Greening Our Waste in L.A. and Orange counties

Sierra Club staff members and activists recently surveyed 23 cities in Los Angeles and Orange counties to better understand what the region is doing with discarded food scraps and yard trimmings. Does it go into methane-belching landfills or are cities finding a way to compost? The data gathered will help the Club push for more sustainable management of these materials, known in waste parlance as “organics.”

The Organics Project was organized by the Chapter Zero Waste Committee to lead the effort that comes at a critical time. In the wake of deadly Superstorm Sandy that battered much of the East Coast, climate change has once again captured the nation’s attention. As a result of decomposing organic matter, landfills are the third largest man-made source of methane, a climate-polluting gas with up to 105 times the potency of CO2.

Redirecting organics away from landfills is a key strategy in the battle to save our climate. Meanwhile, California’s new 75% statewide recycling goal may limit disposal options for organics to composting and other environmentally preferable management methods. And right here in Angeles Chapter territory, the Puente Hills Landfill, one of the largest sinks for the region’s organics, is scheduled to close next October. This closure will send millions of tons of organics to other regional landfills every year unless municipalities change how that material is managed. The sooner the region adapts organics management practices to these challenges the better for our environment and for our future.

Last summer, the team introduced an online survey to cities in Los Angeles and Orange counties in an attempt to collect information about current organics management practices, knowledge of existing organics flows within and across city limits, and future plans for organics management. The team contacted 49 cities; 23 cities completed the survey. After evaluating the responses, the team awarded points for responses that suggest an environmentally sound approach to organics management. Points went to cities that have environmental policies such as zero waste plans, education and incentive programs such as composting workshops and compost bin sales or giveaways, and collection programs such as residential or commercial food scraps collection, to name a few examples.

In the coming months, the team will invite more cities in Los Angeles and Orange counties to participate in this survey and will begin sharing findings with city officials and residents alike. And your help is needed. Individuals or organizations interested in getting involved with this project, contact the Angeles Chapter’s Zero Waste Committee to sign up for a task.

What the numbers mean

The resulting tally compares the 23 cities and identifies the leaders and the laggards in organics management. So what do the results reveal and what does it mean for Club members and activists?

• Only 57% of surveyed cities have environmental policies on the books. Some of those policies are explicit about the role of organics management in achieving policy goals while others are not. A grassroots push is needed in the surveyed cities that have not adopted any environmental policies or have policies that do not explicitly link organics management to achieving policy goals.
   
• It comes as no surprise that yard trimmings from nearly 90% of surveyed cities go to landfills for use as landfill cover (a practice described in “Why are we tossing organic waste into landfills?” in the Southern Sierran's May 2012 issue ). However, there is surprisingly good news. In two of the surveyed cities, yard trimmings are NOT sent to landfills, instead they are used as feedstock for composting and mulch. This is a trend that needs to be supported and encouraged in cities across the region.

• Knowledge of organics flows within and across city lines is limited. Only half of the surveyed cities claimed to know how organics generated in the commercial sector are managed. Seventy-five percent did not identify large generators of yard trimmings while 60% did not identify large generators of food scraps. Increasing cities’ awareness of the waste they produce and discard may have a positive influence on the development of environmentally sound organics management policies.
   
• A variety of organics management programs are scattered across the region. The inconsistency in source reduction, diversion, education, and incentive program implementation from city to city can be seen as an opportunity. Cities need to understand that they can easily enhance their organics management portfolios by adopting tried and tested programs already in place in neighboring communities.
   
• Three out of four surveyed cities expressed a desire to adopt environmentally sound organics management practices. Although many cities currently rely on landfills as the first option for organics disposal, they are not necessarily satisfied with the status quo. Cities need to know they have grassroots support in the adoption of composting and anaerobic digestion as preferred organics management practices.
   
• Some cities have outsourced the waste collection and disposal responsibilities to private waste-hauling companies. A number of cities we contacted could not participate in our survey because they simply did not know enough about their city’s waste to answer our questions. City leaders must understand that waste management decisions determined by policy are preferable to those determined by the whims of the marketplace.

The results from this survey provide only a glimpse into current organics management practices in the region. Through this project, activists hope to first develop a more accurate understanding of the region’s existing practices and trends, and then take action to ensure the most environmentally sound organics management choices are made across the region.  The Organics Project website contains much additional information including the full report entitled "The Organics Project:Phase One Report - January 2013".

In the coming months, the team will invite more cities in Los Angeles and Orange counties to participate in this survey and will begin sharing findings with city officials and residents alike. And your help is needed. Individuals or organizations interested in getting involved with this project, contact the Angeles Chapter’s Zero Waste Committee to sign up for a task.

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Jeremy Drake is a member of the Sierra Club Angeles Chapter’s Zero Waste Committee