Capacity Planning

 

To achieve the goals of SB 1383, CalRecycle estimates that California needs approximately 50-100 new or expanded organic waste recycling facilities to annually recycle an additional 20-25 million tons of organic waste. Edible food recovery infrastructure expansion is also needed.

Capacity planning is vital to achieve the goals of SB 1383. Infrastructure takes time to develop, and jurisdictions should regularly evaluate their capacity for managing organics, including edible food recovery and organic waste recycling.

The regulatory requirements for edible food recovery and organic waste recycling capacity planning share similarities.

Capacity Planning Requirements

Counties are responsible for:

  • Collecting planning capacity information from each jurisdiction within the county.
  • Submitting the capacity planning report to CalRecycle.
  • Identifying any jurisdiction, including itself, that does not have enough verified existing, planned, or new capacity.
  • Informing jurisdictions that lack capacity of the timeline for submitting the implementation schedule to CalRecycle.

Jurisdictions, including counties, are responsible for:

  • Estimating organic waste disposal within the jurisdiction.
  • Identifying the existing capacity, located both in the county and outside of the county, that is verifiably available.
  • Estimating the amount of capacity that will be needed.
  • Consulting with various entities throughout the planning process, such as environmental health departments and food recovery services.
  • Submitting an implementation schedule to CalRecycle if they lack capacity.

Note: Jurisdictions exempt from organic waste collection requirements are not required to include capacity plans (14 CCR section 18992.3).
For more details, see the Exemptions for Jurisdictions with Department-Issued Waivers page.

Anaerobic digestion facility construction site

Capacity Planning for Organic Waste Recycling

Jurisdictions are required to assess:

  • The amount of organic waste recycling capacity they currently have.
  • The necessary capacity to recycle the amount of organic waste estimated to be disposed of by organic waste generators within the jurisdiction.
Food recovery organization volunteers stand hugging behind a cart of fresh food

Capacity Planning for Food Recovery

Jurisdictions are required to assess:

  • The number of mandated food donors and food recovery organizations operating within their community.
  • The amount of edible food disposed of by mandated food donors.
  • The capacity needed to recover this food for people to eat.

Related Links

For more information contact: Short-Lived Climate Pollutants (SLCP), Organic Waste Methane Emissions Reductions, SLCP.organics@calrecycle.ca.gov