LOS ANGELES — Despite vocal opposition from residents concerned about public and environmental safety, the county Board of Supervisors unanimously approved increases in daily allowable dumping limits at the Lancaster Landfill and the Sunshine Canyon Landfill in Granada Hills Tuesday to handle disposal of debris from the Palisades and Eaton fires.

The board also agreed to temporarily remove dumping restrictions at the Calabasas Landfill, allowing it to also accept fire debris. That landfill is generally restricted to accepting waste only from Calabasas, Hidden Hills, Agoura Hills, Malibu, Westlake Village, Thousand Oaks, some parts of Los Angeles and select incorporated areas.

The board's vote will allow the landfill to accept material from outside that area for six months, with possible extensions.

The Sunshine Canyon and Lancaster landfills were temporarily allowed to increase their daily tonnage limits for 120 days.

The daily tonnage limit for Sunshine Canyon Landfill was increased from 12,000 tons to 15,000 tons per day, while the limit at Lancaster Landfill was authorized to more than double from the original 3,000 tons per day, to 7,000 tons. The Lancaster dump has already been operating under a temporary waiver allowing it to accept up to 5,000 tons per day, since it has been accepting waste from the earlier Bridge Fire.

A vocal group of residents crowded into the Board of Supervisors meeting to protest the dumping of fire waste at the various landfills, calling out the potential toxicity spread from the waste disposal.

Calabasas Mayor Peter Kraut and Mayor pro tem James Bozajian said the city was opposed the acceptance of the fire debris at the Calabasas Landfill.

"We have little reason to believe hazardous and non-hazardous materials can be separated," Bozajian said.

County and federal officials insisted at the meeting that hazardous wastes removed from the fire zones by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency were not being taken to any of the landfills, but instead to other dumps that are capable of handling such debris. They also contended that the fire debris such as ash and wood being removed from the fire areas by the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers, while potentially dangerous in an uncontrolled environment, is being packaged, delivered and stored at the dumps in such a way to not present a danger to the community.

Those assurances did little to appease residents and community leaders opposed to the dumping.

Randi Feilich, vice chair of the Calabasas Environmental Commission, called on the board to ensure the quality and quantity of the waste being directed was in compliance with the law and was not hazardous.

"The health and well-being of our residents should not be jeopardized in the name of expedience," Feilich said. "It is necessary that the county take every measure necessary to ensure full remediation of any harmful toxins."

A man who said he has lived in Granada Hills for 20 years complained the landfills were already filling the air with stench and hazardous chemicals, and he urged the board to re-consider increasing the waste processing.

Another resident of Calabasas, Melissa Olen, said, "Dumping hazardous waste into a residential landfill that's not designed to safely contain it is beyond reckless."

"The choices you make today about where to dispose this hazardous waste will have lasting consequences for public health and ecosystems for decades to come," Olen added.

Supervisor Lindsey Horvath, who previously complained about what she saw as a lack of transparency about the disposal locations of fire waste, said she sympathized with many of the community concerns. At one point, she noted that the panel of experts fielding questions from the board even struggled to find answers to some inquiries, or were unsure of which agency was in charge of certain issues. Horvath termed the process a "bureaucratic disaster."

County Director of Public Health Barbara Ferrer also said she understood the public concerns, noting the publicly expressed concerns about people inhaling ash and dust in the fire areas. But she said landfills face strict regulations about handling of fire waste, and there was little chance of toxic waste escaping into the air.

The EPA is expected to complete its Phase 1 removal of hazardous materials from the fire zones this week, and the Phase 2 removal of general fire debris from properties by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is already underway.