The City is complying with a state mandate that includes financial penalties for non-compliance following an extensive educational outreach phase. Organic waste recycling keeps food and yard waste out of the landfill, which helps reduce the amount of methane released into the atmosphere. Reducing what we throw in the trash helps San Diego get closer to the City’s Climate Action and Zero Waste Plan goals of zero waste by the year 2040. Zero waste means diverting as much material and resources from the landfill through reducing, reusing, recycling and composting.

When the bin and pail arrive, each household can make a big difference for the environment by collecting food scraps and food-soiled paper in their kitchen pail and discarding the contents into the green bin, along with yard trimmings and clean wood, and setting the green bin out for collection weekly at their normal trash collection location.

The contents in the organic waste bins will be processed at a facility where it is turned into a nutrient-rich soil additive for farmers and gardeners to grow food and plants. As a result of so much organic material being processed into compost, our soils will benefit greatly!