Compost and Organic Waste

Send us Fan Mail California is almost ten years into the legislation, planning, and implementation of one of the most significant environmental plans ever developed. Senate Bill 1383 was passed in 2016 with the goal of diverting methane-producing organic waste from California’s landfills. This week on In the Garden with UC Master Gardeners, our intrepid host and Master Gardener Bill Brooks met up with David Tieu, Central Region Deputy Director of OC Waste and Recycling recently to talk about what the regulations mean for residents of Orange County and beyond. This is a show we are calling Composting and Organic Waste in Orange County. Your city may have already started a waste bin system requiring the household to separate its waste three ways. The bottom line for the discussion of organic waste is this – It is illegal to put organic waste in the landfill bin. Waste management companies have been turning your household green waste into thousands of tons of certified disease and weed-free compost and mulch! And then, they provide the finished product back to residents for  pick up so we can replenish our gardens!  This mulch and compost is free of charge. You can leave the composting to your trash haulers if you don’t want to deal with composting yourself!  Regardless of the state you live in, many municipalities across the country are implementing programs like Orange County’s.