GOLDEN HILLS, Calif. (KERO) — Under the law, Golden Hills residents can choose to enroll in trash pickup services or self-haul organics to the landfill. Officials say there's no opting out, everyone must comply with the law.
- SB1383, the law that requires organic materials to be separated from other trash and recyclables, went into effect for Golden Hills on April 1.
- Unlike other municipalities, residents have a choice for how to comply with the law. Residents can either enroll in hauling services provided by J. Torres Co., which will add an additional trash can for organics, or self-haul organic material to the landfill.
- Officials in Golden Hills want to make sure residents are aware that SB1383 is a state law. If you do not enroll in J. Torres Co. hauling services, officials say you will need to self-haul to comply with the law. Alternatively, if you have space to do so, they say composting on your own property is an option, too.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
A new law changing the way you separate waste. There are different ways to comply with the law that officially went into effect for Golden Hills residents on April 1. One of those options includes bringing separate materials here to the Tehachapi Landfill.
“It’s going to take some learning and getting it done correctly,” Joe Torres said.
Joe Torres, general manager of J. Torres Co., a local trash hauling company, says a big part of that learning is figuring out which materials get sorted into the compost barrels. Organic materials to be composted include expired food, leaves, twigs or greasy pizza boxes.
Torres's company provides optional hauling services for Golden Hills residents as part of the area’s compliance with SB 1383.
“SB 1383 is a state law. Unfortunately, there’s no way to get around that,” said Christopher Carlson.
Since the law went into effect earlier this month, Golden Hills Community Services District General Manager Christopher Carlson says there has been some push back from residents, and it's something he says he understands.
“I know it’s change, I know it’s difficult," said Carlson. "The quicker people embrace it, the quicker it’ll be. It’ll become second nature in a couple of months.”
Golden Hills has about 3,000 water connections with a total of just more than 10,000 residents, Carlson says. Since the new law went into effect, Torres says about 88% of residents enrolled in the hauling services.
Under SB 1383, people need to separate organic material from other waste. The main change for those using J. Torres’ hauling comes down to adding an additional bin, around $11 more per month.
Torres says the addition of the third bin brings the total cost of his services to $34.62 per month, billed quarterly.
For those who don’t want a third bin or don’t have space to store it, officials say they can choose to self-haul. For self-hauling, you sort the organic material yourself and bring it to the Tehachapi Landfill.
Torres says since this law is fairly new, self-haulers should document their hauls, so in the event of an audit, they can provide proof they are following the law.
“That is my advice to them: keep a log," Torres said. "Log it every time you go to the landfill.”
The bill aims to reduce methane emissions in landfills that come from organic waste, such as grass trimmings or food scraps.
By separating these materials, Carlson says this is a law that heads toward a cleaner future.
“There was push back in recycling, but now everybody is proud to recycle," Carlson said. "So, I think this will be one more step in that transition to a cleaner California.”
Torres says although it’s a learning curve for people figuring out how to sort organic material into the proper bins, he’s impressed with how residents have stepped up just in these first few weeks.
Torres says he encourages people to comply with the law, whether that’s by using their services or choosing to self-haul.
“We’re on your side, honestly. We’re not the enemy," Torres said. "We’re having to do a job that they’ve asked us to do.”
Golden Hills CSD encourages residents to reach out if they have questions. Detailed information on the roll out of SB1383 in Golden Hills can be found on their website. A flyer explaining how to sort material into each waste bin is attached in a carousel at the top of this story.
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