Though Crescent City and Del Norte County took their first steps this week toward meeting the requirements of State Senate Bill 1383, county staff say they will urge legislators to permanently exempt rural communities from the organic waste collection mandate in the new law. Assistant County Administrative Officer Randy Hooper told supervisors on Tuesday that plans to pursue legislative remedies for SB 1383 will be part of the budget platform he and county staff will present in the next few weeks. He said “those conversations” have already begun with State Sen. Mike McGuire and Assemblyman Jim Wood.
“We need to get serious with our delegation on whether this is a good idea for rural communities that just don’t have the capacity to take this on,” Hooper told supervisors. “The groundwork for those conversations has been laid and there is some reception to the idea that it is going to be difficult because it is one of those one-size fits-all things.” State Senate Bill 1383 went into effect Jan. 1 and seeks to reduce methane emissions by reducing the amount of organic waste in the landfill by 75 percent by 2025. It also seeks to reduce food waste by recovering 20 percent of the edible food that gets thrown away by 2025.
Though Del Norte County and Crescent City received a five-year extension on a mandate to establish an organic waste collection system, both the City Council and the Board of Supervisors approved ordinances that addresses food recovery from local grocery stores, recycled paper procurement, the use of compost and mulch and requirements for construction and landscaping. Both governing bodies also approved a memorandum of understanding with the Del Norte Solid Waste Management Authority to do the record keeping and reporting SB 1383 requires as well as the education and outreach.