You heard from us on SB1383. Here’s the latest and how it affects your trash-management:
Recap – SB1383
Announced in 2016, Senate Bill 1383 is a part of California’s broader effort to protect the environment in recent legislature. This bill, passed by former Governor Jerry Brown, sought to update how California residents organize their organic waste in an effort to progress environmental protections. Organic waste, considered a “short-lived pollutant,” is one of the largest producers of methane in the state. Since January of this year, lawmakers have called on cities to either save or properly dispose of organic waste that previously would have gone to landfills. Cities are required to provide organic waste services to residential areas, and multifamily communities are required to recycle green waste and food waste.
With the bill affecting businesses, schools, and residential communities like yours, it’s important to stay informed on the logistics of this major development. When will these regulations take affect? What penalties will be used to enforce them? That’s where AB1985 comes in.
So what’s AB1985?
SB1383 stipulates that generators of waste (i.e., communities like yours) follow guidelines put in place by their local jurisdiction (aka cities, counties, and local government) beginning January 1, 2022. However, on Friday, September 16th Gov. Gavin Newsom signed on an amendment to SB1383, extending the deadline for multifamily complexes to comply with the stipulations mandated. This will relieve the pressure off of property owners and community managers, who are set to face enforcement penalties under the 2016 bill.
What do I need to know?
The new bill requires that jurisdictions recover at least 30% of their organic waste procurement targets (recalculated every 5 years) by January 1, 2023. In the following years, this expectation will rise to 65% by January 1, 2024 and to a full 100% of the jurisdictions’ targets by 2025. So, to recap—in a little more than two years and two months, each jurisdiction will be recovering their full organic waste procurement target. The process of organic waste recovery will take place progressively over the next few years.
In the meantime, community management will still have to follow guidelines set by local jurisdictions. Luckily, AB1985 specifies that penalties for not procuring organic waste will not be applied until two years after the effective date of local regulations. Community managers, it’s okay to let that breath out now.
Staying informed on local guidelines from trash haulers will keep your community one step ahead of the rest in tackling California’s organic waste regulations. And staying in contact with community appearance specialists will help you stay on top.
Sincerely,
Broomer
For more information:
CalRecycle: New Statewide Mandatory Organic Waste Collection