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ORGANICS RECYCLING AND EDIBLE FOOD DONATION

Senate Bill (SB) 1383: California’s Short-lived Climate Pollution Reduction Strategy Act

Senate Bill (SB) 1383 is a state law that aims to drastically reduce organic waste, conserve landfill space and reduce methane emissions through mandatory organics recycling and edible food recovery for certain food-generating businesses. Methane, a short-lived climate pollutant, leaves the atmosphere quicker than carbon dioxide and is more than 28 times as potent as carbon dioxide at trapping heat in the atmosphere (EPA). Massive reductions of organic waste from the landfill and beneficial reuse of this resource through organics recycling and edible food recovery will have a rapid and significant effect on global warming while building healthy soils and feeding hungry people.

SB 1383 Objectives

  • Reduce statewide disposal of organic waste 75% by 2025 (based on 2014 levels)
  • Recover at least 20% of currently disposed surplus edible food by 2025

Whatever program you decide to incorporate at your business, Burrtec and the City of Santa Clarita will provide support and assistance so that you can be successful in complying with State law and reducing waste that goes to the landfill.

The United States Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA) has resources available, such as the Wasted Food Scale below, to understand the different pathways that are available to avoid wasting good food.

EDIBLE FOOD RECOVERY PROGRAM

On January 1, 2022, SB 1383 went into effect, requiring businesses identified as a commercial edible food generator (EFG) to recover the maximum amount of edible food that would otherwise be disposed of in the trash or organics.

The City has partnered with ReCREATE Waste Collaborative to assist with the Edible Food Recovery Program as part of Senate Bill 1383 (SB 1383). They will be visiting businesses that are deemed edible food generators and will need your cooperation to assist the City in compliance efforts and contribute to the success of the program.

Commercial Edible Food Generator Requirements

Commercial edible food generators (categorized as Tier 1 or 2 businesses under SB 1383) are required to donate all surplus edible food to a food recovery organization or service, secured through a written contract/agreement, and maintain records of type, frequency and pounds of all food recovered each month as listed below. EFGs are required to maintain and provide all necessary contracts/written agreements and the following records during inspections:

  • A copy of contracts/ written agreements with a food recovery service or organization
  • A list of each food recovery service or organization that collects/receives edible food
  • The name, address, and contact information of the food recovery service or organization
  • The types of food donated
  • The established frequency of food donation(s)
  • The quantity of food donated (must be tracked by pounds per month)

The City of Santa Clarita and/or its contractor, ReCREATE Waste Collaborative, will be inspecting these donation agreements, as well as records of weights and food types donated each month.

Donating food does not exempt a business from SB 1383’s separate organics waste collection bin mandates unless they are eligible for a waiver.

Tier 1 and Tier 2 Definitions

Tier 1 (Compliance by January 1, 2022)

  • Supermarkets
  • Grocery stores (with a total facility size 10,000 square feet or more)
  • Food service providers
  • Wholesale food vendors
  • Food distributors

Tier 2 (Compliance by January 1, 2024)

  • Hotels with an on-site food facility (over 200+ rooms)
  • Restaurant (over 5,000 sq. ft. or 250+ seating capacity)
  • Health facilities with an on-site food facility (over 100 beds)
  • State agency cafeterias (over 5,000 sq. ft. or 250+ seats)
  • Local education facilities with an on-site food facility
  • Large venues (seats or serves an average of more than 2,000 individuals within the grounds of the facility per day of operation)
  • Large event (serves an average of more than 2,000 individuals per day of operation)

Food Liability: Your Business is Protected

There are laws in place to protect businesses when donating food:

Food Waste Prevention Tips for Commercial Edible Food Generators:

  • Reduce the volume of surplus food generated.
    • Conduct an internal assessment to determine where, when, and how much surplus is generated in your operations.
    • Increase communication with suppliers about food waste to minimize over-ordering.
  • Create a discount shelf area for ripe or nearly expired food.
  • Use leftover food creatively!
    • Turn stale bread into croutons for salads.
    • Shift to a cook-to-order production instead of bulk-cooking all day.
    • Use ripe vegetables and close-to-expiring meat in soups and other prepared dishes.
  • Make surplus food available to staff.


Community Partners for Food Donation

Please click on any box below for more information regarding organizations that may be currently providing food donation services within the City of Santa Clarita:

Bridge to Home

23752 Newhall Ave. Newhall, CA 91321
Nicole Feast Williams
(661) 254-4663

nicole.feast-williams@btohome.org
btohome.org


Accepts: baked goods, prepared and individually packaged items, shelf-stable produce and trays/multi-serving meals

Church of Hope

Mint Canyon Plaza #105, 17866 Sierra Highway, Canyon Country, CA 91351
Pastor Josh McGuffy
(661) 298-3890

joshnickmc@gmail.com
thecurchofhope.org


Accepts: non-perishables, baked goods, damaged and expired items

College of the Canyons (The BaNC)

26455 Rockwell Canyon Rd. STC-123, Santa Clarita, CA 91355

Sara Cox
(661) 362-3326

sarah.cox@canyons.edu
canyons.edu/studentservices/banc


Accepts: all types and quantities of food are accepted

SCV Veterans Collaborative

23222 Lyons Ave, Newhall, CA 91321
(661) 753-3559


Accepts: non-perishables, baked goods, damaged and expired items

LA Regional Food Bank

1734 East 41st Street, Los Angeles, CA 90058

Jeanna Kindle
(323) 234-3030

jkindle@lafoodbank.org
lafoodbank.org


Accepts: All types and quantities of food are accepted.

Santa Clarita Grocery (SC Coalition)

21176 Centre Pointe Parkway, Suite 330 Santa Clarita, CA 91350

Bradley Grose
(661) 425-7575

Bradley.w.grose@gmail.com
santaclaritagrocery.org


Accepts: non-perishables, bakes goods, produce, dairy, meat, seafood, prepared-packaged items, damaged and expired items.

SCV Food Pantry

24133 Railroad Ave, Santa Clarita, CA 91321

Joanne G. Ainsworth
(661) 255-9078

jainsworth@scvfoodpantry.org
scvfoodpantry.org


Accepts: all types and quantities of foods are accepted.

Salvation Army

22935 Lyons Ave, Santa Clarita, CA 91321
(661) 799-5841


Accepts: all types and quantities of foods are accepted.

Food Recovery Organizations and Services Requirements
FROs/FRSs that provide food donation contracts to EFGs are required to maintain and provide all necessary recordkeeping during inspections:

  • The name, address, and contact information for each commercial edible food generator that the food recovery organization receives edible food from
  • The quantity of edible food received/collected from each EFG (must be tracked by pounds per month)
  • The name, address, and contact information for each food recovery service that the food recovery organization receives edible food from (if applicable)
  • Must provide to the city where it is located in an annual report in of the amount of edible food, in pounds, recovered in the previous calendar year

Additional Resources
To learn more about SB 1383 regulations and timeline view CalRecycle’s SB 1383 Model Food Recovery Agreement Presentation(PDF, 1MB).

Outreach and Food Reduction Tips:

Save the Food: Provides planning, storage tips, and tools to reduce edible food waste. Includes
interactive storage guide, and tips for cooking with food scraps.

Further with Food: Users share their responses, initiatives, tools, and best practices geared to curb food waste.

Food DROP LA: Provides business resources including Food Donation Toolkit and Food Donation Tracking Form.

Los Angeles County Food Redistribution Initiative: LA County Department of Public Health site provides resources to the public about safe methods to prevent, donate, and recycle excess food.