Indio, CA Landscaping Rules: Composting (2026)

California's SB 1383 mandates that jurisdictions divert organic waste from landfills, with a statewide goal of cutting organic-waste disposal 75% below 2014 levels. To comply, the City of Indio rolled out a curbside organics program beginning August 2022 requiring all single-family homes, multi-family properties, and businesses to sort food scraps and yard waste (green waste such as grass clippings, leaves, and tree trimmings) into a dedicated organics cart. The carts use a color system: a dark-gray body with a green lid for organics, a black lid for trash, and a blue lid for recycling. The city's franchised hauler, Burrtec Waste and Recycling Services, collects the organics and processes them, and new SB 1383-compliant carts are being phased in as existing carts wear out, with full replacement targeted by 2036. Home composting is encouraged and complements the program: residents who compost yard and food waste at home reduce what they set out in the organics cart, and Indio supports organics diversion through its Indio Organics outreach. Backyard compost should be managed so it does not become a code nuisance, meaning no odors, vectors (rats or flies), or overgrown/decaying-vegetation conditions that the city's nuisance code would treat as a violation. This is a state-mandated program (SB 1383) implemented through Indio's solid-waste franchise; the organics-cart requirement is not optional for residents.