CVW is focusing on “Healthy Living” during the month of January and part of that coverage will be the health of our planet. We will be looking to those scientists, emergency responders, elected officials and others who are studying climate change – from those with boots on the ground to satellites in orbit – all working for us to understand how we can help get our planet get onto a healthier path.
By Mary O’KEEFE
SB 1383, known as the compost law, went into effect on Jan. 1. The purpose of the law is to lower greenhouse gas emissions from landfills.
Last week CVW covered the City of Glendale plan to complete this; the unincorporated area of Los Angeles County La Crescenta-Montrose has its own plan on how to implement this law with LA County Public Works being the agency that oversees the implementation.
Burrtec Waste Industries Inc. is the disposal service that has the contract with La Crescenta-Montrose. The contract with Burrtec expires March 31, 2024 and includes a provision that LA County can extend the contract an additional three years (to 2027) based on good performance by Burrtec. There will be annual community meetings scheduled to solicit feedback, according to Steve Frasher, LA County Public Works spokesman.
“Public Works has amended the existing contract with Burrtec to include the service to divert organic waste from landfills. Using food waste and green waste to make compost is one of the options to reduce greenhouse gases and the one that Burrtec will use. Discussions are ongoing with waste collection companies regarding the implementation plan to comply with SB 1383 in all unincorporated communities in 2022,” said Frasher.
The County has held informational webinars on the new law that include information on organic waste recycling. There will be outreach meetings scheduled, tailored to specific communities, where residents can get answers about composting, what their disposal company will be doing to comply with the law and other questions.
In addition, the County and waste haulers will provide outreach materials to educate residents on SB 1383 compliance as well as conduct meetings, Frasher added.
“There is an additional cost to divert organic waste from being disposed in landfills due to the additional infrastructure necessary and often due to the distance the material must be delivered to organic waste processing sites including compost facilities,” Frasher said. “While the cost of processing organic waste will be more expensive, with those costs passed along to residents, it should be noted that there are long-term benefits including reducing greenhouse gases, protecting the environment, and improving the quality of life for LA County residents. The rates have not been finalized yet for La Crescenta and Montrose but it is likely to be approximately 15%-20% higher because of this service. Future cost of living adjustment for labor, fuel, and disposal costs will also apply each July.”
The rate “adjustments” will be monitored and approved by the County. There will also be a competitive bidding process used during contract solicitation to award new waste hauling contracts.
At present, the County estimates the composting or organic waste diversion to begin in July 2022 in the La Crescenta-Montrose area.
Many wonder how this law will be monitored. Will there be garbage/compost police?
Frasher said there will be a review of diversion to the processing facilities, occasional review of container contents by the waste hauler to help reduce contamination and field monitoring of the hauler’s performance by County staff.
“In November 2021, the County adopted the Mandatory Organic Waste Disposal Reduction Ordinance, which became effective Jan. 1, 2022 and is a requirement for jurisdiction per Senate Bill 1383 regulations. This ordinance authorizes the County to enforce SB 1383 organic waste diversion requirements, including penalties and fines for non-compliance, beginning in 2024,” Frasher said.
Methane, a greenhouse gas, is emitted during the production and transport of coal, natural gas and oil. Methane emissions also result from livestock and other agricultural practices, land use and the decay of organic waste in municipal solid waste landfills, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.
According to the Environmental Defense Fund, methane has more than 80 times the warming power of carbon dioxide over the first 20 years after it reaches the atmosphere. At least 25% of today’s warming is driven by methane from human actions.
According to CalRecycle [California Dept. of Resources Recycling and Recovery], Californians throw away more than six million tons of food waste every year.
LA County will share information on the law in its quarterly newsletter and on CleanLA.com. There will be meetings advertised on social media and in CVW as well as in other newspapers. Additionally, the County offers free online webinars on composting through the Smart Gardening program. For details of the webinars, including a schedule and videos of past webinars, visit smartgardening.com. In-person Smart Gardening workshops will resume when prudent due to the pandemic.