Organics and Compost

View the City of Madera's SB-1383 Information Guide.

SB-1383: Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions Through Organic Waste Diversion

Senate Bill 1383 (SB-1383) is a California state law designed to further reduce greenhouse gas emissions by diverting organic materials, including food waste, yard waste, and soiled paper products, away from landfills. This legislation mandates that all businesses, multi-family communities, and single-family residences take steps to comply with organic waste diversion requirements. Additionally, SB-1383 aims to increase edible food recovery by 20% by the year 2025.

Effective Dates:

Starting January 1, 2022, all businesses, schools, multi-family communities, and single-family residences are obligated to divert food scraps, soiled paper, and yard waste into designated organics bins or carts. Beginning January 1, 2024, local jurisdictions may enforce penalties for non-compliance with SB-1383 regulations.

Compliance and Implementation:

The City of Madera offers a straightforward approach to meet the SB-1383 requirements. For single-family residences, three types of bins are provided: gray for general trash, blue for recyclables, and green for yard waste, soiled paper, and food scraps. The key objective is to ensure that food and yard scraps are correctly placed in the green organics cart.

Tips for Proper Food Waste Disposal:

1. Place food scraps inside a paper bag and deposit them into the organics cart (green cart).
2. Combine food scraps on newspaper and then put them into the organics cart (green cart).
3. Place food scraps inside a plastic bag, freeze them, and discard the frozen food from the plastic bag on the day of service or the night before. Do not dispose of plastic bags inside the organics cart.
4. Use a small coffee container or a reusable plastic container to collect food scraps and wash it out before disposing of food scraps in the organics cart (green cart).
5. Food scraps, soiled paper (such as pizza boxes, paper plates, paper towels, toilet paper, Kleenex, paper cups), and green waste can all be mixed together inside the organics cart (green cart).

Maintaining Clean and Odor-Free Carts:

To keep your organics cart clean and deter pests, you can prepare a solution by mixing vinegar and water in a spray bottle. You may also add your favorite essential oil to the mix to reduce odors.

For more detailed information on what items should go into each trash cart, please visit the Gray, Green & Blue Containers section of this webpage.

Edible Food Recovery Program

To learn about the Edible Food Recovery Program, view the Food Recovery Organization Directory (updated January 2025).

Guide to SB 1383 Video

To further understand how to effectively implement SB-1383 in your household, please watch this informative video: SB-1383 Implementation Guide.