Still talking trash and Senate Bill 1383

People who make compost know that this type of pail is great for collecting the wet garbage and starting yard composts. Yet using these is much more basic – they are used to separate wet organic materials from recyclables and trash.

Why? We like to say “because it’s the right thing to do for our environment.” But let’s get real. SB1383 mandates that our trash hauler (CR&R) has to reduce waste in their landfills, and one way they do it is by turning organics into compostable materials (yes, just like many do in their own yards.)

The wet organics need to stay with the organics (your leaves, branches, etc.) and not your trash or recyclables, because when they get thrown in the wrong bin, those other bins are “contaminated” and their mandated weight counts, simply don’t count.

In a round-about-way, we are saying, this: if CR&R doesn’t have enough materials diverted, they get fined. Which means we get fined. So far, CR&R and #OurRossmoor are doing well, so this likely won’t happen, and we don’t even like to talk about it – avoiding fines seems counterproductive as an incentive to do the right thing.

That being said, every year, the rules get a little more stringent, so the faster we get really good at this, the less we have to think about it. We just do it.

Here’s a short overview of exactly how to use these pails, to keep OCWR and CR&R very happy. Yes, we’ve heard of people using them in other ways, but we don’t suggest repurposing them as beer chilllers