What is happening to the food waste collected under California's recycling law?
SACRAMENTO — January 1 marks the two-year anniversary of California's organic recycling law, which requires cities to begin collecting food waste separate from the trash.
Beginning next month, the law requires 75% of that material to be diverted from landfills.
"During the holiday season, Americans on average throw away 316 million pounds of food," said Jessica Pureco-Garcia with CalRecycle, the state's recycling agency.
The Environmental Protection Agency says waste increases by 25% between Thanksgiving and New Year's Day. Cal Recycle is reminding people that a law now requires food scraps to be tossed in a green waste bin — not the trash can.
Places like the Yolo County city of Davis have a team of trash trackers going around town and lifting people's lids. A notice is issued to people caught disposing of green waste in their garbage can.
The goal is to keep organic material like leftover fruit and vegetables out of garbage landfills where it decomposes and produces greenhouse gasses.
"If it just sits there, it turns into methane and contributes to overall heating of our planet," Pureco-Garcia said.
Since the law took effect two years ago, 93% of California communities now collect residential organic waste.
"We're seeing positive progress across the board," Pureco-Garcia said.
What is now happening to the tons of food waste being collected?
"Once your scraps are picked up, then they're taken to composting facilities and that compost makes its way to different farms across California and back to our crops," Pureco-Garcia said. "So from kitchen to crops."
The state says the compost helps farmers grow healthier crops by reducing the need for chemical pesticides and fertilizers. It also helps save water during drought years by retaining more moisture in the soil.
"Any small change does have a big impact," Pureco-Garcia said.
People who purchased real Christmas trees are also encouraged to keep them from being tossed in the landfill by cutting them up and putting them with green waste -- or taking them to one of the free mulching collection sites being held around the area.
