Calaveras County, CA Trash & Recycling: Mandatory Organics Recycling (2026)

California's SB 1383 (the Short-lived Climate Pollutant Reduction Act of 2016) generally requires jurisdictions to provide organic-waste collection and to implement edible-food recovery. Calaveras County, a rural Sierra-foothill county of roughly 46,000 people, has been approved by CalRecycle for a rural exemption that provides a temporary delay in the residential organic-waste collection requirements until December 31, 2026. The county states there is, at this time, no change to residential curbside collection requirements. The waiver does not cover edible food recovery, so the county adopted Article VII of County Code Chapter 8.12 (Edible Food Waste Recovery, sections 8.12.600–8.12.700) to implement that portion of SB 1383. Under 8.12.630, commercial edible food generators must recover the maximum amount of edible food that would otherwise be disposed by contracting with food recovery organizations or services: Tier One generators (such as supermarkets, large grocers, food distributors, and wholesale food vendors) must comply now, and Tier Two generators (such as restaurants, hotels, and large venues) since January 1, 2024. The county's Environmental Health Department inspects food generators and recovery organizations for compliance, with enforcement of this article beginning January 1, 2024 (8.12.690). So while curbside organics collection is paused for residents under the rural waiver, the commercial food-donation mandate is in effect.