(Haga clic arriba a la derecha para la traducción al español)
SB 1383 is a California law that was passed in 2016 as a statewide effort to reduce emissions of short-lived climate pollutants. Specifically, the law sets the following targets:
The complete text on the final regulations for SB 1383 can be found on the CalRecycle website. CalRecycle is the state agency responsible for creating the regulatory standards for SB 1383.
California is experiencing a climate crisis: record-breaking temperatures, longer fire seasons, extreme droughts, and rising sea levels. These extreme weather events are partly caused by too much greenhouse gas in the atmosphere, so named because they trap the sun’s heat and warm the planet. The purpose of this law is to reduce greenhouse gases such as methane, which are created when compostable materials such as food scraps and other organic materials get landfilled and decompose anaerobically (without oxygen).
Landfills are third largest source of methane in California. Organic waste in landfills emits 20% of the state’s methane (a climate super pollutant 84 times more potent than carbon dioxide) and air pollutants like PM 2.5 (which contributes to health conditions like asthma). Organics like food scraps, yard trimmings, paper, and cardboard make up half of what Californians dump in landfills. Reducing short-lived climate super pollutants like organic waste will have the fastest impact on the climate crisis.
Additionally, SB 1383 addresses the issue of food waste and insecurity. About 40% of all food produced in the U.S. is wasted, and almost 1 out of 4 Californians are food insecure. The edible food recovery requirement will help feed those who are food insecure and prevent edible food (more compostable material) from being landfilled.
Organic materials (aka organics or organic waste) are solid wastes containing material originated from living organisms and their metabolic waste products. This includes food scraps, soiled paper, yard trimmings and other materials. To learn more about what is considered organic waste and/or what to do with your organic waste in Napa, visit our compost page here.
To be in compliance with state law, residents and businesses must place compostable and recyclable materials in the appropriate carts. Residents living in single-family homes are automatically provided curbside compost and recycling service. If you do not have compost or recycling service, please contact Napa Recycling to set up your service.
SB 1383 regulations also require that we conduct periodic “route reviews” of customer carts. These are visual checks of the landfill, recycling, and compost carts to see if customers are putting materials into the correct cart. So, you may see our staff conducting these “flip-the-lid” visits in your neighborhood – we’ll then be following up regarding any contamination issues and providing educational assistance as necessary.
We also have many tips on how you can reduce your organic waste generation: reduce food waste, grasscycle when mowing your lawn, take a home composting workshop, use reusables instead of single-use items, and more!
Businesses and multi-family housing complexes are also required to properly separate compostable & recyclable material. If you own a business or multi-family complex, you are required to;
Food service businesses (commercial food generators) are currently split into two tiers. Read below to check if your business falls under either tier:
Tier One must comply with edible food recovery requirements by January 1, 2022.
This includes:
Tier Two must comply with edible food recovery requirements by January 1, 2024.
If your business falls under either tier, you must arrange to recover the maximum amount of edible food that would otherwise go to landfills and maintain records of your compliance. For a list of local food recovery organizations, visit our Food Rescue & Donations page. You can also check out our tips on how to reduce food waste, and visit CalRecycle’s page on Food Recovery for more information.
We’re here to help you successfully comply with SB 1383, so we can divert organics from the landfill and reduce emissions!
The City of Napa or Napa County provides interior recycling and compost containers to businesses, schools and multi-family dwellings committed to recycling and composting. Here’s a PDF list of available bins and our equipment & sticker request form. You can also print out signs. Visit our Tools & Resources page for more details and info.
Interested in getting some of the wonderful compost produced from your yard trimmings, food scraps, soiled paper and grape pomace? Check out our Compost page for details.
Accessibility Tools
