Dive Brief:

• Under a bill that is currently under consideration in the CA state legislature, businesses and local governments in the Golden State would be required to recycle organic waste.
• Proponents of the bill, including environmental groups, cite reduced methane emissions as a major potential windfall. Democratic Assemblyman Wes Chesbro said he supports the measure because organic materials can be converted into fuel or compost.
• Opponents note that local governments will need to pay the costs associated with recycling the waste, thereby adding more financial woes to communities with limited resources. Critics also say that the fleet used to transport the waste to recycling plants was mentioned as a reason to veto the bill.

Dive Insight:

The CA senate previously approved the bill, which will now head back to the Assembly for a concurrence vote. Related measures have already been adopted in other states. For instance, Massachusetts is slated to ban commercial food waste on October 1, 2014. The ban is expected to reduce the state’s waste stream by 30% in 2020 and 80% in 2050.

Food waste accounts for approximately 25% of the total waste stream. Eliminating organics from landfills could potentially launch a new industry for food waste-to-energy plants as the need for improved infrastructure increases.