A plan to comply with a state mandate to divert organic waste from landfills — with an estimated $450 million annual cost — won reluctant approval by the Tehachapi City Council. After a presentation from Assistant to the City Manager Corey Costelloe, the council voted 3-2 to approve the city’s SB 1383 Implementation Plan. Mayor Pro-Tem Michael Davies and Councilmember Susan Wiggins voted no.
Mayor Phil Smith and Councilmembers Christina Scrivner and Joan Pogon-Cord voted to approve the plan, but none seemed pleased. Smith asked how much of an increase residents may have to pay (still unknown) and Scrivner urged city staff to continue efforts to work with state officials. “Please continue to try to find common-sense solutions,” she said.
City Manager Greg Garrett said the law was another example of a state mandate difficult for small cities. “One size does not fit all,” he told the council. “Rest assured we will continue to fight the fight.” Previously the city sent a comment letter to CalRecycle expressing concerns about the cost increase to residents of mandatory organics recycling, Costelloe said. Although the city’s input did not directly impact the regulations for organics compliance, he said that the state agency said they helped lay the groundwork for delayed enforcement of those regulations.
The problem Senate Bill 1383 set out to address when it was approved in 2016 is to reduce the impact of short-term climate pollutants that generate methane and impact climate change by diverting organic material — including yard waste and food waste — from the landfill and waste stream, Costelloe said. The law becomes effective Jan. 1, 2022, but the city has developed a plan to reach full compliance by July 1, 2023. By that time, a weekly collection of a third refuse bin will be required.