More than two-thirds of California’s waste stream is organics. That is a lot considering that one in eight Californians don’t have enough food to eat.
California’s new organics recycling law addresses both the human and environmental price of waste through organics recycling and a local food recovery program. Recycling organics reduces greenhouse gas emissions that contributes to climate change, it also helps produce materials that are good for the planet, like compost, fertilizer and biofuels!
Beginning August 2022, the City of Indio will roll out a new organics program, in compliance with Senate Bill 1383 (SB 1383), which builds upon already existing state recycling laws. All single- and multi-family homes and businesses are required to sort food scraps and yard waste into an organics bin.
You can make sure your waste makes it to the right place, by putting it in the bins as follows:
Green
organics
Blue
RECYCLING
Grey
TRASH
A food secure future.
In addition to recycling organics, the new program helps fight local hunger by taking unused, edible food from restaurants, grocery stores and other businesses and giving it to food banks and other community organizations for distribution to residents in need. Working together with these partners, the City of Indio will support participation in food recovery, ensuring our families, friends and neighbors have access to the food they need to live an active, healthy life. The state requires a 20 percent increase in food recovery by January 2025.
Frequently Asked Questions
Each year, Californians generate more than 6 million tons of food waste, which produces methane gas emissions that exacerbate climate change. Recycling organics reduces these emissions and further helps the environment by using the materials for compost, fertilizers and biofuels.
Starting August 2022, you can add food waste to your existing green yard waste bin (see below for allowed items).
As required by SB 1383, the City of Indio will provide new bins for all trash and recycling services as current carts break or need repair. The new carts, which will all be in place by 2036, will have dark gray bodies with a green lid for organics, black lid for trash, and blue lid for other recycling.
The following items can be placed in your organics recycling bin:
- Food scraps such as:
- Fruits & vegetables
- Cheese, milk & other dairy products
- Meat, bones & eggs
- Bread, pasta, rice & grains
- Tea bags & coffee filters
- Food-soiled paper (compostable only)
- Yard trimmings
- Grass clippings
- Leaves, flowers & weeds
- Small branches and prunings
- Nonhazardous wood (natural state only, no treated or construction material)
The following items cannot be recycled and should be disposed of properly:
- Hazardous wood
- Logs
- Rocks
- Dirt
- Plastic bags
- Plastic food packaging or wrap
- Coated or plastic takeout containers
- Foil
- Twist ties
- Rubber bands
- Wire
- Tape
- Rope & twine
- Grease, oil & other liquids
Other waste should be placed in regular blue recycling or trash bins or taken to a proper disposal location. See below for more details.
Blue – Recycling
- Paper & flattened cardboard
- Glass & plastic bottles, jars, containers
- Food & beverage cans, cartons
- NO plastic bags, film or foam
- Items should be free of food and liquid
Gray – Trash
Anything that can’t be recycled, except hazardous materials, electronics or needles. Get details on how to dispose of items that can’t go in your trash can at www.rcwaste.org/hhw.
Yes. All Indio residents and businesses are required by California law to recycle organics under SB 1383. The law requires a 75 percent reduction in organics waste disposal by January 2025.
The City of Indio is required by state law to enforce SB 1383, including monitoring contamination in both organics and recycling carts.
The mandate to reduce organics going to landfills does affect your bill because new organics recycling services and programs are required of the City’s waste hauler. New rates that went into effect on July 1, 2022, accommodate these state-mandated changes and the increased cost of recycling. Residential customers are billed directly or through tax rolls. The commercial organics recycling charge for a changes depending on the size of the bin and the frequency of pickup times.
We are here to help! Contact Sara Toyoda at stoyoda@indio.org to learn more about organics recycling. For more information about statewide organics recycling efforts and SB 1383, go to www.calrecycle.ca.gov/organics.
The State of California has passed waste management regulations to reduce waste, limit climate change and to move edible food to those who need it. In order to accomplish this, most commercial facilities are mandated to have waste service for three waste streams:
Action Required
Your business has been identified as a non-compliant facility that lacks one or more waste services. Please contact Burrtec Waste and Recycling Services to subscribe to the mandated waste services by October 21. Burrtec offers free training for management and staff and the city will purchase indoor organic or recycling bins for your facility upon request. Burrtec can also help you determine if your property is eligible for a waiver for organics services, please be prepared to review your landscaper name, contact information, and the name of the facility where your green waste is hauled.
Beginning October 24, 2022, Burrtec will automatically deliver the lowest service levels to all commercial properties that have not subscribed to mandated services. The lowest recycling service available is one (1) 96-gallon recycling cart serviced weekly at $13.17 per month. If required, the lowest level of organics service is one (1) 64-gallon organic cart, serviced weekly at $80.49 per month.
For more information about the regulations AB341 Mandatory Commercial Recycling, AB1826 Mandatory Commercial Organics Recycling or SB1383 Short-lived Climate Pollutants, visit calrecycle.ca.gov
Contact Burrtec Customer Service at 760-340-2113 to set up service or Cynthia Avalos, District Environmental Coordinator, at 760 674-1026 for assistance in determining which recycling and organics service will be the most cost-effective and appropriate for your business or multi-family property.
Contact Sara Toyoda, Environmental Programs Coordinator with the City of Indio at 760-625-1815 for indoor bins or any questions about the regulations.
Want to learn more?
We are here to help! Contact Sara Toyoda at stoyoda@indio.org to learn more about organics recycling. For more information about statewide organics recycling efforts and SB 1383, go to www.calrecycle.ca.gov/organics.
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