Required Composting and SB 1383

Senate Bill (SB) 1383 (Short-Lived Climate Pollutant Reduction law) went into effect in 2022 and affects all Californians. The law addresses “short-lived climate pollutants” or the greenhouse gases caused when food is sent to landfills instead of compost. The law requires that everyone – residents, businesses and schools – keep compostable waste out of our landfills.

Tiburon residents do not need to change their hauler services as Mill Valley Refuse Service provides residential composting, recycling, and garbage collection as part of their standard pickup.

Separate your trash, recycling and compost into the correct carts. The Mill Valley Refuse Service "What Goes Where?" tool can help you decide which can to use to properly recycle or dispose an item. 

Properly dispose of food scraps, plant material, and food-soiled paper or cardboard in the green cart. Place clean paper or cardboard in the recycling cart.

Why is it Important?

Food scraps and food-soiled paper make up 23% of Marin's residential waste stream. When you compost, your organic waste will be diverted from the landfill to create a rich and nutritious soil amendment that can be put back in the earth, closing the "recycling loop". 

When food scraps and other organic matter go to the landfill, the rotting process releases methane, a powerful greenhouse gas pollutant that contributes to climate change. California SB 1383 has two main goals:

• Reduce the disposal of compostable waste to landfills by 75% by 2025.
• Recover at least 20% of edible food currently disposed of in landfills by 2025

Food scraps, food-soiled paper and yard waste are processed into Homegrown Compost, a premium, affordable compost which you can purchase directly from Redwood Landfill's VMEarthCare Center in Novato.