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Virtual meeting will focus on State-mandated new Residential Food Scrap Recycling Program

food waste

Waste Management, the City’s waste hauler, will host a Virtual Townhall at 6 pm on December 16 regarding the new Residential Food Scrap Recycling Program rolling out on New Year’s Day in response to State law. 

Beginning January 1, 2022, Senate Bill 1383, whose lead author is Ricardo Lara, requires residents to begin placing food scraps like fruit and vegetable trimmings, eggshells, pasta, grains, coffee grounds, leftover inedible food, and expired food, along with their garden trimmings into the green-lidded container provided by Waste Management of Orange County. The materials will be collected on the same day as residents’ trash and recycling containers and transported to a facility for composting. See the FAQs about the Food Scrap Recycling Program at this link.

SB 1383 requires residents across California to participate in organics recycling. According to the State, the program aims to reduce short-lived climate pollutants coming from local landfills from food rotting and emitting methane. Methane is a powerful greenhouse gas that traps heat in the atmosphere, which is bad for the environment and climate. By collecting food scraps and yard waste for composting, experts say we can avoid some of these negative effects of sending these materials to landfill and create nutritious soil amendment in the process. 

Residents can learn more about the new State-mandated program from Waste Management. The virtual meeting link will be live on December 16. No registration is required.

View the October 28 Virtual Town Hall meeting on YouTube.

View the November 30 Virtual Town Hall meeting on YouTube.

Comments

Submitted by Kathleen Krieger on Thu, 11/18/2021 - 6:38 pm

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WM needs to put this on YouTube so those of us unable to make either meeting has access to it. Waste Management works for us: we are their customer. Let’s make this user friendly.

Submitted by Anonymous on Thu, 11/18/2021 - 6:50 pm

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The sad reality is that the majority of what is placed into the recycling bin does not get recycled. The primary reason is a flawed process. These flaws include lack of return on investment and improper handling.
FACT: EPA estimates only 8% of plastics are recycled.
FACT: EPA estimates only 31% of paper is recycled.
FACT: EPA estimates only 31% of glass is recycled.
It is annoying that the State of California sees fit to place further laws/demands on the shoulders of the citizens when the State has not demonstrated the competence to devise and manage a functional solution. Like many well-meaning, save-the-world laws, California's recycling scheme has been a gesture, not a solution.

Submitted by Nancy Bonds on Thu, 11/18/2021 - 8:25 pm

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Some city residents have received literature in the mail about this new program.
But I have not received anything. Is it forthcoming? When?

Submitted by Michael Fate on Thu, 11/18/2021 - 8:53 pm

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While the information you provided above is certainly useful, you neglected to provide the time for the virtual meeting. Please revise your information so those of us who would like to attend can plan accordingly.

Submitted by dennis hosier on Fri, 11/19/2021 - 5:27 am

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OK Another whack job gets a law that really makes little sense. Consider how many people have lawn service - so no lawn clippings, couple this with the bleat of water conservation so many of us now have artificial lawns. Where are we suppose to put these scraps? Oh! I know the next mandate is that all citizens should have their own COMPOST piles, or how about another container dedicated for food scraps, then another for used toilet paper, then another for steel cans and another for glass, aluminum etc.

Submitted by Kris Diller on Fri, 11/19/2021 - 9:58 am

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The meeting is at 6 p.m. according to the article above. And yes, we WILL have a container for food scraps. Ours was delivered about a week ago. I am not looking forward to having that smelly thing in my kitchen & schlepping it out to the bins when it gets full. It seems to me that we're doing someone's job for him by separating all our "recyclables," which we know aren't even necessarily recycled.

Submitted by Tom C on Sat, 11/20/2021 - 8:46 am

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This is another example of the state of California's overstep. No wonder people are leaving the state! Waste Management advertises when you call them and are put on hold that they process and sell methane produced in their landfills. Why is the state now mandating that those of us who do not have a third trash can get another to handle food waste (how is producing another plastic trash can good for the environment?) We live in a condominium and do not have yard clipping or the third can for it. Now we will be required to store a third trash can, a third truck will now come into our community (where is the environmental concern for that?) There are only two of us in our household and we do not have much food waste. Waste Management is processing Methane and we don't have room in our garage for another trash can. What a waste!
Senate Bill 1383 is a bad bill and lead author is Ricardo Lara should be ashamed to have pushed this on California residents.

