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• California Climate Change Portal
• Climate Action Team
• ARB Climate Change Site

Climate Change and Solid Waste Management

Organics

California disposes an estimated 35 million tons of waste in landfills each year, of which approximately 30 percent is compostable organic materials, 30 percent is construction and demolition debris, and 20 percent is paper. Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions resulting from solid waste management have been identified as a source of global climate change. Methane is produced from anaerobic decomposition of organic materials in landfills, which are the source of the majority of man-made methane emissions in California.

In accordance with the goals of both the California Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery (CalRecycle) and the Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006, CalRecycle is committed to reducing organics in the waste stream by 50 percent by the year 2020. Achieving this goal will require diverting waste from landfills at a rate of 15 to 18 million tons per year and increasing compost production and markets.

Compost Production and Markets

Efforts to increase production and markets for compost include:

• Life Cycle Assessment and Economic Analysis of Diversion Alternatives. CalRecycle worked with RTI International, R.W. Beck, Matthew Cotton, and Dr. Sally Brown to perform a Life Cycle Assessment of organics diversion alternatives and economic analysis that included recyclables in support of the California Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006 (AB 32). The goal of the contract was to quantify the costs and greenhouse gas emissions associated with alternatives to manage organic wastes and recyclables currently being landfilled in California.
• Develop Compost Specifications for Agriculture. CalRecycle will develop compost specifications for several agricultural crops (avocados, blueberries, grapes, lettuce, strawberries, and tomatoes) and will conduct workshops tailored to the agricultural community, composters, and other interested parties. The ultimate goal of this project is to increase compost use in agriculture.
• Evaluate Compost as a Landfill Cover. CalRecycle is studying the effectiveness of using compost as a cover to mitigate methane emissions from landfills.
• Siting and Capacity Issues. Through workshops, permits and regulations, CalRecycle will identify barriers and corresponding solutions to the siting and expansion of organic diversion facilities that will be required to reduce the amount of organics landfilled by 50 percent in California by the year 2020.
  • On October 10, 2007, the California Integrated Waste Management Board (CIWMB) held an Organics Summit.
  • On April 16 and April 23, 2008, CIWMB hosted two siting and capacity workshops.
  • At the May 20, 2008, CIWMB Board meeting, there was a presentation and discussion of the preliminary results from the organic diversion facilities siting project (MS Powerpoint, 125 KB).
  • At the June 17, 2008, CIWMB Board meeting, the following item was presented: Discussion of Potential Options for The Organic Diversion Facilities Siting Project (Strategic Directive 6.1) (Word, 55 KB).
• Research, Product Standards, Technology Evaluation. CalRecycle has several ongoing and planned activities that fit within this category. In addition to the life cycle assessment for organic materials management mentioned above, CIWMB funded emissions testing for volatile organic compounds (Adobe PDF, 1.8 MB) at compost facilities. CalRecycle is also participating with the Air Resources Board (ARB) on a Compost Emissions Work Group to evaluate the emissions of volatile organic compounds (VOC) and GHGs from commercial composting operations. At its January 2008 meeting, the Board approved a scope of work for a contract (Word, 61 KB) to conduct research and establish a demonstration project to convert organic materials into bioenergy and biofuels.
• Evaluate Economic Incentives and Disincentives. At its December 11, 2007 meeting, the Board directed staff to implement the Organics Policy Roadmap. One of the efforts the road map focuses on is an analysis of economic incentives and disincentives for using compost. CalRecycle will analyze:
  • Carbon credits, tradable diversion credits, tax credits.
  • Landfill surcharge with funds used for infrastructure development (e.g., composting, anaerobic digestion) and other diversion programs.
  • State bonds requiring use of compost products.
  • The creation of incentives for co-location, resource parks.
  • Banning disposal of organics.
  • Requiring preprocessing prior to disposal.
  • A full-cost accounting analysis.
• Conduct Caltrans Demonstration/Field Workshops on Compost Based Best Management Practices. CalRecycle will develop compost-based Best Management Practices (BMP). The BMPs will lead to water conservation in vegetation establishment, reduction in energy used to irrigate during the vegetation establishment phase, reduction in air and watershed pollution, and protection of water quality. BMP demonstration projects and field workshops (Word, 163 KB) will evaluate and quantify the benefits of compost and mulch across a variety of soil types and environmental conditions.

Landscaping

CalRecycle is also working with the Climate Action Team's Land Use Subgroup to reduce greenhouse gases by developing "Watershed-Friendly” Landscaping Guidelines for adoption and customization for local climates and conditions. The guidelines will conserve water, reduce green waste, reduce air pollution, and protect water quality.

Examples of existing landscape guidelines customized for local climates and conditions include:

• Bay-Friendly Landscaping
• River-Friendly Landscape Guidelines

More information is available regarding sustainable landscaping practices.