What to know
- Green bin contents are taken to a contracted composting facility where it's put through a 90-day process to create nutrient-rich compost.
- The compost is sold to local farms and used to fertilize fields growing fresh fruits and vegatables.
- That fresh produce is sold at local farmers markets and in grocery stores.
California wants every household and business to put food scraps and other organic waste in the green bins, but what happens to that organic material we toss?
California is determined to reduce food waste in landfills, which releases methane gas, a greenhouse gas contributor. The passage of Senate Bill 1383 is meant to address that — and set the goal of 75% less organic waste sent to landfills.
James Roska, an Environmental Engineer with Los Angeles Sanitation, says once LASAN trucks pick up the contents of the green bin, it gets shipped to one of their contracted composting facilities. For 90 days, the organic material will be cooked, heated, rolled and packaged again before it’s shipped back to farms.
LASAN said the green bins always accepted organic material from the garden, but now it can also accept meat, bones, dairy, cardboard and paper. In terms of preventing smells from developing in the green bin between pick-ups, CalRecycle recommends layering grass clippings or garden clippings on top of food waste.
Watch the video with this link.