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 help jurisdictions meet this mandate. Although counties have until August 1, 2022 to begin reporting on capacity planning on the period covering January 1, 2022 to December 31, 2024, infrastructure takes time to develop. Jurisdictions should start evaluating their capacity for managing organics, including edible food recovery and organic waste.
The regulatory requirements for edible food recovery and organic waste recycling capacity planning share similarities.
Capacity Planning Requirements
For both capacity planning efforts, counties are responsible for:
- Collecting capacity planning 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 about the timeline for submitting the implementation schedule to CalRecycle
Jurisdictions, including counties, are responsible for:
- Estimating organic waste disposal within the jurisdiction
- Identifying the amount of existing capacity, located both in the county and outside of the county, that is verifiably available
- Estimating the amount of new or expanded capacity that will be needed
- Consulting with various entities throughout the planning process
- Submitting an implementation schedule to CalRecycle when they lack capacity
Note: Jurisdictions exempt from organic waste collection requirements are not required to include capacity plans in the first reporting period (see Section 18992.3).
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 by organic waste generators within the jurisdiction
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 by these mandated food donors
- The existing, new, or expanded capacity needed to recover this food for people to eat