Los Angeles Residents Are Now Required to Compost Their Food Scraps - California’s New Composting Law (SB 1383)
Los Angeles residents are now required to compost their food scraps as a new law aimed at reducing organic waste takes effect. Warning: Anyone who separates their green waste incorrectly, i.e., contaminating the green waste with the wrong items, could face fines up to $500 beginning in 2024.
KTLA “Los Angeles residents are now required to compost their food scraps”
Organic waste makes up a large portion of waste that goes to disposal in landfills. The term "organic waste" covers a wide variety of items including yard trimmings, manure, food waste, and more. We can reduce 20 million tons of food waste, green waste, paper products, and other organic waste annually by composting. In this way we can increase edible food recovery in California by 20 percent and reduce organic waste disposal by 75% by 2025 while increasing our capacity for food rescue and material reuse, creating less waste and reducing emissions from climate pollutants.
The new compost law (SB 1383) took effect January 1, 2022. The intent of the law is to have a positive impact on the environment and to prevent food waste, and recycling remaining food scraps in the green trash bin.
There are three simple steps:
Step 1: Place a kitchen pail or container of your choice on your kitchen counter. Line it with a paper towel and sprinkle with baking soda. Deposit food scraps in the pail from food preparation during the course of the day. Make sure all packaging such as plastic wrap, produce stickers, twist ties, oil and containers are removed — only put food scraps in your kitchen pail.
Step 2: Empty your kitchen pail in your Green Bin by taking your reusable kitchen pail out and emptying the contents — including the paper towel — into your green bin as need. Then bring the kitchen pail back inside, rinse it and place it on your kitchen counter.
Step 3: Place your Green Bin at the curb, as usual, for garbage pick-up.
Food that can be recycled:
Coffee grounds, coffee filters and non-nylon tea bags
Fruit and vegetable scraps (even the moldy parts)
Egg shells
Used/dirty paper food containers
Juice pulp
Paper towels and tissues
Paper plates
Below is LA Sanitation’s video on how to recycle food scraps, “Curb Your Food Wast LA Pilot Program":
