The California Senate Bill 1383 is a statewide effort to reduce short-lived climate pollutants (SLCP) emissions by reducing organic waste disposal to 50% by 2020 and 75% by 2025. Organic waste in landfills emits 20% of the state’s methane, a climate superpollutant 84 times* more potent than carbon dioxide. By placing organic waste into an organic recycling cart instead of a trash cart, California residents are helping divert organic waste from landfills and reducing these harmful emissions. Many California residents and businesses must recycle organic waste beginning January 1, 2022. Please refer to the jurisdiction where you live and work to determine when organic waste recycling begins in your community.
California residents and business owners’ participation is essential to meet these new requirements, and Republic Services can help you comply.
What Does It Mean?
This law requires your waste hauler to collect your organic waste, including food waste, and dispose of it more sustainably instead of simply taking it to the landfill.
Who Is Affected?
Everyone. Residents, multi-family properties and complexes, businesses, schools, and public agencies must comply with the law and enroll in an organics recycling program.
Contact your local Republic Services office for more information about the organics recycling program in your community, or visit RepublicServices.com/organics-sb-1383.
New Expectations for Organics Recycling
A new law in California requires all waste generators to recycle organics, including food waste, green waste, landscape and pruning waste, non-hazardous wood waste, and food-soiled paper products.
Get Familiar with Organics Recycling
Toss unfinished food scraps, skins, and peelings into your organics recycling cart. We will pick it up, take it to our composting facility, and turn it into compost that will return to the community.
Place these items in the ORGANIC waste container:
- Meat (including bones)
- Poultry
- Shellfish and Seafood
- Bread and Pasta
- Rice
- Dairy
- All fruits and Vegetables (including pits and shells)
- Food Scraps
- Coffee Filters and Grounds
- Small branches, leaves, grass
- Greasy Pizza Boxes
- Tea Bags
- Untreated Wood
- Yard Trimmings
NEVER place these items in the organics container:
- Animal Waste
- Construction Debris
- Dirt
- Garbage
- Grease
- Hazardous or Medical Waste
- Oil
- Recyclable Materials
- Restroom Waste
- Treated or Painted Wood
- Liquids
Pro Tips:
1) LAYER YARD TRIMMINGS AND FOOD-RELATED ITEMS TO REDUCE ORGANIC WASTE CONTAINER ODOR.
2) RESIDENTIAL/MULTI-FAMILY WITH ORGANICS CART: PLASTIC, BIODEGRADABLE, AND COMPOSTABLE BAGS ARE NOT PERMITTED IN THE ORGANICS CART AND ARE CONSIDERED CONTAMINATION. YOU MAY USE PAPER BAGS IF YOU WISH TO USE A DISPOSABLE BAG TO HOLD YOUR FOOD WASTE FOR COLLECTION.
Place these items in the RECYCLING container:
- Aluminum and Metal Cans
- Clean Aluminum Foil and Pans
- Cardboard
- Glass Bottles and Jars
- Junk Mail
- Milk and Juice Cartons
- Magazines
- Plastic Buckets
- Plastic Containers
- Small Scrap Metal (less than 10 lbs., no cords/ chains)
- Newspaper
- Paper Egg Cartons
NEVER place these items in the RECYCLING container:
- Food- soiled paper
- Food Waste
- Light Bulbs
- Concrete, Dirt, Asphalt
- Garbage
- Glassware
- Hazardous or Medical Waste
- Mirrors
- Restroom Waste
- Yard Trimmings
- Glassware
- Window Glass
- Garden Hoses
Pro Tips:
-
EMPTY. CLEAN. DRY. KEEP ALL RECYCLABLES FREE OF FOOD AND LIQUID.
-
DON’T BAG IT. NEVER PUT RECYCLABLES IN BAGS OR CONTAINERS.
-
FLATTEN CARDBOARD AND BOXES.
