California SB-1383 requires every household and business in Santa Clara County to separate food scraps and yard waste from trash. Local haulers including Recology, GreenWaste, and Mission Trail Waste run weekly green-cart collection for compostable organics.
California Senate Bill 1383 (2016) and CalRecycle implementing regulations require every jurisdiction in California to provide and require organic-waste collection from all residents and businesses, with the goal of cutting landfill methane 75 percent by 2025. In Santa Clara County, unincorporated residents and businesses receive weekly green-cart service from Recology South Bay, GreenWaste of Palo Alto, Mission Trail Waste Systems, or West Valley Collection depending on franchise area. Acceptable items include food scraps, food-soiled paper, yard waste, and compostable foodware certified by the Biodegradable Products Institute. Tier-1 commercial generators (supermarkets, large restaurants) must also donate edible food to recovery organizations. Multi-family complexes must provide adequate containers and tenant education annually.
Persistent contamination or refusal to subscribe to organics service can lead to County code-enforcement notices, hauler-imposed contamination fees, and CalRecycle-required jurisdictional fines. Tier-1 commercial generators face additional edible-food-recovery enforcement.
See how Palo Alto's mandatory organics recycling rules stack up against other locations.
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