California's SB 1383 makes it unlawful to throw food waste in the garbage. In unincorporated Sonoma County, residents must separate organics into the green cart serviced by Recology Sonoma Marin or self-haul to a permitted facility. Tiered businesses must also recover edible food.
Mandatory organics recycling is a California state mandate — SB 1383 (2016), the Short-Lived Climate Pollutant law — implemented locally by Zero Waste Sonoma and the franchised haulers. SB 1383 took effect for jurisdictions in January 2022 and 'makes it unlawful to throw food waste in the garbage,' imposing requirements on 'local jurisdictions such as the County of Sonoma, its businesses and residents, and local haulers.' Zero Waste Sonoma instructs that 'organic materials should be separated from the garbage and placed in a green bin that is serviced by a franchised hauling company,' or self-hauled to a permitted facility. In unincorporated Sonoma County, that green-cart organics service is provided by Recology Sonoma Marin, which delivers a 32-gallon compost cart and collects food scraps, soiled paper, and plant trimmings weekly; remote areas now receive organics service at no extra cost. SB 1383 also requires edible food recovery: Tier One generators (supermarkets, grocery stores, food service providers, food distributors, wholesale food vendors) had to comply beginning January 1, 2022, and Tier Two generators (large restaurants with 250+ seats or 5,000+ sq ft, hotels with 200+ rooms, large health facilities, large venues/events, state agency cafeterias, and local education agencies) beginning January 1, 2024 — each must maintain a written agreement with a food recovery organization. The statewide diversion targets are a 50% reduction of landfilled organics (2020 baseline year 2014) and 75% by 2025, plus recovering 20% of edible food. SB 1383 'includes significant penalties for non-compliance.'
SB 1383 makes disposing of food waste in the garbage unlawful and 'includes significant penalties for non-compliance,' enforced locally through Zero Waste Sonoma and the County. Tier One/Two edible-food generators without a required food-recovery agreement, and generators not separating organics, are out of compliance.
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