Environmental experts believe organic waste recycling programs will significantly help California eliminate harmful greenhouse gases. Starting Wednesday, as required by California, new green bins and kitchen pails will be delivered to San Diego residents. Households in the 92102 and 92113 ZIP codes receive their bins first.
“The city will collect organic waste weekly and deliver it to the Miramar greenery where it will be converted to compost making those nutrients available for use again," said Renee Robertson, director of the San Diego Environmental Services Department said.
SB 1383, a bill aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions, passed in 2016, calling for reducing 75% of organic waste in landfills in 2025. If cities aren’t collecting food waste by 2024, the state will start penalizing them.
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San Diego’s rollout is coming a full year after the state’s deadline.
Grass clippings or food waste make up about 39% of what is thrown away and eventually ends up in a landfill. But rotting food waste creates a lot of methane gas, which is leaking from San Diego’s landfills.
“Methane is a climate super pollutant 84-times more potent than carbon dioxide," Robertson explained.
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Scientists agree that cutting down on methane emissions is essential in avoiding disastrous climate change effects like extreme heat waves and sea level rise.
Michel Boudrias is an associate professor of environmental and ocean sciences at the University of San Diego. He's also the director of the Care for Our Common Home Strategic Pathway, which is responsible for coordinating USD's efforts in sustainability, climate change education and environmental justice.
"This new program designed to have everyone collect their yard and food waste and turn it into compost is critically important to reduce everyone's impact on climate change," Boudrias said. "The average household wastes over 30% of their food and throwing it in regular trash results in an accumulation of organic material in the landfill that releases methane. By composting food and yard waste, we can create rich organic soil that can be used for landscaping and gardens throughout the City thereby turning waste into something useful and reducing our impact on climate change."
San Diego waste officials say the green bins and kitchen pails have lids that seal completely, which is one of the key reasons that separating out food scraps could decrease the amount of stink coming from the food waste. Additionally, using secure bins will not attract any critters, even when left outside for pickup.
The phased rollout will continue with about 15,000 bins delivered each week over the next several months. It is expected to take until 2023 to complete
According to the Department of Environmental Services, the program will come at no additional charge to San Diego residents.
Residents whose trash is picked up on Wednesdays will see the bins first, with more than 64,000 to be delivered by the end of February.
