SAN DIEGO – In order to reduce organic waste, the City of San Diego will begin this week to roll out green recycling bins to residents as part of the new organic waste recycling program.
The rollout will not be overnight, it will take a few months to give the bins to residents, but it is just the first step in meeting the city’s “Zero Waste Plan” and climate action goals.
This program brings San Diego in line with a state bill requiring residents and businesses to reduce disposable waste like food scraps, food-soiled paper and yard trimmings by 75 percent in 2025.
Methane emissions come from decomposing organic waste.
San Diego’s Environmental Services Department will begin delivering green organic waste bins and small kitchen pails to residents.
“Once they receive their new kitchen pale and green bin, residents will join the fight against climate change by diverting their organic waste which is food scraps, food-soiled paper, yard waste and untreated wood in the green bin,” said Renee Robertson, the director of San Diego’s organic waste recycling program.
The bins will be rolled out in phases, residents living in the zip code 92102 (also known as Golden Hills) will get theirs on Wednesday.
This also includes surrounding areas and the 92113 zip code.
“This rollout will continue with about 15,000 bins delivered each week over the course of the next several months,” Robertson said.
She adds that recycling organic waste is the easiest and fastest we can all do to fight climate change.
“Decomposing organic waste in the landfills is a source of greenhouse gas in fact it’s 20 percent of the state’s methane emissions,” Robertson explained. “Methane is a climate super pollutant 85 times more potent than carbon dioxide.”
Conrad Wear oversees the delivery and logistics of the program he said, San Diego residents will get a least a month’s notice when they can expect their new bin curbside.
From then on people can dispose of their trash as they normally would.
“Each city service single-family home will receive one 195-gallon bin and small kitchen pail and multifamily properties will receive 135-gallon bin and kitchen pail per unit,” Wear explained. “Properties that have 65-gallon black bins will receive a 65-gallon green bin and a small kitchen pail.”
Anyone interested in exchanging their bins for larger or smaller ones can do so without any charge.
Additionally, there’s no penalty at first if residents don’t comply, but down the road after a year or two FOX 5 was told there might be a penalty fee for no compliance.
