California adopts mandatory statewide composting rules
By 2022, all local governments in California will be required to divert food waste from the landfill, whether by turning it into compost or processing it via anaerobic digestion. Under new regulations adopted by the agency that oversees recycling, the state is aiming to reduce the amount of organic waste—that includes food scraps and yard waste—that ends up in landfills by 75 percent, according to industry publication Waste360. This move is similar to one in Vermont, where the state will ban food waste from landfills statewide beginning July 1, 2020. California’s regulations include a unique requirement that the biggest generators of food waste donate uneaten but edible food to those in need—a provision applauded by food bank leaders.