Submitted by Lisa L on Sat, 11/20/2021 - 10:01 am

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This is absolutely absurd. So we are supposed to leave the little bucket that WM delivered on our counter, which will stink up our house and attract ants and pests. Then we are to set it out on trash day, which the rats, coyotes and crows will have a field day with. Then WM is going to have an employee walking around collecting and emptying these. Then we get the pleasure of washing them. Dumbest thing I have ever seen.

Submitted by Anonymous on Sun, 11/21/2021 - 12:23 pm

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Seems that this program is creating more plastic that will not be recyclable, a burden on the consumer to find a place to put this idiotic box, separate from our already built in trash drawers, and using more water to keep more "STUFF" clean. Tell me where the logic is on waste of our tax dollars?

Submitted by Anonymous on Fri, 11/26/2021 - 1:53 pm

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Just found out from a friend in a neighboring city (Aliso Viejo) that they are not required to dispose of their organic trash in the same manner that we are going to be required to do so, in a separate small container that has no place in our kitchens? Tell us why this is required of some, but not others in our county?

Submitted by michael camp on Tue, 11/30/2021 - 7:12 pm

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Just watched the virtual presentation.. The only questions answered were what the mediator chose.. The real question on sanitation of the trash cans were never answered..

Submitted by Miriam on Sat, 12/04/2021 - 5:45 pm

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plastic bags ... what to do with plastic bags ??? Do they go now in the recycling bin (place bags inside each other to create one large bundle), as mentioned on the wastemanagement site here (trash and recycling services / city of Mission Viejo) or all bundled up in the trash bin according to the new regulations, the newest newsletter of Waste Management (California SB 1383), the newsletter we received in October ??

It's all very confusing and we are getting conflicting info and answers from the Waste Management representatives when calling the 949 telephone numbers. Also the info is conflicting here on the website and the latest newsletter.

I don't feel like dropping off all the bundled plastic bags at a dirty drop off location at a grocery store.

Submitted by Mike on Thu, 12/09/2021 - 7:10 pm

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Let me get this straight, we literally have no yard waste three out of four weeks. So, the green waste truck is going to pick our kitchen food waste which will most likely consist of a small amount of uneaten spaghetti or some left over tostadas. Is the green truck that runs on green propane going to sit idling in front of our home waiting for say five to ten minutes until the spaghetti slides down the sides of the green container? Or will the truck driver be shaking the container like some crazy maniac at a funhouse game at the carnival? Or maybe he's he on a timer and after say fifteen minutes of non-sliding action, is the driver going to hop out with a giant spatula and scoop the minimal spoonful's of spaghetti and refried bean waste into the truck? Or does he blow the horn in a distress signal pattern and we have to run out with a giant spoon to provide sliding assistance on the container sides?
Can't wait for the DIY septic tank program next.... now that'll be a hoot!

Submitted by CORDELIA NEALE on Fri, 12/10/2021 - 11:38 am

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I think this is a sound idea which is going to require a lot of changes in the behavior of our citizens. People could compost themselves or leave it to WM to coordinate composting with our refuse. Too many people send all their scraps down the garbage disposal with no thought of how it is managed by our sewer/water district. We need to adjust our behavior in order to improve our environment. I will save garbage scraps in the refrigerator/freezer until the pick up day in order to reduce spoiling in the kitchen and encouraging rats and ants. Folks, think creatively.

Submitted by Anonymous on Wed, 01/05/2022 - 2:01 pm

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I live in a Condo complex with no room for a THIRD bin inside my garage. I have custom cabinets built into the walls with only a spot for 2 Bins.
Additionally, there is no space for 3 cans (even if the smallest size) to all fit side by side on collection day without impeding access to my garage for my vehicles.

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