Mono County Unveils New Air Curtain Burner at Pumice Valley Landfill to Strengthen Wildfire Resilience and Green Waste Management

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Mono County Unveils New Air Curtain Burner at Pumice Valley Landfill to Strengthen Wildfire Resilience and Green Waste Management 

BRIDGEPORT, Calif. (August 13, 2026) — As the first order of business for Tuesday’s Board of Supervisors meeting, Mono County officials hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony and public tour of the County’s new commercial-scale Air Curtain Burner at the Pumice Valley Landfill. The advanced system provides an efficient, environmentally responsible solution for processing woody vegetation and green waste generated through local wildfire mitigation, defensible space work, and land management activities.

The acquisition of the Air Curtain Burner was made possible through a California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE) Wildfire Prevention Grant awarded to Mono County Public Works, supported by the County’s Wildfire Mitigation Coordinator. Stationed permanently at the Pumice Valley Landfill, the high-capacity equipment can safely eliminate 3 to 5 tons of green waste and hazardous fuels per hour using low-emission, high-temperature combustion technology.

By utilizing curtain-of-air technology to trap smoke and particulates, the burner significantly reduces air quality impacts compared to traditional open pile burning. Additionally, diverting bulky green waste from standard disposal methods extends the overall operational lifespan of the Pumice Valley Landfill.

“Investing in forward-thinking infrastructure like the Air Curtain Burner is a major win for both public safety and environmental health in Mono County,” said Jennifer Kreitz, Chair of the Mono County Board of Supervisors (District 1). “As wildfire risks continue to challenge our region, having local capacity to safely process hazardous fuels is essential. This equipment gives our residents and land managers a cleaner, faster way to handle defensible space material, protecting our communities while preserving our air quality. I also want to acknowledge that this keeps green waste out of our landfill thereby extending its useful life, too. We are deeply grateful to CAL FIRE and our County team for securing the funding to bring this project to fruition.” 

The Air Curtain Burner will be implemented for green material delivered to the landfill from existing and upcoming fire-safe Community Cleanup Events across the County. This will assist residents in removing hazardous vegetation and green material from around their properties.

To learn more about Mono County’s wildfire mitigation initiatives and public works projects, visit monocounty.ca.gov.

News Staff