Item 11 - Orange County Grand Jury Report: Talking Trash: Recyclables and Organic Waste

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Talking Trash: Recyclables and Organic Waste information included in "Frequently Asked Questions" on RNG on the CalRecycle website (CalRecycle, 2022): Renewable gas derived solely from sewage is ineligible for meeting the procurement target because a Publicly Owned Treatment Work (POTW) is not a solid waste facility and therefore not in the scope of the legislative intent of SB 1383. Sewage is also not typically destined for a landfill, so its use does not help achieve the landfill diversion goals. However, Title 14 explicitly authorizes POTWs to accept food waste without a solid waste facility permit, making it functionally similar to incentivizing biomethane from a solid waste facility. Therefore, it is justifiable to allow the portion of renewable gas resulting from the digestion of food waste at POTWs to count toward the procurement targets, provided the POTW accepts food waste from specified facilities or operations (see 14 CCR Section 18993.1(h)(1)] and meets all other applicable regulatory requirements. For more information, please see the Statement of Purpose and Necessity (pages 178-180). The issue of procurement difficulties encountered by California jurisdictions is mentioned in the Little Hoover Commission 2023 report on the implementation of SIB 1383. The Commission recommended that "the state should expand the list of compliance pathways and products eligible to count toward a jurisdiction's procurement requirements." (Little Hoover Commission, 2023) • Coordination and Vision for the Future In a county with thirty-four cities and several other jurisdictions, coordination, collaboration, and sharing resources and best practices can be a challenge. The OCGJ learned that county -wide groups meet on a regular basis, including a waste management coordinators' group, a haulers' group, and a market development group. Additionally, the OCGJ learned that OCW&R has assumed a leadership role in positioning Orange County for a greener, more sustainable future. OCW&R has a clear vision for a regional, county -wide approach to the implementation of SIB 1383, which includes not only organics and edible food strategies, but also market creation and development, procurement and compliance, and regional standardization and collaboration. The details of their vision are outlined in the 2024 presentation to the legislative group, which is available on the OCW&R website (OC Waste & Recycling, 2024). The following slide has been taken from this presentation. 2023-2024 Orange County Grand Jury Page 16