Monterey briefed on new regulations
MONTEREY >> Elected officials along the Monterey Peninsula are gearing up for new state regulations that will require cities to reduce organic waste by 50% by year’s end and by 75% by 2024 or begin facing violations and fines.
The effects of the law are important because they will require significant changes from residents and businesses alike to comply in less than three years. The good news, officials say, is Monterey is in a good position to meet the requirements.
Recently the Monterey City Council was briefed by consultants for the Monterey Regional Waste Management District outlining what the city’s various responsibilities are to comply with Senate Bill 1383 that was passed in 2016 and is now requiring action by cities and counties.
It is the largest state mandate in three decades.
There are myriad components to the law, but its two primary goals are to reduce dangerous greenhouse gas emissions and to close the loop of food insecurity in regions. CalRecycle estimates that 27 million tons of organic waste are disposed of annually. This includes food waste, yard waste, lumber and paper.
The most serious problem with all this waste going into landfills is methane gas. Methane is considered a “super polluter” by CalRecycle. It is created by decomposing organic matter and is 72 times more potent than the next polluting gas — carbon dioxide. That is the reason the state is making it a high priority in the implementation of the law.
Food insecurity is becoming an increasingly large problem, with one in five children in the state not being able to count on their next meal. Phil Mainolfi, a senior associate with the firm of MF&H Consulting that is assisting the waste management district with the implementation of the SB1383, said food insecurity is continuing to “trend in the wrong direction.”
The law will require 20% of edible food from restaurants, supermarkets and other food handlers to be diverted for human consumption no later than 2024. That date is key because not only will the requirements need to be in place by then, but mechanisms for violations and subsequent fines need to be formalized.
By Jan. 1, 2022 enforcement by the state on jurisdictions will begin. Monitoring will be done per weight of trucks filled with organic waste entering the waste management district’s site in Marina. On that date provisions for residents to collect organic waste, such as additional cans if needed, must be in place, as well as a program to recover edible food.
Cities and counties will need to work in concert to meet the requirements, Mainolfi said.
By 2024 — 32 months — food generators will need to comply. At that time inspections will be required following any legitimate
complaint by the public. Once a violation has been issued, the entity receiving the notice of violation will have 150 days to bring themselves into compliance or face mandatory fines.
While individual residents will need to comply, the primary target of enforcement will be good providers. For individual residents, food waste that is now placed in the garbage will need to be moved over into green waste bins.
There will be increased costs associated with the new requirements. Tim Flannigan, the general manager of the waste management district, said customers will be in a better position to absorb the added costs since district customers are paying the second-lowest rates in a 100-mile radius.
Some municipalities will receive waivers if they have a low population or are in rural areas. Monterey will not be eligible for waivers, the officials said.