It is the Law! Mandatory Composting Has Arrived
As of January 1, 2024, SB1383, concerning recycling of all organic waste (commonly known as compostables) is fully in effect. The law was passed in 2014 and has been “phasing in” over the last ten years. Now, as of 2024, the law is mandatory. To be in compliance with SB1383, all Los Angeles businesses and multifamily complexes must now separate compostable waste from their general trash, place it in a “Green Bin,” and arrange for pickup.
Most South Park residents (perhaps all) live in multifamily buildings that are facing composting compliance. In addition to having two trash bins - one for recyclables and one for “regular” trash, each multifamily building must have a “Green Bin” that accepts only compostable waste.
If compostable waste is mixed with regular trash (common up to now), buildings could be subject to substantial fines. According to RecycLA, you must now have a Green Bin and if your Green Bin is found to have non-compostable contents, you could be fined $70.00 per bin per occurrence and up to $500.00 per occurrence for repeat offences.
How Can Your Building Comply?
· If you don’t have an official green bin in your trash room, contact RecycLA Waste Assessment and Compliance # 800-773-2489 (available 24 hours a day) and subscribe for an Organics Recycling Green Bin. Your trash company will deliver the bin and pick it up, when necessary, with the normal trash pickup. I contacted this number and found that a one-yard bin, emptied once a week, will add $265.00 a month to your building’s trash collection bill.
· Notify your residents of the new requirement that they keep their compostable refuse in a separate bucket from their regular trash and deliver it to the green bin. All compostable refuse must be submitted to the green bin in clear plastic bags so the trash collectors can confirm that only compostable material is being submitted.
What is considered compostable and what is not?
· Items that can be deposited in the Green Bin
-Fruits, vegetables
-Dairy, eggshells
-Plate scapings
-Bread, cereal, grains, rice, pasta, beans
-Meat, bone, fish, shells
-Coffee grounds and filters
-Food-soiled paper products including pizza boxes, napkins, coffee filters, paper plates
-Yard waste, flowers, and clean untreated wood
A good guide is anything that was once “alive” is compostable.
· Items that cannot be deposited in the Green Bin
-Plastics, Plastic bags, Plastic coated packaging
-Products labeled “biodegradable” or “compostable.”
-Glass, metal, tin cans
-Produce stickers
-Rubber bands
-Twisty ties
-Anything with a plastic or wax coating (includes Starbucks cups)
-Generally, anything that was never “alive” is not compostable.
Any questions you have will be cheerfully answered by Cyrus (pronounced Cirus) at NASA Sanitation Zero Waste Services, (626-623-9800) from 9-5 weekdays or visit RecycLA’s website at RecycLA.com.
Compliance with SB1383 will have a tremendous effect on our climate. Our efforts here will cut millions of pounds of methane gas emission from our landfills and provide fertile soil for creating the things we eat.
By John Nilsson