Office of Public Affairs
For Immediate Release: July 3, 2018
News Release #2018-16
Media Contact: Heather Jones
SACRAMENTO – The California Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery has awarded more than $25 million in California Climate Investments to bolster organics recycling infrastructure in the state and rescue edible food for Californians in need. The projects in 10 California communities are set to transform nearly a half-million tons of discarded food, green waste, and other organic materials into value-added products like biofuel, compost, fertilizers, and soil amendments.
“California has the opportunity to close the loop with organics by transforming the single largest part of our waste stream into a supply stream for local businesses,” CalRecycle Director Scott Smithline said. “These California Climate Investments not only recycle California-generated waste into new and valuable products, they also create jobs and reduce greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to climate change.”
When sent to landfills, organic waste decomposes and generates methane, a short-lived climate pollutant 70 times more potent than carbon dioxide. CalRecycle’s Organics Grant program helps fund construction, renovation, or expansion of facilities in California that recycle organic material into products like compost and renewable energy.
CalRecycle’s Organics Grant program is part of California Climate Investments, a statewide program that puts billions of cap-and-trade dollars to work reducing greenhouse gas emissions, strengthening the economy, and improving human health and the environment—particularly in disadvantaged communities. CalRecycle used Fiscal Year 2017–18 grant funds to award the following projects:
| Grantee and Partners | County | Project Description | Total Award |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arakelian Enterprises Inc. (Doing business as Athens Services) | San Bernardino | Upgrade Victorville windrow composting facility to an aerated static pile composting system to increase capacity, reduce air emissions, and help protect water quality. | $3,000,000 |
| Best Way Disposal Company, Inc. (Doing business as Advance Disposal Co.) | San Bernardino | Equipment upgrades at material recovery facility in Hesperia to remove contaminants from organic waste to divert the clean material for composting. | $2,481,250 |
| Burrtec Waste Industries, Inc. | Riverside | Construction of new covered composting system at Robert A. Nelson material recovery facility and transfer station near Riverside. | $3,000,000 |
| Contra Costa Waste Services Partnering with Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano | Contra Costa | Purchase of new equipment and infrastructure upgrades at Mount Diablo Resource Recovery park to utilize existing anaerobic digesters for increased organic waste landfill diversion and biogas production. Includes a food rescue partnership with Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano. | $4,000,000 |
| CR&R Incorporated | Riverside | Third of a three-phase project at a current anaerobic digestion facility in Perris. Expansion increases organic waste landfill diversion and increases biofuel used to fuel CR&R vehicle fleet. | $4,000,000 |
| Recology Yuba-Sutter | Yuba | First of a three-phase project to construct a new compost facility at Ostrom Road Landfill. This project received $2.8 million in a previous grant cycle. | $216,865 |
| Santa Barbara County | Santa Barbara | Develop an anaerobic digestion facility at the Tajiguas Landfill to process currently landfilled organics into biogas and compost. | $4,000,000 |
| Upper Valley Disposal Service Partnering with Sacramento Food Bank and Family Services | Napa | Construction of new “organics blending barn” to mix food, green, and wood waste for composting. Includes a food rescue partnership with Sacramento Food Bank and Family Services. | $1,250,000 |
| Waste Management of Alameda County, Inc. Partnering with Alameda County Community Food Bank | Alameda | Purchase of pre-processing equipment for a new organic material recovery facility in San Leandro. Separated materials will be composted at a new facility co-located at the Davis Street complex. Includes food rescue partnerships with Alameda County Community Food Bank. | $3,000,000 |
| West Coast Waste | Madera | Construction of a new aerated static pile composting facility to divert currently landfilled green material. This project received $1.2 million in a previous grant cycle. | $161,326 |
| Total | $25,109,441 |
CalRecycle awards Organics Grants based on criteria of greenhouse gas reductions, the amount of organic material diverted from landfills, benefits to low-income and disadvantaged communities, and project readiness. Eligible applicants include cities, counties, and other local agencies; businesses; California universities and colleges; nonprofit organizations; and qualifying Indian Tribes. Maximum Organics Grant awards are $4 million for anaerobic digestion projects and $3 million for compost projects.
Learn more about CalRecycle’s new Food Waste Prevention and Rescue Grant Program, California’s push to recover edible food for hungry people before it becomes waste, and the state’s latest investments to turn food and other organic waste into renewable energy or increase compost capacity and demand in California.
For more information contact, the Office of Public Affairs, opa@calrecycle.ca.gov
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CalRecycle's mission is to protect California's environment and climate for the health and prosperity of future generations through the reduction, reuse and recycling of California resources, environmental education, disaster recovery, and the transition from a disposable to a fully circular economy.