The impact of climate change in California has been devastating over the past 10 years. California is experiencing warmer summers, record-breaking temperatures, extreme droughts, rising sea levels, and devastating fire seasons that are harming the state. To address these issues California has set forth action to improve its climate strategy.
SB 1383
California passed Senate Bill 1383 in 2016 in a statewide effort to reduce unnecessary greenhouse gasses produced by organic waste, one of the biggest culprits of recent climate events. Senate Bill 1383 aimed to convert organic waste into reusable energy that would otherwise be sent to a landfill or burned. By diverting organic waste away from the landfill the most damaging carbon pollutants produced by organic waste, methane, and black carbon, are kept from entering the atmosphere. It’s a brilliant solution!
SB 1383 is widely regarded as one of the most progressive acts in American waste management. The recycling mandate requires municipalities across California to offer organic waste collection services to every resident, adding to the required recycling and garbage collection services.
The anticipated diversion impact of the bill is set to be incredible. California is expecting to see over 20 million tons of organic materials to be repurposed and reused, materials that would otherwise be sent to the landfill. As a result, 100 to 200 additional organic recycling facilities will be needed to recycle the new wave of organics. Renewable energy and fertilizer development are expected to be the leading areas of investment. SB 1383 will not only have a positive impact on the environment in California but is also expected to spur economic growth and innovation within organic waste management.
SB 1383 is starting with short-lived climate pollutants (SLCP) as the primary target. Food scraps, compostable nutrients, yard trimmings, cardboard, and other repurposable organic materials are included on California’s list of SLCP materials. Check out this article to learn more about short-lived carbon pollutants
The Goals of SB 1383
The goals of the SB 1383 include:
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To reduce statewide disposal of organic waste by 50% by 2020 and by 75% by 2025.
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To rescue at least 20% of currently disposed of edible food for human consumption by 2025
According to CalRecycle, California was unable to meet SB 1383’s 2020 target. The agency is currently working on a study to discover how far they missed the target.
CalRecycle is the state agency that created the regulatory standards for SB 1383 and led the movement for significant changes. Regulatory standards outlined in the bill took effect in January 2022 to ensure municipalities were complying with statewide organic waste reduction and food recovery regulations. Non-compliance penalties of up to $10,000 can be issued to cities that fail to comply with the new bill.
Why Organic Waste?
Organic waste like food scraps, yard trimmings, paper, and cardboard make up half of all materials in California landfills. All of these items are short-lived carbon pollutants (SLCP) which can quickly be diverted into organic waste streams and make a big impact on reducing carbon emissions. Landfills are the third-largest source of methane in California and organic waste in landfills contributes to 20% of California’s total methane emissions. Methane is 84 times more potent than carbon dioxide in terms of pollution. Not only methane, but organic waste in landfills produces several other pollutants that contribute to health conditions such as respiratory disease.
The Process
The primary goal of SB 1383 is to increase organic waste diversion, and an organic waste black bin must be offered to each household in each municipality in California. Municipalities retain the ability to choose if they want to offer 1 bin, 2 bin, or a 3 bin system to collect organic waste and the other waste streams. Under 1 or 2 bin collections, collected organics are taken to a high diversion organic waste processing facility (HDOWPF) for processing. Under the 3 bin system, black bin organics can be left and the materials are directed to a source-separated organic facility where SLCP organic waste is processed.
However, CalRecycle has identified a multiple bin system and reliance on human separation as one of the biggest challenges in achieving the 1383 goals. Bin systems can lead to public confusion and materials can end up in the wrong waste stream. California looks to address this issue in 2 ways. First, education is essential to California’s organic waste goals, issuing postcards, launching media campaigns, and sharing updates on social media are all ways California plans to share education.
Secondly, when items are incorrectly placed in the organic waste bin, California has a backup plan. High diversion organic waste processing facilities (HDOWPF) have been constructed across California. A high diversion organic waste processing facility is an elegant solution that can process organic waste from any number of bin collection processes. An HDOWPF can also manage any degree of contamination in the waste stream. Reducing contamination is the number one goal, but contamination making its way into the waste stream is inevitable. An HDOWPF provides the needed processing capabilities to deal with contamination. It means households can make some mistakes, and the facility will still sort through and repurpose organic waste.
The Outcome
This diverted organic waste is then moved to an organic excursion press where the waste is broken down into a liquid base. Liquid waste is then processed through organic fraction to become better prepared for repurposing. Waste is further broken down into 2 streams, processed organic waste, and marketable organic waste. Processed organic waste is diverted to anaerobic digestion infrastructure at wastewater plants, and marketable organic waste is brought to the secondary market. It’s amazing what we can do with organic waste! You can read more about the full process here.
Stakeholders in California plan to put repurposed liquid waste to work. South Bayside Waste Management Authority hopes to use liquid waste as fuel for their collection trucks, achieving a massive circular economy milestone.
So, to summarize what we’ve learned here, organic waste diversion is an achievable initiative for municipalities to prevent harmful carbon pollutants from entering the atmosphere. Whether diverting organic waste in a liquid form into wastewater streams or repurposing it as fuel, organic waste innovations are bound to make a positive impact on the environment in California.
While we haven’t yet seen the impact of SB 1383 on reducing carbon emissions, there’s one thing we’re certain of, California is setting the bar high for waste management operations across the nation and others should most certainly follow in their footsteps!
