processed into compost at the Yolo County Central Landfill . Loads taken to the Sacramento County North Area Recovery Station in North Highlands and Republic Services Elder Creek Transfer Station in Sacramento will be delivered and processed at various composting facilities in the region , says Margaret Kashuba , administrative analyst for Sacramento ’ s recycling and solid waste division .
Rate increases to pay for Sacramento ’ s food waste collection were unanimously approved by city council in January . Effective April 1 , 2022 , monthly rates will increase from $ 42.59 to $ 46.42 for a 64-gallon garbage can , as well as recycling and organics collection . On Jan . 1 , 2024 , that rate will increase to $ 54.08 . Once the program begins , customers who already have yard waste collection services can use those containers to dispose of food waste . Those who don ’ t have yard waste collected will receive an organics container for food waste collection this summer and will see a new charge of $ 10.02 per month beginning July 1 , 2022 .
The state is providing $ 57 million to local jurisdictions to implement the logistics of the program — such as collection bins , education , enforcement and capacity planning . Additionally , Newsom approved $ 270 million in the state ’ s 2022-23 budget “ to support a circular economy that recognizes waste as a resource , shifting the state ’ s focus to a more resilient and renewable economy .”
Where will the waste go ?
According to CalRecycle , there are nearly 200 compost , anaerobic digestion and biomass facilities that process organic waste , but it estimates another 50-100 facilities are needed to process the additional 20 million to 25 million tons of organic waste collected under SB 1383 . Wagoner says to fully accommodate all the waste and the growth of California , it ’ s going to take a decade to build out the infrastructure , which is expected to
cost between $ 20 billion and $ 40 billion including the collection system . Much of the needed funding is expected to come from private investments in organic waste technology .
“ We have a lot of private partners who are excited to come to California because … we put together a regulatory package that provides certainty and provides a market for these types of technology ,” Wagoner says .
While not a new technology , the composting industry is emerging as a key market for processing organic waste . “ California ’ s composting market cannot keep up with demand … and is critical for California ’ s agricultural industry ,” Wagoner says . “ Marrying this delivery and this creation of compost with our need to use less water and less chemicals in our soil because of our changing environment ( is crucial ). This is a huge moment in time where we can take this environmental catastrophe that we are really faced with and turn it into resilience .”
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