Mandatory Residential Organics Recycling
Beginning in 2022, SB 1383 requires every city to provide organic waste collection services to all residents. Residents are required to subscribe to and participate in their jurisdiction’s organic curbside collection service. Residents are required to properly sort their organic waste into the correct containers (green containers). Some cities will allow residents to self-haul their organic waste. If this is the case, the city will provide information about the requirements for self-hauling.
In September 2016, Governor Brown signed SB 1383 (Lara, Chapter 395, Statutes of 2016), which established targets to achieve a 50 percent reduction of the statewide disposal of organic waste from the 2014 level by 2020 and a 75 percent reduction by 2025. While some communities already have curbside organics collection services—including food waste collection—additional communities will implement organics collection programs to meet these goals.
Organic waste includes the following materials: green waste (landscape and pruning waste), food waste (including fats, oils, grease, and food-soiled paper waste that is mixed in with food waste), and nonhazardous wood waste.
Green waste refers to waste resulting from the maintenance or removal of vegetation, including but not limited to grass, brush, branches, leaves, flowers, shrubs, and small trees.
Wood waste refers to nonhazardous wood waste such as untreated and non-laminated lumber.
Imperial County residents are provided with a 3-bin waste system: (black) trash, (blue) recyclables, (green) organics, and green waste. Learn what can go in each one.
Frequently asked questions about organic recycling
IVRMA does not provide kitchen food scrap pails. Residents can contact their local city hall to learn how their city is providing the kitchen food scrap pails. The following are the contact numbers for each city.
Calexico: (760) 768-2110
Brawley: (760) 351-3059
Imperial: (760) 355-4371
El Centro: (760) 337-4540
Westmorland: (760) 344-3411
Calipatria: (760) 348-4141
Holtville: (760) 356-2912
Remove stickers, twist ties, rubber bands, and plastic wrap from food scraps. Drain excess liquid from food scraps.
Line the kitchen container with a paper bag or towel, newspaper, or compostable bag (must be BPI certified or meet ASTM D6400 standards).
Store kitchen container in a convenient location (under sink, on the countertop, or in the refrigerator or freezer).
FREQUENTLY empty kitchen container into your Organics cart to avoid odor and pests.
No recyclables: glass, metal, plastics.
No plastic: bags, utensils, StyrofoamTM, wrap.
No coated paper, cartons, to-go containers, parchment paper, wax paper.
No animal/pet waste or pet litter.
No facial tissue or toilet paper unless only food-soiled.
No treated, painted, stained, oiled wood.
No liquids.
To learn who has to comply with residential organic recycling please check out the Collection Requirements to learn more about Single-Family Home residents and Multifamily complexes.
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