Food Waste
Don't have a food scrap pail? No problem, call us at 420-5377 or email us at organics@santacruzca.gov, and we will deliver one to you.
Feed People, Not Landfills
- Refuse - To waste food
- Rethink - Your habits
- Reduce - What you toss
- Reuse - Donate safely
- Recycle - Eat your leftovers; Create something new
- Rot - Compost close to home; Use the City's Food Scrap program
Note: This program covers Solid Waste Collection Customers within the City of Santa Cruz. Customers outside of the City of Santa Cruz service zone should contact GreenWaste Customer Service at 831-426-2711.
SB 1383 Mandatory Food Scrap Collection
Did you know that separating your waste into food scraps, recycling, and garbage is the law?
City and State laws require City of Santa Cruz residents (in all types of homes, including houses, apartments, condos, and townhomes) and businesses to subscribe to services and sort food scraps, yard waste, recycling, and garbage.
As of January 1, 2022, in California, all residents, businesses, and other generators of organic waste must subscribe to green waste collection service and keep those items out of the trash. Why? Because municipal landfills are the third-largest source of methane emissions in the US.
Organic waste in landfills emits:
- 20% of the state’s methane, a climate super pollutant that heats 84 times more than carbon dioxide.
- Air pollutants like PM 2.5, which contributes to health conditions like asthma.
Organics like food scraps, wasted food, and yard trimmings make up roughly 27% of what Santa Cruzians send to the landfill. By properly sorting out food scraps, yard waste, and recycling, we can reduce our landfill use (thus extending its lifespan!), lower greenhouse gas emissions, and reduce air pollutants in Santa Cruz!
For more information, visit the State’s Senate Bill 1383 website.
City residents are eligible to receive a free 2-gallon countertop food scrap pail that helps collect scraps in the kitchen and transfer them to the larger collection container.
What Does Compliance Look Like?
Explore our Compliance page to better understand how you can achieve compliance, stay in compliance, and avoid fines.
Commercial Businesses
State laws mandating commercial recycling and organics require businesses to recycle and separate food scraps. When properly implemented, City programs and services will help you achieve compliance, help your business save money, and keep valuable materials from entering the landfill.
A waiver may be granted if a commercial entity provides documentation or evidence of exemption as defined in SCMC 6.12.033. Waivers are granted at the discretion of the Public Works Director or Designee.
- De Minimis waiver - The entity does not meet the threshold for the amount of collected food scraps
- Physical Space Constraint waiver - The premises lack adequate space to fit all containers (trash, recycling, organics)
Required Commercial Edible Food Generators must also donate the maximum amount of edible food to Food Recovery Agencies that distribute food to those in need. Here you will find a list of Food Recovery Agencies in the area. For more information about required food generators or recovery agencies, please contact csoon@santacruzca.gov.
Required commercial entities must also adhere to applicable CDFA rendering guidelines.
Link to online education materials for businesses.
For free education materials for your business or questions regarding your business' compliance with the requirements listed above, contact Waste Reduction Assistant Caylie Soon at csoon@santacruzca.gov.
Multifamily Properties
All multifamily properties are required to separate food scraps and other organics from the trash. If your property is not set up with this service yet, contact your property manager to request the service or contact the Waste Reduction team to get the conversation started.
Link to online education materials for multifamily properties.
For free educational materials for your tenants, contact Waste Reduction Assistant Julian Sayen at jsayen@santacruzca.gov.
Food Scrap Community Drop-Off Locations
Are you diverting Food Scraps from the landfill, but would rather bring them to a community drop-off location? No problem! The Waste Reduction team hosts two community drop-off bins conveniently located at Trescony Park (on the Westside) and at City Hall (downtown), where residents can bring their food scraps to dispose of in the locked bins. Contact Waste Reduction Staff to gain access to one of our drop-off bins.
It's Not Compost! It's Food Scraps
The City of Santa Cruz does not participate in commercial composting. Instead, our food scraps become energy!
Food scraps (including vegetables, fruits, meat scraps, dairy products, seafood, and solid fats) are collected from residential and commercial customers and then preprocessed at the City of Santa Cruz Resource Recovery Facility.
The finished product—a ground food mash —is transported to an anaerobic digestion facility about every 14 days. The food mash undergoes anaerobic digestion, a biological process in which microorganisms break down biodegradable material in the absence of oxygen to produce biogas. It is the City's goal to send our processed food mash to our own or other regional Wastewater Treatment Facilities once infrastructure changes are implemented.
Resources
Missed Pick Up?
For missed service or a broken pail, contact SCMU Customer Service at:
831-420-5220
scmu@santcruzca.gov