The Amador Waste Management Department has created this page to provide local information about our efforts to comply with Senate Bill 1383, a California State law that calls for substantial changes in how food waste, yard debris, and other organic discards are managed.  When these materials are placed in a landfill, anaerobic decomposition of those materials generates methane which is a potent greenhouse gas.  Methane from landfills has been found to be the third largest source of methane, and these programs are intended to reduce generation of greenhouse gases.

In September 2017 Senate Bill 1383 (Lara, Chapter 395) was enacted to set methane emissions reduction targets for California in a statewide effort to reduce emissions of short-lived climate pollutants (SLCP).  The law establishes targets to reduce organic waste disposal in landfills 50 percent by 2020 and 75 percent by 2025; and requires that not less than 20 percent of edible food that is currently disposed be recovered for human consumption by 2025.  Placing these materials in a landfill generates methane gas, which is a much more potent greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide.    

The California Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery (CalRecycle) oversees a variety of programs to reduce the amount of solid waste sent to landfills and promote recycling in California, including organic waste recycling under SB 1383.  CalRecycle adopted SB 1383 regulatory requirements in 2020 that set forth a variety of programmatic and policy-related requirements for jurisdictions, generators, and other entities to support the Statewide goals of SB 1383 beginning January 1, 2022.

Local jurisdictions are required to implement and enforce the various requirements of SB 1383.  In Amador County the Waste Management Department is tasked with overseeing the programs included in SB 1383.  The various components of SB requirements applicable to Amador County include:

• Education and outreach to all affected parties
• Compliance with CALGreen Building Code with respect to space for recycling containers in new commercial and multifamily residential construction and Construction and Demolition Recycling
• Compliance with the Model Water Efficiency Landscape Ordinance with respect to use of compost and mulch
• An Edible Food Recovery Program
• Printing and Writing Paper and Paper Products Procurement
• Enforcement
• Recordkeeping and reporting
• Facility sampling and monitoring

In the coming months and years ahead, the Amador Waste Management Department - working in partnership with the cities of Amador City, Ione, Jackson, Plymouth, and Sutter Creek – will introduce outreach efforts and programs to address various organics management.