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Organics Recycling

SB 1383 Reducing Short-Lived Climate Pollutants in California

Organic waste is any material that is biodegradable and comes from a plant or an animal. Biodegradable waste, or organic material, can be broken into carbon dioxide, methane or simple organic molecules. It's the largest material type that is landfilled in California each year. When organic materials decompose, methane is released.

In 2016, former Governor Jerry Brown signed legislation Senate Bill 1383 (SB 1383) which targets a reduction of short-lived climate pollutants, including methane. The law directs the California Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery (CalRecycle) to adopt regulations and requirements to achieve a 75% reduction in organic waste disposal by 2025.

The final regulations require residential, multi-family, and commercial units to divert organic waste from landfills by tossing unused food, such as eggshells, banana peels, and apple cores, as well as garden trimmings, lawn clippings and leaves in an organics cart, which will be collected on your normal collection day.

Compost and other products from recycled organic wastes are valuable to farmers, schools, community gardeners and many others in the agriculture and landscape industry. These products return nutrients to the soil, conserve water, reduce run-off, and help plants grow. By recycling food and landscape waste, residents and business owners are contributing to a greener, healthier California.

Residential Trash, Recycling, and Organics

The City and Garden Grove Sanitary District’s trash, recyclables, and organic waste are collected by Republic Services. For customer service, including establishing service, requesting a “right-sizing” of your service levels, changing an address, replacing containers, scheduling bulky item pickups, temporary bins, or reporting missed pickups, call Republic Services Garden Grove at (714) 238-3300.

Organics – NEW!

Senate Bill 1383 now requires all California residents to recycle their kitchen organic waste, or food scraps, with their yard trimmings.

Organic waste includes all food scraps, including cooked meat, fish, poultry, bones, fruits, vegetables, bread, pasta, rice, and grains; food-soiled paper, such as pizza boxes, coffee filters, wet paper towels, and soiled napkins; and yard waste, including grass, leaves, small branches, plants, weeds, and garden trimmings. View the What Goes Where guide to find out what goes in each cart.

Single-family residents' existing brown cart will become a mixed organics cart (yard waste and food waste). Your current service day will not change. Over the next few years, replacement organics carts will reflect the state-defined and mandated color scheme of a gray body with a green lid. All residential carts will be transitioned to the new cart color scheme by the end of 2027.

Recyclables

Recyclables include paper, cardboard, metal cans, plastic, and glass. View the What Goes Where guide to find out what goes in each cart. Recyclable items should be placed directly into your green recycle cart. Over the next few years, replacement carts will reflect the state-defined and mandated color scheme of a gray body with a blue lid. All residential carts will be transitioned to the new cart color scheme by the end of 2027.

Do you have recyclables with California Redemption Value (CRV) that you would like to redeem? To find the nearest Beverage Container Recycling Center near you, please visit CalRecycle’s website and type in your address in the search bar.

Bulky Item Collection Program

Republic Services provides a free bulky item collection program. Each residential account is entitled to three bulky item collections per year and up to 10 items per pickup. Contact Republic Services at (714) 238-3300 to reserve a bulky item collection date. Be ready to provide a detailed description of the items.

Bulky items include large, hard to handle items, such as furniture, appliances, computers, computer monitors, electronic waste, and extra yard waste.

Household Hazardous Waste and Electronic Waste

Household hazardous waste includes such items as paint, lawn chemicals, motor oil, solvents, batteries, sharps and needles, fluorescent bulbs, mercury thermometers, computer monitors, laptops and television sets. In February 2006, legislation went into effect that bans many electronic devices from landfills, meaning it is illegal to dispose of these items in the trash. This includes such items as computers, keyboards, stereos, cell phones, cordless phones, VCRs, microwaves, calculators, electronic toys, game consoles, "singing" greeting cards, and athletic shoes and jewelry with flashing lights. County of Orange residents can take these items to:

Household Hazardous Waste Collection Center
1071 N Blue Gum Street
Anaheim, CA 92806

Huntington Beach Collection Center
17121 Nichols Lane, Gate 6
Huntington Beach, CA 92647

Irvine Collection Center
6411 Oak Canyon
Irvine, CA 92618

San Juan Capistrano Collection Center
32250 Avenida La Pata
San Juan Capistrano, CA 92675

The centers are open from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday. They are closed on rainy days, Independence Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Day. For more information, call (714) 238-3300 or visit OC Landfills' Household Hazardous Waste website.

Used Oil and Used Oil Filter Certified Collection Centers

Residents have the option for recycling used motor oil by taking their oil to a State Certified Collection Center, visit OC Health’s website, or participate in the City’s free Residential Collection Program. To schedule a pick up, call (800) 449-7587.

