The Adventure Begins
Here’s the thing—when someone says “landfill,” you don’t exactly picture glamour, do you? Perhaps a stench. Maybe a flock of opportunistic seagulls. I certainly didn’t envision intrigue or buried treasure when we were hired by Allied Waste Services to produce a video about their Otay facility south of San Diego.
Before this assignment, my idea of a landfill was something like Dante’s forgotten tenth circle, filled with reeking heaps kept safely out of sight and out of mind. But what I found instead was a marvel of engineering—and the occasional rhinoceros rib.
Time Lapsing
Our first setup involved placing a time-lapse camera in what resembled a tiny outhouse, perched on the edge of an excavation site. For six weeks, it dutifully recorded the laying of the landfill liner—a process not unlike preparing a five-star bed for garbage. It even caught the smoky aftermath of a nearby wildfire. Drama!
Neil Mohrs, Chief Engineer and our charming landfill docent, guided us through the environmental ballet involved. Every rock is lovingly hand-plucked to protect the liner—massive black sheets of plastic seamed together with the precision of haute couture. Beneath it all, methane collection systems wait patiently to convert trash gas into power for 3,000 homes. Talk about energy from entropy.
A Diamond Ring Lands in the Landfill
I asked Neil what the most unexpected discovery was. Without missing a beat: “A diamond ring.” Yes, truly. A wife had removed her ring while cleaning, the husband unknowingly tossed it, and by the next morning she was calling Allied in a panic. Somehow, the crew traced the exact truck, and Neil himself spotted the ring—a glorious stone surrounded by emeralds, the sort Liz Taylor might have misplaced during a particularly glamorous luncheon. I told him he probably saved their marriage. His smile suggested he knew it.
A Wedding Dress Headed for the Landfill
The second most curious find? A wedding dress. Left in a hotel room in a plastic bag, mistaken for trash by an overzealous maid. And once again, the team played trash detective, retrieved the bag, and restored the bride’s white satin dreams.
Yato
As if that weren’t enough, during excavation at Otay Mesa, workers unearthed the fossilized rib of a rhinoceros, the jaws of two whales, and the full skeleton of a dog-like creature entirely unknown to science. The lucky gent who discovered it got naming rights—and dubbed it a “Yato.” (That’s “Otay” backwards, for those playing along.)
Who knew landfill life could be so thrilling? Our finished video went on to win both a Pegasus Award of Merit and a Gold Ava Award—perhaps the only landfill video ever to do so.
Bravo to Allied Waste and their passionate team of trash whisperers. You taught me that even in the world of refuse, there’s room for revelation.
