA which stands for Recovering Energy, Natural Resources and Economic Benefit from Waste for Los Angeles. This 20-year blueprint will end the City’s use of landfills by maximizing recycling and reuse, and converting much of the trash that would go into landfills into clean electricity, alternative fuels and valuable raw materials. The R.E.N.E.W. LA policy was passed unanimously by the City Council in March of 2006.