To participate in the Residential Used Motor Oil Recycling Program, follow these steps:

  • Drain your oil into a clean, sealed plastic container not larger than 5 gallons, and not more than 20 gallons.
  • Use milk jugs, oil bottles, or water bottles with a lid.
  • Place oil filters into a plastic bag and seal it.
  • Call (800) 449-7587 to schedule a collection.
  • On your scheduled collection day, place the items by your front door or on your driveway as directed.
  • The collection crew will arrive between 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., and will put the items into a spill-proof container in the collection vehicle.

Commercial Trash, Recycling, and Organics

The City and Garden Grove Sanitary District’s trash, recyclables, and organic waste are collected by Republic Services. For customer service, including establishing service, requesting a “right-sizing” of your service levels, changing an address, replacing containers, scheduling bulky item pickups, temporary bins, or reporting missed pickups, call Republic Services Garden Grove at (714) 238-3300.

Organics – NEW!

As of January 1, 2022, Senate Bill 1383 requires all California businesses to recycle their organic materials, such as paper products, food scraps, landscape waste, and wood waste.

Organic waste includes all food scraps, including cooked meat, fish, poultry, bones, fruits, vegetables, bread, pasta, rice, and grains; food-soiled paper, such as pizza boxes, coffee filters, wet paper towels, and soiled napkins; and yard waste, including grass, leaves, small branches, plants, weeds, and garden trimmings. View the “What Goes Where” guide to find out what goes in each container.

Starting Spring 2023, organic waste collection services will rollout to all commercial businesses within the city, per the state mandate. Republic Services will contact businesses to set up these programs if they do not have them already in place. Businesses may be eligible for a waiver based on minimal organic waste produced, alternate diversion methods, and/or physical space constraints that must be verified by a Republic Services or City representative. If you're interested in reviewing your service options with a Republic Services representative, contact Frank Angel (English and Spanish) at (714) 575-3824 or email fangel@republicservices.com, or contact Michael Nguyen (English and Vietnamese) at (657) 480-8009 or email pnguyen@republicservices.com.

Please check the City’s Organics Recycling page for updates. For more information regarding the state mandate, visit CalRecycle’s website.

Recyclables

All California businesses must recycle items such as paper, cardboard, metal/aluminum cans, plastic, and glass. View the “What Goes Where” guide to find out what goes in each container. Recyclable items should be placed directly into your premise’s designated mixed recyclables container for collection by Republic Services.

Starting Spring 2023, recycling collection service will rollout to all commercial businesses within the city. Republic Services will contact businesses to set up these programs if they do not have them already in place. Businesses may be eligible for a waiver for alternate diversion methods that must capture all of the recyclable materials at your business and/or physical space constraints that must be verified by a Republic Services or City representative.

Does your business produce recyclables with California Redemption Value (CRV) that you would like to redeem? To find the nearest Beverage Container Recycling Center near you, visit CalRecycle’s website and type in your address in the search bar.

Bulky Item Collection

Bulky items include large, hard to handle items such as furniture, appliances, computers, printers, computer monitors, electronic waste, and extra-large yard waste.

Republic Services provides bulky item collection to commercial businesses for a fee per collection. Commercial businesses should contact Republic Services at (714) 238-3300 to reserve a bulky item collection date and confirm pricing.

Hazardous and Electronic Waste

Hazardous waste includes such items as paint, lawn chemicals, motor oil, solvents, batteries, sharps and needles, fluorescent bulbs, mercury thermometers, computer monitors, laptops and television sets. In February 2006, legislation went into effect that bans many electronic devices from landfills, meaning it is illegal to dispose of these items in the trash. This includes such items as computers, keyboards, stereos, cell phones, cordless phones, VCRs, microwaves, calculators, electronic toys, game consoles, "singing" greeting cards, and athletic shoes and jewelry with flashing lights.

Businesses are required to work with a third party entity to properly dispose of hazardous waste. Visit Orange County Waste and Recycling’s Business Hazardous Waste website for additional resources.

Multi-Family Residential Trash, Recycling, and Organics

The City and Garden Grove Sanitary District’s trash, recyclables, and organic waste are collected by Republic Services. For customer service, including establishing service, requesting a “right-sizing” of your service levels, changing an address, replacing containers, scheduling bulky item pickups, temporary bins, or reporting missed pickups, call Republic Services Garden Grove at (714) 238-3300.

Organics – NEW!

As of January 1, 2022, Senate Bill 1383 requires all California multi-family dwellings to recycle their organic materials, such as paper products, food scraps, landscape waste, and wood waste.

Organic waste includes all food scraps, including cooked meat, fish, poultry, bones, fruits, vegetables, bread, pasta, rice, and grains; food-soiled paper, such as pizza boxes, coffee filters, wet paper towels, and soiled napkins; and yard waste, including grass, leaves, small branches, plants, weeds, and garden trimmings. View the “What Goes Where” guide to find out what goes in each container.

