Get ready to sort your kitchen waste: New recycling rules start Friday

Starting Friday in Sacramento city and county, all these things -- including the used pizza box -- can be placed in the organic-waste container to be recycled into compost. (Photo: Kathy Morrison)

You will never look at a soiled pizza box or a banana peel the same way.

Friday is the start of Sacramento’s new organics recycling program. It’s part of a statewide rollout of new programs designed to cut down on organic waste – anything plant- or animal-based – in landfills.

Senate Bill 1383, which was signed by Gov. Jerry Brown more than five years ago, is finally kicking in. This state law mandates cities and counties to divert organic waste from landfills, where it breaks down into methane – among the worst greenhouse gases. Instead, the waste can be turned into compost to nourish soil or used to generate energy.

When it comes to climate change, methane is 80 times more potent that carbon dioxide. Food scraps alone represent up to 20% of all landfill material. According to CalRecycle, Californians throw away almost 6 million tons of food scraps each year.

How each municipality and county accomplishes that diversion of kitchen waste is up to them. And new rules vary in every county.

Customers are asked to keep their kitchen scraps (including meat, bones and leftover prepared food) separate from their household trash. Those scraps will then be collected weekly.

In Sacramento, the kitchen scraps are going into what used to be the “yard/green waste” container. That garbage can will now be referred to as the “organic waste container.” All the yard trimmings are still going into that container, too. And so will soiled food wrappers and other paper that can’t be recycled (such as pizza boxes); those items used to be confined to the trash.

The organic waste container will be used to dispose of kitchen scraps, green waste and food-soiled paper, says Sacramento. (That's the same in both city and county.)

Specifically, kitchen scraps include: Cooked and raw food waste, such as uneaten vegetables, fruits, trimmings, meats, dairy, bones, baked goods, eggshells, etc.

Green waste includes: Grass clippings, small branches, leaves, cut flowers, garden trimmings, wood chips, and clean wood (no paint, no stain, etc.).

Food-soiled paper includes: Used napkins, paper cups, coffee filters, greasy pizza boxes, tea bags, used (but uncoated) paper plates, etc.

As for paper, experts recommend placing several sheets of newsprint at the bottom of the organic waste container each week before filling. The newspaper can help absorb any liquids that may accumulate.

In addition, cover any additions of kitchen scraps to the container with a layer of dried leaves, grass clippings or more newspaper (preferably shredded). That will help keep down any fly or pest issues.

(Note: No pet waste is accepted in the organics bin, as well as such items as coated-paper milk cartons, glass or metal containers, or treated or painted wood.)