Capitol Voice August 2023

By Michael Blenner

In late June, the Little Hoover Commission - an independent California agency that reviews the efficiency of government operations - released a report calling for a pause of California’s statewide organic waste recycling program. The initiative, created by the 2016 law SB 1383, requires Californians to compost their organic waste, with the goal of reducing food waste and diverting food from landfills.

The law established a few short-term composting goals, including diverting 75% of organic waste from landfills and recovering and redistributing at least 20% of edible food, both by 2025. For a number of reasons, it is clear that the state will not meet its goals. In its report, the Little Hoover Commission recommended that “the Legislature should enact a temporary pause to the implementation of SB 1383,” in order to revamp the program.

Pausing organic waste recycling now would be a major mistake. While the progress California has made so far hasn’t quite met its goals, stopping the program would be a step backwards in the broader vision of zero organic waste that SB 1383 aims to achieve. Composting is a vital component of reducing food waste, which is a significant contributor to methane emissions released from landfills. California alone produces 6 million tons of food waste per year.

If the state wants to get serious about addressing food waste, it needs to better raise public awareness of the composting program, and work closely with local governments to address the implementation issues that have prevented its wide scale adoption.

I work for the state’s largest grassroots environmental nonprofit, and am enmeshed in the environmental community. However, when composting became mandatory by law last year, many of my friends and colleagues had no idea the program had even begun. I live in the heart of downtown Sacramento, and my building still lacks a composting bin (I bring my food scraps to the nearest bin a block down).

Many Californians are either unaware of the program, or do not have access to it in their communities. California’s government must engage citizens at the local level in order to get them interested in reducing their organic waste. Whether through advertising, direct mail, or community meetings, California needs to do a better job of involving the public in composting.

Reducing organic waste is a broadly popular goal that people want to support. It’s a simple and effective way to make a positive choice for the environment. I ran a modest composting program at my alma mater in upstate New York. I collected food scraps directly from students and on-campus food establishments, composted them, and used the fertilizer for a community garden. 

Although its impact was small, many students were eager to participate in the program. All we had to do was offer people the opportunity to reduce their waste, and we were able to prevent several tons of organic waste from ending up in landfills.

Another major barrier to the composting program’s success has been its implementation in rural communities. The Little Hoover Commission report noted that “many rural communities lack curbside trash pickup and paved roads that can accommodate heavy garbage trucks.”

Instead of a one-size-fits-all approach to organic waste recycling, the state should work closely with local governments to address the infrastructure issues that prevent them from adopting composting in their communities. Subsidizing local efforts would go a long way towards achieving the statewide goals of the program.

Now is not the time to delay organic waste recycling, and CalRecycle, the agency in charge of the program, recognizes that. In May, CALRecycle director Rachel Wagoner said that “pausing 1383 would be absolutely detrimental… we’ve spent nearly half a billion dollars in California to jump start 1383 in organic recycling and a lot of that would be halted.”

Rather than walk back the progress we’ve made so far, the state should double down on its commitment to composting. If California wants to maintain its reputation as an environmental leader, reducing organic waste must be a priority across the state.

By Jason John and Erin Woolley

As Californians across the state prepare for the fall and return to school, legislators are also returning to the Capitol to close out the 2023 legislative session. Although this year’s budget has already been approved and signed, the Legislature faces a busy month ahead in which all remaining bills must be passed by the September 14th deadline. 

In his budget proposal earlier this year, the Governor proposed cuts to critical investments in climate resilience, clean transportation, biodiversity conservation, and other key programs needed to move California towards a healthier future. After Sierra Club California and its allies raised their concerns, some funding for key programs was restored in the final budget deal that passed in June. However, the deal also came alongside a slate of budget trailer bills proposed by the Governor which were opposed by a group of legislators and over 100 environmental and environmental justice organizations statewide, including Sierra Club California. We applaud the work of legislative members, staff, and our allies to create additional opportunities for the public process and bring the final bill package to a better place.

With California facing a massive budget shortfall this year, several legislators are advancing Climate Bond proposals to help fill the funding gaps for critical climate resilience work. We are currently tracking four bond proposals that, if passed, would come up for vote on next year’s ballots. 

Two of the bonds, SB 867 (Allen) and AB 1567 (Garcia), are focused on statewide climate, drought, and water resilience. Separately, AB 408 (Wilson) is focused on agricultural resilience and sustainability, and SB 638 (Eggman) includes a focus on climate resilience and flood protection. We will continue to engage with these important initiatives through the remainder of the legislative process to advance funding for these priority programs and stop proposals that fund harmful projects, like the Delta Tunnel.

In addition to continued work on these important measures, Sierra Club California is actively working to pass important legislation to protect clean air and water, advance environmental justice, and stop legislation that will slow or reverse our progress on these important priorities. To see our list of remaining priority bills and learn more, click here. We will be sending out alerts in the coming weeks to ask for your help on getting these bills through the legislature and to the Governor’s desk, so keep an eye out for ways to stay involved and support our efforts!

Check back in the coming weeks for updates on our priority bills, bond measures, and more!