LOS ANGELES (KNX) – A new state law impacting the way California residents dispose of food waste is in effect.
Senate Bill 1383, signed into law in 2016, asks residents to separate food scraps like coffee grounds, banana peels, and other waste from the rest of the trash and turn it into compost and natural gas, according to The L.A. Times.
The new law is an attempt to keep organic materials out of landfills and decrease methane emissions.
“...You can bring food waste in the green bin as long as the food waste is in some type of bag, and we will separate it out and then create a slurry with it and then take it over to our largest treatment plant and put it in what we call an anaerobic digester that generates biogas,” Basil Hewitt of the Los Angeles County Sanitation District told KNX.
The L.A Times reported that Los Angeles County estimated it could need a dozen anaerobic digestion plants, at the price of $840 million, to process 1.9 million tons of food waste a year.
The bill requires residents to have a green bin; however, if you only have a blue recycle and black landfill cart, recyclesmart.org said you can call Republic Services to request a green organics cart for an additional monthly fee.
When it comes to those who live in apartments and condos, the website said that those buildings can work with Republic Services to come up with how big the food waste carts are and when they can be collected.
But when it comes to getting rid of food waste, Hewitt said residents can consider an alternative if the food waste is still edible.
“You know, give it to people in need and then if it cannot be donated to a food bank, you can compost it or bring it to an anaerobic digester like the one we have,” he said.
You can learn more about the bill by clicking here.
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