What is the purpose of SB 1383?

SB 1383 is an effort to reduce emissions of short-lived greenhouse gases - specifically methane. Although methane is short-lived in the atmosphere (think decades instead of centuries), it is more than 28 times as potent a greenhouse gas as carbon dioxide. Diverting green waste from landfills to compost facilities reduces methane emissions from the decomposition process by more than 90%. The record-keeping requirements of SB 1383 are in place so it is possible for local governments and CalRecycle to enforce this law.

What is considered organic waste? 

Organic waste includes food waste, compostable food-soiled paper that is mixed in with food waste, pizza boxes, landscape and pruning waste, and nonhazardous wood waste.

I do not run a trash hauling business. Why did I get a letter about self-hauler requirements?

Being a self-hauler does not mean that you run a trash hauling business. Anyone who hauls their own or their business' organic waste to a transfer station or dump is considered to be a self-hauler under SB 1383, and is subject to the self-hauler requirements.

I am not a business owner. Why did I receive a letter addressed to "Business Owner"? 

For the purpose of SB 1383, we are defining all holders of a Mendocino County business license as a business owner, including those who conduct business exclusively online. However, if you hold a license for a business that is no longer in operation, or if your address is associated with a business owned by a previous homeowner or tenant, please contact us at (707) 463-4363.

I compost my business' organic waste. What do I need to do?

If you compost your business's organic waste, please fill out the SB 1383 Alternative Compliance Form. Complete the Onsite and/or Community Composting Certification section as well as the required fields.

My business produces very little or no organic waste. What do I need to do?

Please fill out the SB 1383 Waiver Request Form. If your business produces fewer than 20 gallons of organic waste a week (out of two cubic yards or more of total waste), or fewer than 10 gallons of organic waste out of fewer than two cubic yards of total waste, you qualify for a De Minimis Waiver.  Mark a justification in the De Minimis Waiver section of the Waiver Request Form and provide a brief explanation in the space provided.

I received a letter saying I am a self-hauler, but I subscribe to trash pickup for my business, or I dispose of my business' waste along with my household waste and have residential service. How do I proceed?

If you have trash pick-up service but haul organic waste to a transfer station, please contact Redwood Waste Solutions to request a free green bin. If you already have residential organics service for your business, please complete the mandatory fields in the Alternative Compliance Certification form, and check the box indicating that you subscribe to residential organic waste pick-up.

My business shares organic pick-up service with other businesses. What do I do?

Please go to the Alternative Compliance Form and complete the Shared Service Request section. You are required to include the name(s), phone number(s), and address(es) of the other business(es) with which you share service, the logistics of how the services will be shared (including where the green bin(s) will be placed), and a copy of your contract if you have one.

I have been in business for years and never heard about SB 1383 requirements. Why am I only hearing about this now?

SB 1383 is a new state law that we recently began to enforce.

I haul my own organic waste and do not qualify for an exemption. How do I comply with SB 1383?

First, fill out an Alternative Compliance Form and complete the Self Haul Certification. Then, maintain the following records for five years:

• Delivery receipts and weight tickets from each entity receiving organic materials, including the amount of organic material in cubic yards or tons.
• If the organic waste is transported to a site that does not have scales or that employs scales incapable of weighing the waste received, the self-hauler is not required to record the weight of material. However, the self-hauler must maintain a record of the entity that received the organic waste.

I haul my own organic waste and do not qualify for an exemption. Do I need to retroactively obtain delivery receipts and weight tickets? 

We do not require you to possess delivery receipts and weight tickets prior to 2024. However, you are required to save your receipts and weight tickets for five years moving forward (unless the facility to which you bring your organic waste is not capable of weighing the waste received).