On Thursday, the Assembly Select Committee on Waste Reduction & Recycling in 21st Century California, chaired by Assembly Member Kevin McCarty (D-Sacramento), hosted a meeting in Camarillo (Ventura County). Assembly Member McCarty and Assembly Member Jacqui Irwin (D-Thousand Oaks) provided welcoming remarks, followed by presentations from state agency, private sector, and public sector speakers. RCRC Regulatory Affairs Advocate Mary Pitto participated on the public sector panel presentation to initiate a dialogue regarding the realities of new organic waste diversion goals and requirements.
Senate Bill 1383 (Lara, 2017) requires 50 percent diversion of organic waste from landfills by 2020, consistent with the requirements of Assembly Bill 1826 (Chesbro, 2014) with 75 percent by 2025. SB 1383 requires the California Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery (CalRecycle) to adopt regulations for the collection and diversion of organic waste from all generators of organic waste by 2020 and to begin implementation by 2022. CalRecycle has estimated it will take an additional 50 to 100 new or expanded facilities to meet the goals; however, only 7 new and expanded facilities have been permitted in the last three years.
Ms. Pitto spoke to the challenges of meeting those goals in California’s rural counties due to the lack of infrastructure. The key challenges for the state are funding, permitting and siting regulatory difficulties, and lack of sufficient markets. Specifically, Ms. Pitto addressed the difficulties of rural areas due to the economic infeasibility due to low population densities and distance to markets.
RCRC staff will continue to engage on organics-related issues as they relate to RCRC member counties, and assist member counties in their efforts to comply with state and federal solid waste requirements. The Assembly Select Committee on Waste Reduction & Recycling in 21st Century California webpage can be accessed here.