Dive Brief:

• The city of Torrance, California has reported that the volume of residential green waste collected on curbside pickups has grown by 204% since 2011.
• Torrance launched the green waste recycling program in September of 2012. According to sanitation services supervisor Matthew Knapp, 13,595 tons of organic clippings and compostable materials were collected in 2013. 4,475 tons were collected in 2011.
• The city's diversion rate for organics is higher than the state minimum of 50%. When Torrance expanded its organic waste program, the volume of recycled materials collected grew exponentially.

Dive Insight:

Green waste materials account for more than a quarter of the weight of waste entering the city's waste stream. These current figures were predicted by city officials in the 1990s, when the city conducted a waste generation study. 

300 to 320 tons of green waste is collected daily during the winter months, with 500 tons per day collected in the summer. The organic materials are then separated into two categories and treated accordingly: Plant debris is converted into mulch and tree waste is mixed with recycled wood and delivered to power plants to be converted into electricity.