In-Depth: New California law requires organic recycling starting Jan

SAN DIEGO (KGTV) - A new law that takes effect on Jan. 1, 2022, will dramatically change what you can and can't recycle in the state of California.

According to SB 1383, any person or business that creates garbage will have to recycle all their organic food waste. "It really brings a lot of material under the umbrella of what must be recycled," says Ken Prue, the City of San Diego's Deputy Director of Environmental Services.

Prue says people will no longer be allowed to throw away food scraps or other organic material. Instead, they'll have to go into the green bin currently used for disposing of yard trimmings and other organic waste. He says the city will provide its trash customers a small green bin to keep in the kitchen to make it easier."Hopefully, people give it a try, they have a good experience, and then they just start doing it," says Prue. The new law says organic waste must now be collected every week and taken to a facility to compost it into reusable products. San Diego recently received a $3 million grant to upgrade the Miramar Landfill Greenery to meet the requirements.

Prue says the shift in policy will help divert more than 200,000 pounds of food waste from the landfill. He says food waste makes up around 15% of the materials that get thrown out each year.He believes keeping all of that out of the landfill will help the environment by eliminating many toxic gases created when food waste decomposes in the dump.

But the benefit will come at a cost.

Under the "People's Ordinance" from 1919, the City of San Diego is mandated to offer trash services to all residents in single-family homes. Consequently, the expenses related to the new bins, expanded collection, and the required staff and infrastructure to comply with SB 1383 will need to be covered by the city's general fund.

The city has already allocated $15 million to procure 240,000 small kitchen bins intended for distribution to residents. For individuals and businesses not covered under the People's Ordinance, the costs of compliance are likely to be incorporated into their bills with the respective waste collection company. This could result in increased apartment rent, HOA fees, service charges, and even the prices of goods.

According to Prue, many businesses generating food scraps, such as restaurants and grocery stores, are already part of the city's comprehensive composting or food donation programs and may not experience significant changes. He anticipates that companies managing multi-family housing will find ways to absorb the additional costs, potentially offsetting them by needing fewer trash services.

Apart from the costs of compliance, the city will also bear the expenses of enforcement. Initially, an educational approach is planned to help individuals and businesses adapt to the new regulations, with "lid flippers" inspecting garbage and leaving "oops notes" in cases of non-compliance. Eventually, fines will be imposed on violators, and the state could penalize the city if the CalRecycle program deems San Diego insufficiently committed to ensuring compliance.

The city, along with waste collection companies, will conduct educational outreach efforts over the next six months to inform people about what is permissible and impermissible for disposal. Prue hopes that, with time, keeping food waste out of the garbage will become second nature for residents. He emphasizes the importance of an extensive education component to help people understand the requirements and garner their support.