Duarte City Council Adopts Ordinance Requiring Organic Waste Recycling to Comply with New State Mandate

On Tuesday, January 11, the Duarte City Council adopted an ordinance updating Duarte's Municipal Code to be in compliance with Senate Bill (SB) 1383, which went into effect on January 1, 2022.

SB 1383 requires cities and counties to provide organic waste collection to all residents and businesses, implement an edible food recovery program that recovers edible food from the waste stream, and adopt an enforcement mechanism or ordinance by January 2022. Organic waste includes food waste such as fruit or vegetable scraps, food soiled paper including coffee filters, and green waste such as weeds or branches. Organic waste in landfills generates methane gas, which contributes significantly to climate change. The goal of SB 1383 is to decrease organic waste disposal by 75% and increase edible food recovery by 20% by 2025. In addition, the regulations meet Assembly Bill (AB) 341 and AB 1826 requirements.

The ordinance was developed with input from the California Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery (CalRecycle) and Burrtec Waste Services, Duarte's contract waste hauler. In coordination with the City of Duarte, Burrtec will implement the collection, sorting, monitoring, and compliance of Duarte's organic waste.

Local Duarte businesses generating more than two cubic yards of solid waste per week have been required to establish and maintain commercial organics recycling services per Duarte Municipal Code as of August 2021, after CalRecycle placed Duarte on an Informal Mandatory Commercial Recycling Compliance Plan that mandated the passage of a City ordinance to require businesses subject to AB 341 and AB 1826 to participate in the state recycling efforts. Duarte residents and multi-family residential complexes are projected to begin organics recycling, including food waste, in the summer of 2022.

Burrtec and City staff will continue to work collaboratively in education and outreach to the public. Information regarding implementation requirements will be announced through the City website, Duarte City News, social media, and in Burrtec newsletters.

Additionally, the City is currently participating in the San Gabriel Valley Council of Govemment's Regional Food Recovery program and the City's Purchasing Policy is under review for compliance with SB 1383.

Businesses can contact Burrtec for a free waste assessment or to sign up for services, by calling 1-800-325-9417 or visit burrtec.com. For more information on the ordinance, visit the City's website.