OXNARD — Senate Bill 1383 regulations went into effect on January 1, 2022. The regulations aim to divert 50% of organic waste from landfills below 2014 levels by 2020 and 75% by 2025. CalRecycle is implementing the regulations and has established an additional target to ensure edible food that is fit for human consumption is recovered and not disposed of in landfills by 2025. SB 1383 also requires that jurisdictions conduct education and outreach on organics recycling to all residents, businesses (including those that generate edible food that can be donated), third-party haulers, solid waste facilities, local food banks, and other food recovery organizations located within the City of Oxnard.
The city’s single-family residential program launched on January 3, 2022, requiring residents to place all three curbside carts weekly instead of rotating recycling and yard waste every other week. Additionally, residents are instructed to bag food scraps and place them in the yard waste cart, now called the ‘organics’ cart.
There are small pockets in the city that do not have yard waste carts and therefore can contact our office to obtain a cart and/or learn more about what their options are. A backyard compost bin discount program will be re-launched by April 2022. Using a backyard compost bin does not exempt your property from the requirements, but gives residents more choices when it comes to managing their own waste.
The city’s multi-family residential and commercial food scraps program has been in operation since 2016 when Assembly Bill (AB) 1826 relied on “good faith effort” and required all businesses to subscribe to organics services, but SB 1383 levies penalties on jurisdictions that fail to comply with the implementation deadlines. Currently, less than 2% of commercial businesses or multi-family residential properties are in compliance.
To get into compliance, a commercial business or multi-family residential property located within the city limits of Oxnard is required to subscribe to recycling and organics collection services before March 31, 2022. Some locations may qualify for a Waiver, exempting them from participation. The criteria for obtaining an exemption are stringent. To learn more about the Waiver exemption process and to see if your business or multi-family residential property is eligible, please visit our webpage dedicated to Commercial Business Services or Multi-Family Residential Services. Notices of Violation will begin in March of 2022. Automatic service and penalties will be issued starting in June of 2022 for all remaining non-compliant properties.
The reason the state has enacted such a landmark law is that California is already experiencing many climate change impacts and methane emissions resulting from decomposing organics in the landfills are a major contributor to greenhouse gas emissions. This law is the largest and most prescriptive waste management legislative update in California since AB 939. Moreover, 40% of food produced in the U.S. is wasted, unfortunately. This law ensures that at a minimum 20% of edible food fit for human consumption is redirected to food banks for distribution to our state’s most food insecure.
The City of Oxnard’s SB 1383 Implementation Team is available to assist property owners, business owners and community organizations learn more about how to comply. To request assistance or a presentation or outreach materials for your property, please email recycle@oxnard.org or call 805-200-2206.