Alpine County, CA Landscaping Rules: Composting (2026)

Backyard or home composting of yard trimmings and food scraps is not prohibited in unincorporated Alpine County and is consistent with the state's organic-waste goals. The county's formal organics regulation is the Edible Food Waste Recovery ordinance, Code Chapter 8.58 (Ord. 748, 2022), which the county adopted to implement SB 1383, the Short-Lived Climate Pollutant Reduction Act of 2016. SB 1383 (codified at 14 CCR, Division 7, Chapter 12) requires local governments to keep organic waste out of landfills to cut methane and to ensure surplus edible food is recovered for people. Chapter 8.58 requires 'commercial edible food generators' to recover the maximum amount of edible food that would otherwise be disposed - by contracting with food recovery organizations or services - and not to intentionally spoil recoverable food (8.58.030). Tier One generators (supermarkets, larger grocery stores, food distributors, wholesale food vendors, food service providers) had to comply immediately; Tier Two generators (large restaurants, hotels with on-site food and 200+ rooms, certain health facilities, large venues and events, qualifying state-agency and school cafeterias) comply beginning January 1, 2024 (8.58.030(A), 8.58.070). The chapter sets recordkeeping, complaint, inspection, and enforcement procedures. These commercial duties are distinct from residential composting, which residents may do at home; curbside organics collection itself is administered through the county's solid-waste program.