Starting Fall 2023, organic waste collection services will rollout to all multi-family dwellings within the city, per the state mandate. Republic Services will contact property managers to set up these programs if they do not have them already in place. Multi-family dwellings may be eligible for a waiver based on minimal organic waste produced, alternate diversion methods, and/or physical space constraints that must be verified by a Republic Service or City representative. If you're interested in reviewing your service options with a Republic Services representative, contact Nikki Patino at (714) 238-3345 or email npatino@republicservices.com.

Please check the City’s Organics Recycling page for updates. For more information regarding the state mandate visit CalRecycle’s website.

Recyclables

All California multi-family dwellings must recycle items such as paper, cardboard, metal/aluminum cans, plastic, and glass. View the “What Goes Where” guide to find out what goes in each container. Recyclable items should be placed directly into your premise’s designated mixed recyclables container for collection by Republic Services.

Starting Fall 2023, recycling collection service will rollout to all multi-family dwellings within the city. Republic Services will contact property managers to set up these programs if they do not have them already in place. Multi-family dwellings may be eligible for a waiver for physical space constraints that must be verified by a Republic Services or City representative.

Do you have recyclables with California Redemption Value (CRV) that you would like to redeem? To find the nearest Beverage Container Recycling Center near you, visit CalRecycle’s website and type in your address in the search bar.

Bulky Item Collection Program – NEW!

Republic Services provides a free bulky item collection program to multi-family complexes. Each multi-family dwelling unit located in the city is entitled to three 3 bulky item collections per year and up to 10 items per pickup. Have your property owner or manager contact Republic Services at (714) 238-3300 to reserve a free bulky item collection date.

Bulky items include large, hard to handle items such as furniture, appliances, computers, computer monitors, electronic waste, and extra yard waste.

Household Hazardous Waste and Electronic Waste

Household hazardous waste includes such items as paint, lawn chemicals, motor oil, solvents, batteries, sharps and needles, fluorescent bulbs, mercury thermometers, computer monitors, laptops and television sets. In February 2006, legislation went into effect that bans many electronic devices from landfills, meaning it is illegal to dispose of these items in the trash. This includes such items as computers, keyboards, stereos, cell phones, cordless phones, VCRs, microwaves, calculators, electronic toys, game consoles, "singing" greeting cards, and athletic shoes and jewelry with flashing lights. County of Orange residents can take these items to:

Household Hazardous Waste Collection Center
1071 N Blue Gum Street
Anaheim, CA 92806

Huntington Beach Collection Center
17121 Nichols Lane, Gate 6
Huntington Beach, CA 92647

Irvine Collection Center
6411 Oak Canyon
Irvine, CA 92618

San Juan Capistrano Collection Center
32250 Avenida La Pata
San Juan Capistrano, CA 92675

The centers are open from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday. They are closed on rainy days, Independence Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Day. For more information, call (714) 238-3300 or visit OC Landfills' Household Hazardous Waste website.

Used Oil and Used Oil Filter Certified Collection Centers

Properly dispose of your used motor oil and used oil filters at one of Orange County’s certified collection centers. Search for the center nearest you at OC Health’s website. Residents should call the collection center to verify the hours and ensure they are able to accept your used oil and filters. This program is funded by a grant from CalRecycle and administered by the Orange County Health Care Agency.

Additional Resources

For additional information, please visit the California Department of Resources, Recycling and Recovery (CalRecycle) webpages:

City of Garden Grove and Republic Services Outreach

August 4, 2022: Robo Call
Script

August 8, 2022
Press Release: City, Republic Services Launch New Organics Recycling Program

August 8, 2022-August 12, 2022: Letter

Organics cart label

Residential Recycling Guide

August 29, 2022
Press Release: Organics Recycling for Single-Family Residents Begins Thursday

November 9, 2022: Commercial Auto-Enrollment Postcards

November 9, 2022
Press Release: Community Invited to Presentation on Organics Recycling, Receive Free Kitchen Pail

November 13, 2022
Press Release: Free Kitchen Pails for Organics Recycling Available at Republic Services

Winter 2023
Republic Services Recycling and Waste Newsletter

February 13, 2023: Commercial Letter

Spring 2023
Republic Services Recycling and Waste Newsletter - English
Republic Services Recycling and Waste Newsletter - Korean
Republic Services Recycling and Waste Newsletter - Spanish
Republic Services Recycling and Waste Newsletter - Vietnamese

October 3, 2023
Press Release: Multi-Family Residents Invited to Upcoming Organics Recycling Meetings, Receive Free Kitchen Pail

October 26, 2023
Press Release: Community Meetings Continue for Organics Recycling Program

November 2023: Multi-Family Recycling Guide

Fall 2023: Republic Services Recycling and Waste Newsletter

Winter 2024: Republic Services Recycling and Waste Newsletter