Waste, Recycling & Compost

OverviewSort organic waste from garbage

The California Department of Resources, Recycling and Recovery (CalRecycle) regulations, SB 1383 Short-Lived Climate Pollutants, are effective beginning January 1, 2022.

The State has committed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, improve health, and create clean jobs that support resilient local economies. Organic waste makes up half of what Californians send to landfills, where it emits 20% of the state's methane. Methane is a climate super pollutant 84 times more potent than carbon dioxide. Implementing the statewide plan under SB 1383 will reduce methane emissions and is essential to achieving California's climate goals:

  • Reduce the amount of organic waste going to landfills (50% reduction by 2020 and 75% by 2025)
  • Rescue at least 20% of edible food that is currently going to landfills by 2025 and redirect it to people in need

What The SB 1383 Law Requires

  • Everyone is required to divert all organic waste from the landfill.
  • Your green bin is only for organic waste materials: yard trimmings, food scraps, food-soiled paper, wax-coated paper (like parchment paper, wax paper, and wax-coated produce boxes). The green bin is not for items that look like plastic-regardless of what their label may say.
  • Your blue bin under the grey lid for split recycling cart is for clean/dry paper and cardboard.
  • Businesses, including Multifamily Dwellings with 5 or more units, must place labeled bins for recycling and organics recycling next to all trash cans. Labels must be compliant with State regulations.
  • Some businesses need to recover edible food and redirect it to those in need.

Why Recycling Matters

Recycling helps conserve resources, reduce greenhouse gases, and extend the life of landfills. It also helps create a healthy environment for our community and future generations. Please contact Environmental Programs at 650-259-2444 or South San Francisco Scavenger Company, Inc. at 650-589-4020 for help with businesses and multifamily dwellings with 5 or more units in Millbrae to implement a successful organics recycling collection program and to be compliant.

Residents

What Does SB 1383 Mean for Me?

The CalRecycle SB 1383 Short-lived Climate Pollutants Organic Waste Regulations requires everyone in California to recycle all organic waste, including paper, cardboard, yard materials, food scraps, and food-soiled paper. Please see the specific requirements below.

SB 1383 Requirements for Residents

  • Recycling and Organics Recycling Collection Service: Residents must subscribe to and participate in the City's recycling and organics curbside collection service
  • Residents must sort out their recyclables and organics waste from the trash. Additional recycling carts are available upon request from the City of South San Francisco's franchised hauler, South San Francisco Scavenger Company, Inc.
  • Adequate Access to Organics Recycling for Collection: All residents must have adequate access to recycling and organics recycling service.
  • Sufficient Service Level: Home and property owners/property managers must ensure that they have subscribed to a recycling and organics recycling service level that is sufficient to allow all recyclables and organics to be separated from the trash.

Businesses & Multifamily with 5 or More Units

What does SB 1383 mean for my business including Multifamily Dwellings with 5 or more units?

The CalRecycle SB 1383 Organics Regulations requires all businesses to follow certain rules regarding waste sorting, collection, and education. These rules also apply to:

  • all multifamily dwellings with 5 or more units
  • all organizations
  • non-profits

SB 1383 Requirements for Businesses

  • Recycling and Organics Recycling Collection: Businesses must subscribe to and participate in the City's recycling and organics curbside collection service.
  • What this means for businesses: Businesses must have recycling and organics recycling collection services. Businesses in Millbrae that subscribe to trash collection service through South San Francisco Scavenger Company, Inc. receive unlimited recycling service at no additional cost (the cost is already included in trash service fees). Adding a green bin for organics recycling service will incur a charge. Depending on the amount of organic waste a business generates, businesses will need to subscribe to organics service and receive 1 or more carts or more frequent service. Waivers may be available for those with low generation, physical space constraints, or collection frequency. Complete this form to request a waiver (PDF).

The City of Millbrae has an exclusive Franchise Agreement with the South San Francisco Scavenger Company for debris box/dumpster/roll-off bin services which requires that they are rented from the South San Francisco Scavenger Company. The one exception is that California State licensed demolition or construction contractors are allowed to self-haul their own garbage and recyclables only if they use their own vehicles, equipment, and employees to perform the self-hauling, and as long as such hauling is incidental to their primary business function, e.g., roofer, plumber, etc. South San Francisco Scavenger Company debris box information.

  • Adequate Access to Organics Recycling: Businesses must ensure they have adequate access to recycling and organics recycling service for their employees, contractors, customers, and tenants, including supplying and allowing access to an adequate number, size, and location of containers with either sufficient labeling or the appropriate color.
  • Sufficient Service Level and Labeling: Businesses must ensure that they have subscribed to a recycling and organics recycling service level that is sufficient to allow all recyclables and organics to be collected from their business. Organics and recycling bins placed in and around the businesses for employees, contractors, customers, and tenants must be sufficient in size and number with clear labels or the appropriate color for the collection of organics and recyclable materials as well.
  • Education and sorting requirements: Businesses shall annually provide information to employees, contractors, tenants, and customers about waste diversion requirements and about the proper sorting of waste. Businesses must prohibit their employees from placing organic waste and recyclables in the wrong bins. Businesses are responsible for educating their employees, contractors, tenants, and customers on properly sorting organic materials into the correct containers. Regular outreach from businesses to employees, contractors, tenants, and customers is required in order to maintain an awareness of proper sorting.

Edible Food Recovery

Edible food recovery is the act of diverting surplus edible food from businesses, organizations, or events that otherwise would have been disposed of for consumption by members of our community. If you are a large, food-generating business or organization, you have new edible food recovery requirements under SB 1383.

The good news is that City of Millbrae has joined with San Mateo County's 20 other jurisdictions to create one countywide edible food recovery program to help all affected businesses and organizations meet their new mandatory requirements. This program is managed by the County of San Mateo Office of Sustainability and has recovered millions of pounds of food to date!

Visit the Office of Sustainability website to learn if your business has new edible food recovery requirements, the countywide program, and resources available to help you comply.

Requirements for City of Millbrae

The law also requires the City to:

  • Procure a certain quantity of compliant compost, mulch, renewable natural gas, or electricity from biomass, in order to provide a market for composted materials and thus close the loop.
  • Procure paper products that have a minimum of 30% post-consumer recycled content and which are recyclable.
  • Participate in an edible food recovery program. Millbrae is participating in a countywide program led by the San Mateo County Office of Sustainability.
  • Monitor compliance and conduct enforcement.

The Millbrae City Council adopted Ordinance 791 in fall 2021 to facilitate compliance with state regulations.

Latest update August 30th, 2022