New recycling rules come to Marin

Marin County

Special to Marinscope

The County of Marin plans to set a target for diverting 75% of organic waste from landfills and saving 20% of edible food for human consumption by 2025, in line with a new state law. The Marin County Board of Supervisors addressed a new local ordinance at this week’s meeting.

The County planned to adopt the requirements of Senate Bill 1383 (SB 1383), California’s Short Lived Climate Pollutant Reduction Act, by amending the Marin County Municipal Code regarding compostable materials and setting the new waste diversion goals. Keeping compostable materials, such as food scraps, paper, cardboard, and plant trimmings, out of landfills will help prevent the production of methane (a potent greenhouse gas) and extend the useable life of our landfills.

The amendment to the Marin County Municipal Code would only apply to the four waste management franchises managed by the Marin County Department of Public Works (DPW) in the unincorporated areas of the county.

Similar ordinances are expected to be implemented by other agencies that oversee the waste management franchises for the 11 incorporated town/city jurisdictions, as well as the 10 special districts across Marin. Residents or business owners with questions about SB 1383 should contact the local government agency that manages their waste franchise.

SB 1383 will impact all areas of the community, including homeowners, businesses, and government agencies. The proposed ordinance contains many requirements such as educating waste generators and haulers, facilitating compliance, tracking performance, and enforcing the requirements. Under SB 1383, all residential property owners, businesses owners and municipality centers must subscribe to solid, recyclables and organics waste service with a few exemptions or alternative compliance options possible. Properly sorting those materials prior to hauler pickup is also part of the mandate.

There are other aspects to SB 1383, including but not limited to the following:

• Local governments to use targeted recycled or compostable products, such as recycled paper and compostable utensils, for all government campuses and offices. This also includes increasing the use of compost and mulch where applicable.
• Prioritization of edible food donation. Done as an alternative to composting, the development and implementation of an edible food recovery program is intended to benefit the environment and help the region’s hungry population. The food recovery program would target designated commercial food generators to fuel the effort.
• Beginning in 2024, the new ordinance would empower the County to enforce SB 1383 within the County of Marin’s four franchise jurisdictions and impose fines for violating the regulations.