Organic Materials Recycling and Marketing Resources

Organic materials consist of yard or landscape trimmings (including leaves, grass, and yard trimmings), scrap wood (including pallets, branches, and stumps), food scraps, manures, agricultural crop residues, and other miscellaneous compostable organic materials.

This list below has recycling and marketing sources to promote the use of organic materials for:

Associations

• Association of Compost Producers is a nonprofit association of public and private organizations dedicated to increasing the quality, value, and amount of compost being used in California.
• Californians Against Waste is a nonprofit environmental research and advocacy organization that identifies, develops, promotes, and monitors policy solutions to pollution and conservation problems posing a threat to public health and the environment.
• California Resource Recovery Association (CRRA) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting waste reduction, reuse, recycling, pollution prevention, and composting. The CRRA works to expand markets for recycled materials, promotes sustainable materials policies, and is a clearinghouse for information, innovation, and industry and governmental initiatives.
• Ecological Farming Association nurtures healthy and just farms, food systems, communities, and environment by bringing people together for education, alliance building, and advocacy.
• Community Alliance with Family Farmers advocates for California family farmers and sustainable agriculture.
• Northern California Recycling Association is a nonprofit organization that promotes waste reduction, reuse, salvaging, recycling, and composting as vital tools for resource and energy conservation and as cost-effective, environmentally sound methods of disposing of discarded materials.
• U.S. Composting Council is a national, nonprofit trade and professional organization promoting recycling of organic materials through composting.

Coordinators

• Local recycling coordinators can help identify markets and sources of organic materials. CalRecycle maintains a directory of CalRecycle Local Assistance and Market Development staff and local contacts for each county and jurisdiction.

Recycling Centers

• Recycling Centers: Call 1-800-CLEAN UP to help you locate a convenient recycling center.

Resources

• Biocycle: Journal of Composting and Recycling is a good source for information on organics recycling.
• CalRecycle's composting regulations provide information on composting regulations for California.
• CalRecycle's Third Assessment of California's Compost and Much-Producing Infrastructure--Management Practices and Market Conditions report provides the third comprehensive survey of California's organics materials management industry.
• Composting News covers events, regulatory actions and market information related to organic materials management.
• Cornell University provides access to a variety of composting educational materials and programs developed at Cornell University.
• Recycler's World is a world wide trading site and information exchange for secondary or recyclable commodities, by-products, used & surplus items or materials.
• Resource Recycling provides in-depth analysis and information on compost and recycling issues.
• University of California (Davis) Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program provides leadership and support for scientific research and education in agricultural and food systems that are economically viable, sustain natural resources and biodiversity, and enhance the quality of life in California's diverse communities.
• U.S. EPA organics materials website provides information and links to organic materials recycling publications, resources, and activities.
• Waste Age serves private contracting firms, governmental entities, and consulting engineers, as well as equipment dealers, distributors, manufacturers and others allied to the waste industry.

Organics Materials Management Resources