Organic waste recycling begins
The City of San Diego is rolling out a new Organic Waste Recycling program. Every San Diegan will be able to recycle organic waste – which includes food scraps, food-soiled paper and yard trimmings – through pickup in the green bins.
Green bins are being delivered to City-serviced residences that do not currently have one, and kitchen pails are being delivered to all City-serviced residences. The kitchen pail is to be used for the easy collection and transfer of food scraps and food-soiled paper products to the larger green bin. The green bin will be picked up weekly on the same day as trash at your normal collection location. The distribution of new green bins for organic waste recycling will be rolled out by route.
Organic waste accounts for about 40 percent of the waste in landfills. Left to decompose in landfills, organic waste produces methane, a pollutant that traps the sun’s heat, warms the atmosphere and accelerates climate change. Under the new recycling system, citizens can turn food and yard waste into nutrient-rich compost, which can then be used to nourish gardens, parks, farms and open spaces without releasing significant amounts of methane gas into the atmosphere. One of the other processes used to recycle organic waste can create natural gas, which is trapped and cleaned to power vehicle fleets and generate energy.
If you received a new green bin, you have the option to exchange the container for a smaller or larger container size or to request an additional bin (requests will be reviewed for eligibility). Bin requests can be made on the Get It Done app at sandiego.gov/get-it-done or by calling (858) 694-7000. Find out if the City is your waste hauler by visiting the Get it Done webpage or download the app. Visit OrganicWasteRecycleSD.org to learn more, or contact SDRecyclingWorks@SanDiego.gov or Customer Care Center at Trash@SanDiego.gov or phone (858) 694-7000.