A municipal compost program is only finished when the compost has somewhere to go. Most cities and counties use a mix of outlets: their own parks and landscaping, roadside and erosion control work, free giveaways to residents, and bulk sales to farms and landscapers. In California, SB 1383 adds a reason to plan this carefully, because every jurisdiction must procure recovered organic waste products each year, and compost from a permitted facility counts toward that target.<\/p>\n
Compost accumulates. A facility that makes more than its outlets absorb fills its curing and storage area, and finished compost left in piles brings its own stormwater runoff, dust and handling cost. A city that has already decided where the product goes can size storage, screening and loadout to match, and can tell its board what happens to the material.<\/p>\n
California turned this into a legal requirement. Under 14 CCR section 18993.1<\/a>, each city and county must procure recovered organic waste products each year, at 0.08 tons of organic waste per California resident. CalRecycle’s procurement page<\/a> says jurisdictions can use compost and mulch in many applications, such as landscaping in city parks, and that procurement does not necessarily mean the products are purchased. Our guide to SB 1383 compliance for cities and counties<\/a> covers the rest of the law.<\/p>\nThe outlets compared<\/h2>\n