On January 31, 2022 the following information was sent in an email to all of our customers about the new compost requirements in California.
Para español, use la herramienta de traducción en la parte superior de la página.
Composting Now Required by California Law
Starting January 1, 2022, residents and business are required to collect their organic waste (food waste, food-soiled paper, and yard waste) separately from all other waste and either compost it on site or through their Mill Valley Refuse compost cart(s).
Senate Bill 1383: California’s Short-Lived Climate Pollutant Reduction Strategy requires all residents and businesses to divert organic material away from the landfill.
SB 1383 calls on the state’s 40 million people to reduce landfill methane emissions by achieving a 75% reduction in organic waste disposal by 2025 (compared to 2014 levels), and take action to make sure that at least 20% of currently disposed of edible food is redirected to Californians who don’t have enough to eat.
The new super pollutant reduction strategy rules for organics recycling and edible food recovery set in SB 1383 are part of California’s bold effort to fast track climate progress by reducing landfill methane emissions.
For more information on SB 1383, visit the website of California’s Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery (CalRecycle).
WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR YOU?
Good news: compost service is part of your normal garbage service package with Mill Valley Refuse. You should already be composting!
SINGLE-FAMILY RESIDENCES
- Collect all food scraps, food-soiled paper, and yard waste and place those items in your green compost cart for collection.
APARTMENTS/MULTIFAMILY UNITS
- Collect all the complex’s food scraps, food-soiled paper, and yard waste and place those items in your green compost cart(s) or bin(s) for collection.
- Print our posters and cart labels (in English and Spanish) to help your tenants sort materials correctly.
- If your complex needs assistance in setting up a successful organics program, call our office at 415-457-9760. We’re happy to help.
BUSINESSES
- Collect all food scraps, food-soiled paper, and yard waste and place it in your green compost cart(s) or bin(s) for collection.
- Print our posters and cart labels (in English and Spanish) to help your customers and employees sort materials correctly.
- Certain food businesses are required to donate the maximum amount of edible food they would otherwise dispose of to food recovery organizations. Learn more on CalRecycles’s website.
- If your business needs assistance in setting up a successful organics program, call our office at 415-457-9760. We’re happy to help.
- For more information about how this and other recycling laws impact you, visit our recycling laws pages for residents, businesses or apartments (multifamily units).
WHAT GOES IN YOUR COMPOST CART OR BIN
You’ll find information about what belongs in your compost cart on the following pages:
THE IMPORTANCE OF COMPOSTING ORGANICS
When organic waste is sent to landfill, it decomposes anaerobically (without oxygen) which creates methane a short-lived climate pollutant and one of the most potent greenhouse gases in Earth’s atmosphere. Methane is a major contributor to climate change.
Diverting organic waste to recycling is an integral part of the state’s climate change program and can significantly reduce local air quality emissions and the impacts of climate change in our life time.