Place these items in the TRASH container:
- Bagged Animal Waste
- Ceramics
- Diapers and Feminine Products
- Toys
- Snack Bags
- Styrofoam
- Latex Gloves
- Non- donatable clothing, bedding, textiles
- Juice, Soap, or Milk containers
- or bottles with foil/plastic liner
NEVER place these items in the TRASH container:
- Food- soiled paper
- Food Waste
- Light Bulbs
- Concrete, Dirt, Asphalt
- Garbage
- Glassware
- Hazardous or Medical Waste
- Mirrors
- Restroom Waste
- Yard Trimmings
- Glassware
- Window Glass
- Garden Hoses
Pro Tips:
REMEMBER THAT THESE ITEMS GET TRANSPORTED TO A LANDFILL WHERE THEY TAKE SPACE AND OFTEN DON’T BREAK DOWN OR DECOMPOSE FOR YEARS. PLEASE DONATE USABLE ITEMS INSTEAD OF PLACING THEM IN YOUR TRASH BIN TO LESSEN THE ITEMS HEADING TO LOCAL LANDFILLS WHILE PROVIDING A USED GOOD FOR A NEIGHBOR.
Recycling Machines/Collection Centers in the City of Fullerton
- Good Earth Recycling Center- 2041 W. Commonwealth Ave. (714) 519-2124
- Fullerton Recycling Center- 1101 W. Commonwealth Ave. (714) 451-4231
- Fullerton Recycling Center #2- 2920 Yorba Linda Blvd. (714) 242-4088
- Sunset Recycling Center- 914 W. Orangethorpe Ave. (818) 464-8564
Household Hazardous Waste (pesticides, paints, cleaners, etc.):
County of Orange Household Hazardous Waste Collection Center
Orange County residents can dispose of hazardous waste for FREE at the four Household Hazardous Waste Collection Centers listed below.
Hours of Operation: 9 am – 3 pm, Tuesday through Saturday (closed on major holidays and during rainy weather)
Telephone: 714-834-4000
Anaheim Collection Center — 1071 N. Blue Gum Street, 92806
Huntington Beach Collection Center — 17121 Nichols Lane, 92647, Gate 6
Irvine Collection Center — 6411 Oak Canyon, 92618
San Juan Capistrano Collection Center — 32250 Avenida La Pata, 92675
What can I bring to the collection centers?
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Open in new tab For your safety, please observe the following regulations in preparing for your visit:
- A maximum of 15 gallons or 125 pounds may be transported per vehicle per trip (Department of Transportation Requirement). It is illegal to exceed these limits.
- Containers larger than five gallons will not be accepted.
- Containers will NOT be returned, except for oil containers, upon request.
- Materials should be in original containers (except motor oil, fuels, and antifreeze).
- All containers must have lids, be sturdy, non-leaking, labeled, and protected from breakage.
- Do not combine different types of waste.
- Do not mix oil-based paint with latex paint.
- Empty containers with lids removed can be discarded in the trash.
SB 1383 Elements and Resources – You can find all sections of SB 1383 (Collection & Processing, Edible Food Recovery, Procurement, etc.) paired with varying resources using this link.
1071 N. Blue Gum Avenue, Anaheim
(714) 834-4000
Open Tuesday – Saturday, 9 am – 3 pm (closed Holidays and rainy days)
The City of Fullerton’s waste hauler is Republic Services. Residents and business owners can ask Republic questions about setting up organic recycling options to meet SB 1383 requirements.
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Fine and dandy but way too complicated. We will do our best.
It’s easy when you get the hang of it! And it’s nice not to have smelly trash cans. 🙂
I’ve been composting for years. Sometimes at home, sometimes through a service. I’m so glad that Fullerton is finally getting on board with this. It is important for our environment that food waste not be sent to landfill. We hardly produce any trash as a result, and our bins don’t smell.
To avoid smells, we store our food scrapd in a large container in the freezer, then take them out to the bin on compost pickup day.
