Combatting Food-waste-related Emissions in Santa Cruz

Santa Cruz County has pursued an active approach to reducing food-waste-related greenhouse gas emissions, implementing mandatory organic waste collection programs driven in part by California's SB 1383 legislation, which took effect in January 2022 and requires all residents to separate food scraps from regular trash. Since the program's launch, the county's composting initiative has diverted tens of thousands of tons of organic material from the Buena Vista Landfill, sharply cutting methane released from decomposing food waste.

The diverted food scraps are processed into compost used by local farmers and gardeners. The City of Santa Cruz separately routes food waste to a resource recovery facility where it is converted into animal feed pellets, biodiesel, and fertilizer. Together, these efforts reflect a broader strategy to address the roughly 44% of landfill material that has historically been organic waste and to meet the county's climate action goals around methane reduction.

Santa Cruz County's green bins are the easy part; the state target behind them is already missed. SB 1383 demanded 75% less organic waste in landfills by 2025 against 2014 levels, yet Spectrum News reports California diverted 11.2 million tons in 2022 when roughly 27 million a year was needed, and a 2026 CalMatters commentary notes landfilled organics actually rose by a million tons between 2014 and 2020. CalRecycle can fine a lagging jurisdiction $500 to $10,000 per violation per day, though 126 of them won extra time and local programs recovered 231,766 tons of unsold food in 2024. The county's own clock is the Buena Vista Landfill, which its waste task force says could close as early as 2028.