California’s new food waste laws take aim at climate change, food insecurity – National | The Canadian News

In an effort to address the issues of climate change and food insecurity, California has become the first U.S. state to introduce mandatory food waste recycling and recovery of edible food waste.

In early 2022, the law known as Senate Bill 1383 went into effect, mandating the separation of food waste from residential and commercial waste and the recovery of edible food.

“SB 1383 is the biggest change to our waste since we started recycling in the 1980s,” says Rachel Machi Wagoner, director of Cal Recycle, the state’s recycling authority.

An estimated 5.5 million tons of food waste is sent to California landfills each year, which is one of the largest sources of methane gas emissions in the state.

“When organic waste goes into a landfill, it actually breaks down into methane, which is a potent greenhouse gas,” said Ned Spang of the Food Loss and Waste Collaborative at the University of California Davis.

The new law aims to reduce food waste sent to landfills by up to 75% by 2025.

“When we reach our goal of diverting 75% of organic waste from landfills, it will be equivalent to taking more than a million cars off the road for more than a year,” said Machi Wagoner.

Vermont has already implemented similar laws mandating composting of food waste, but this law goes beyond merely reducing food waste and greenhouse gas emissions caused by discarded organic matter. It also mandates reducing the amount of edible waste by 20% and is the first state to do so.

Many restaurants and grocery stores routinely throw away produce and other food that is still edible. The initiative means that everything that is still edible will go to food insecure people in the state through charities committed to helping those in need.

“From restaurants to retailers, like grocery stores, as long as they have food that they may have thrown away before, we want to first take a look and see if we can salvage some of that food for edible consumption,” Spang said.

Top Stories

• 

  Ukraine crisis: Why India abstained in UN vote against Russia.

• 

  Putin puts nuclear forces on high alert as Ukraine agrees to talks with Russia

It’s been almost two months since the new law went into effect and California residents are getting used to the change. Cal Recycle’s director says she knows this will take time to be adopted, and says they are committed to helping Californians get on board with the new law. Over time, fines can and will be levied for non-compliance, but as residents become familiar with the law, it’s all about providing grants to put the necessary programs and education in place.

“We are awarding grants to local governments, from the implementation of the collection program to educational campaigns,” Machi Wagoner said.

Small business owners, like Ivan Franks, owner of a small takeout restaurant called The Hotdogger in Davis, California, agree with the new law, but say they need more time and education.

“We have a lot of issues with COVID closing. (Food recycling) seems to be one of the things I’m least concerned about, but if they can … teach us how to do it, great,” Franks said.

Other California residents rejoice as a law targeting food waste goes into effect.

“I can definitely say this is the one thing that makes me very happy to be from California,” said Joy Klineberg, a mother of five who lives in Davis and has been composting for years on her own and sees the benefits.

“Half of it goes into the landfill and the other half gets composted and reused, so it makes a big difference to me,” Klineberg said.

States such as New Jersey and New York have implemented composting programs in the past, but with no firm mandates, spotty rollouts, and no recourse for non-compliance, these programs have failed. Seven years after New York City introduced curbside collection of organic waste, it is estimated that only 10% of residents actually used the service, according to the city.

As the most populous state in the country, with more than 39 million inhabitants, California will now serve as an example to other states that want to impose and implement food waste reduction in their states in the future.

– with files by Rob Malcolm