Tri-County Landfill



The Tri-County Landfill is where Lotso and Andy's toys are taken to after a garbage truck in which they are trapped in dumps them onto the earth, along with the rest of the garbage collected from Sunnyside Daycare and other places in the film Toy Story 3.

The name of the landfill is written on an overhead sign that the garbage truck drives under on its final approach.

After the toys are dumped, the Aliens notice a large crane in the distance and recites one of their catchphrases, "The Claw!" and run toward it. Woody and Mrs. Potato Head try to order them to come back, but they are cut off by a bulldozer that plows the aliens away. Just then, another plow pushes the rest of the toys into a trench, causing them to fall onto a long conveyor belt of garbage leading into a dark tunnel. However, Slinky Dog, due to his coils being made of steel, is pulled onto the magnetic ceiling above, followed by other steel objects. The toys try to look for a way to free Slinky, but upon seeing that the conveyor belt is heading toward a set of shredders, Buzz tells the toys to grab something made of steel so they can hang from the ceiling, safe from the shredders. Just then, Lotso cries for help from underneath a golf bag, and Woody drops down to his rescue with Buzz assisting him. The two use one of the golf clubs to free Lotso from the golf bag, and Woody takes Lotso's hand as the golf club gets pulled onto the ceiling with the three toys, seconds before the golf bag gets chewed up by the shredders. After passing over the shredders, Rex sees a glow coming up ahead and tells Woody that he can see "daylight," but when Woody looks at the glow, he frowns and realizes that the next area of the plant where the conveyor belt is leading the toys to is a central incinerator. The toys try to run from it, but their running speeds can't match up with that of the conveyor belt, which continues to push the toys closer and closer to the furnace. Lotso notices an emergency stop button at the top of a nearby ladder, and with help from Woody and Buzz, manages to climb up to it. Woody shouts at Lotso to push the button, but Lotso, rather than activating the button to save the toys, glares at the toys menacingly, shouting "Where's your kid now, Sheriff?" and walks away, leaving the toys to die in the incinerator, since he still believes that all toys are meant to be abandoned by their owners and nothing but just trash. The toys are then dropped into a furnace, where tons of shredded garbage are cascading down on an enormous bowl toward the incinerator. The toys try to climb away, but they realize that there is no escape route. Buzz takes hold of Jessie's hand, which makes the others do the same, ending with Woody taking Buzz's hand and Slinky's paw. Together, they face the incinerator, accepting oblivion as family. As they slide even closer to the flames' intense heat, they all close their eyes and lean in close to one another, preparing to face their fiery death. Just then, at the last moment, a light suddenly shines on Woody, who looks up to see a giant claw crane, with its jaws open, appear from above and fall on him and his friends. It scoops up the toys and lifts them upward, along with some of the shredded garbage. As the toys soar through the air, the claw briefly stops in front of a crane operator's booth. The toys turn to the booth window to see the Aliens, who have managed to find their way into the booth, commandeering the crane to carry the toys away from the inferno. Woody heaves a sigh of relief, grateful that he and his friends are safe and sound, as the crane carries the toys outside the furnace and places them gently on the ground.

Once outside, the toys who have faced death and survived are profoundly shaken. The aliens approach Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head, who express their gratefulness toward them for saving their lives by reciting what the aliens have repeatedly said to Mr. Potato Head after being rescued by him (Mrs. Potato Head says "You saved our lives," followed by her husband telling them, "And we are eternally grateful."), and Mr. Potato Head hugs the aliens, finally accepting them as their children. Hamm and Slinky express their desire to get back at Lotso for almost getting them killed, but Woody convinces them to forget it, believing that no more trouble should befall Lotso. Meanwhile, Lotso, while looking for a way out of the landfill, is unexpectedly found by a garbageman, who claims he has once owned a Lots-o'-Huggin' Bear as a young child and decides to take him along with a few other toys he has also collected. Afterwards, Woody, Buzz, and the toys hitch a ride in Sid's garbage truck to get back to Andy's house.

Trivia

 * The incinerator scene is the darkest scene ever made in any Toy Story and Pixar films.
 * In an eerie coincidence, the Buzz Lightyear of Star Command episode Stranger Invasion has Emperor Zurg requesting incinerators instead of a standard garbage smasher in a new base as they would be far more difficult to escape from.