A note – not all tea bags are compostable. Some contain plastic and/or staples. Some tea bag tags have plastic coating. Make sure to check if yours are compostable.
Most wrapping paper is not recyclable due to plastic decorations or wax coatings.
Baggies are generally not suitable for curbside bins: cellophane bags, the bags your grocery store nuts and beans come in, etc. If you place them in your recycling bin, they can jam up and ruin the recycling machinery.
Similarly, recyclables contaminated with food can also sludge up and damage machinery. A single contaminated item can disqualify an entire batch of recyclables and force recycling companies to divert it to landfill.
Pizza boxes stained with grease are not recyclable, but they might be compostable.
Make sure to wash your recyclables and remove any food debris/residue before placing them in the bin.
Broken glass generally does not belong in the recycling bin.
A lot of our “recyclables” end up being non-recyclable because we don’t sort correctly. Incomplete PSAs like this are part of the problem. So please make sure to sort your recyclables correctly, and contact your waste handler if there are items you’re unsure about.
Perhaps Republic Services should replace all old residential bins free-of-charge to reflect these new state policies. Most people still have their bins from 10 years ago. There still exists black for trash, green for normal recyclables, and brown for lawn/leafy waste.
Thank you for this informative article on organics recycling in California. It’s encouraging to see the state taking such proactive measures to address environmental concerns and promote sustainable waste management practices. Organics recycling not only reduces the burden on landfills but also contributes to the creation of valuable compost that can be used to enrich soil. I appreciate the mention of community engagement programs. It’s essential for residents to be actively involved in separating and recycling organic waste. Programs that educate the public on the importance of organics recycling can significantly impact participation rates. California’s commitment to achieving its recycling goals is commendable. I’m particularly interested in learning more about the technological advancements and innovations being implemented in organics recycling processes. As technology continues to evolve, it will undoubtedly play a crucial role in optimizing waste management practices.
The City of Fullerton and Republic Services are way behind on developing a program that complies with SB1383 (organic waste recovery) and AB341 (recyclables mandate) requirements for multifamily residences (MFRs). SB1383 became effective on Jan 1, 2023 with enforcement to be effective on Jan 1, 2024. The City filed a Corrective Action Plan (CAP), which the California Dept of Resources Recycling and Recovery (CalRecycle) approved on Nov 1, 2023. However, the City and Republic have already missed the deadlines for five of the tasks in the CAP that require organic waste recovery education and outreach to residential/commercial customers.
The subject article from Republic Services is clearly an attempt to help the comply with the Dec 31 deadline for CAP task #36; however it falls short of the mark. The information presented is boiler plate that is not specific to the Fullerton community and it does not provide necessary guidance for waste management at MFRs in particular.
MFRs comprise one third of the 45,000 households in Fullerton. I serve as Treasurer for one such MFR, the Craig Park East Homeowners Association. We are beginning to prepare our budget for our next fiscal year and need to have better information to help plan and budget for our forthcoming solid waste disposal costs. Our costs could range from a very reasonable $18,929/yr or $26/mo per dwelling unit (which is equitable with current single family residential (SFR) rates, to as much as $50,187/yr or $70/mo per unit (which doesn’t include estimated costs of $5,000 to modify trash enclosures to accomodate additional recycling and organics bins).
Billing rates for disposal services at MFRs are not clearly addressed in the contract rate schedule the City has agreed to with Republic. This has resulted in overbilling MFRs for a substandard level of services. I am very concerned that in its desperation to achieve compliance with SB1383, AB341, and the CAP, the City will amend its contract with Republic Services without appropriate input from the MFR communities and result in even greater inequity between the rates charged to MFRs and SFRs. I hope that MFRs are given an opportunity to participate in a workshop (per task #38 of the CAP) that allows our input to help establish more appropriate trash, recyclables, and organics disposal options under a more equitable rate structure.