2002 Annual Report: Organics

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• Landscape Management
• Food Scrap Management
• Compost/Mulch Source List
• Organics Partnerships
• Biennial Infrastructure Survey
• Grant Funding Pilot Project
• Best Management Practices (BMPs) for Compostable Materials

Landscape Management
Leaves, grass, prunings, and yard trimmings make up more than 10 percent of all materials landfilled in California. Encouraging the adoption and use of resource-efficient landscaping practices to reduce generation of these materials is a major Board priority.

In 2002, in the wake of projects it funded in 2001, the Board employed several efforts that reduced California’s green waste. These projects diverted landscaping materials to reuse markets, further minimizing the quantity of green waste disposed in landfills yearly.

The Board continued to work with the Department of General Services (DGS) to improve landscaping practices at the State Capitol. DGS staff attended landscape training sessions in January and September that covered topics such as turfgrass management, tree planting and pruning, integrated pest management, and weed control. Board staff is also working with Waste Management, Inc. and the Department of Water Resources to implement a mulch demonstration project at the State Capitol to control weeds, conserve water, and reduce water runoff.

The Board continued to work with the City of Sacramento to implement the Pollution Prevention Incentives for States (PPIS) grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The “North Natomas Landscape Plant Guidelines” were developed to reduce over planting by home builders and minimize green waste. The City Planning Commission should approve the plant guidelines in 2003.

Cooperative activities with various agencies and organizations enable the Board to leverage resources and continue promotional activities that reduce green waste generation.

Food Scrap Management
Nearly 16 percent of California's waste stream consists of food scraps. To facilitate the diversion of this material, Board staff responds to individual requests for assistance and continues to maintain and update the Food Scrap Management Web site, providing additional case studies, fact sheets, and reference resources. Many jurisdictions, institutions, and commercial businesses are planning and implementing food diversion programs, while others are facing barriers to implementation. To identify and address these barriers, the Board held a statewide Food Residuals Diversion Summit in Sacramento in October 2002. Stakeholders from throughout the state representing food waste generation, collection, and end use were brought together to learn and provide input to the Board on how to best facilitate the development of food diversion programs. Specific program recommendations arising from the summit will be presented to the Board in early 2003. These recommendations include:

• Development of a Web-based food diversion information clearinghouse.
• Adoption of a “Food Waste Diversion Hierarchy.”
• Development of contract concepts or legislative proposals supporting food diversion program development to present to the CIWMB.
• Promotion of assistance tools and resources as they are developed.
• Pursuit of partnerships and working agreements with trade associations, food-related regulatory agencies, and other food-related organizations.

Compost/Mulch Source List
In 2002, the Board’s updated compost and mulch source list identified businesses that market organic material products in California. Board staff mailed applications to more than 250 established businesses to invite them to list their products on the CIWMB source list. These updates enabled potential buyers of bulk organic materials to search for businesses that supply such products by county or region. The updates will provide current and accurate information about primary distribution points for their products, feedstock material, annual production, and product availability.

Organics Partnerships
In 2002, the Board continued its work on the following organics-related partnership projects initiated in 2001:

• Resource-efficient landscaping to reduce green waste, conserve water, reduce pesticide use, and minimize nonpoint source pollution (with the State Water Resources Control Board, Department of Water Resources, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency).
• Increased procurement of urban-derived compost and mulch for erosion control with the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans).
• Eliminating persistent herbicides in compost (with the Department of Pesticide Regulation and industry).

Partnerships with government and industry continue to be a key strategy for promoting the use of urban compost and mulch products. The Board is presently completing the following tasks:

• Working with Caltrans and the compost industry to track compost and mulch procurement by the department.
• Funding a project with Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo, College of Architecture and Environmental Design, to develop a sustainable environmental design education program. The program serves as an education module in university degrees and building and landscape architecture industry continuing education programs. The program teaches students to design buildings and landscapes that conserve energy and water, prevent waste and pollution, and provide markets for recycled building and landscape products.
• Continuing its work with Nevada County and Napa Valley consulting teams to secure external funding for projects related to erosion control and reclamation. The Nevada County project would examine using compost as a reclamation medium for reforesting hydraulically mined areas. Such reforestation efforts would help reduce mercury- and silt-laden runoff into the Feather River watershed, which the State Water Resources Control Board has designated as an impaired watershed. The Napa Valley project would examine using compost as an erosion control measure in hillside vineyards to stabilize soils and prevent erosion into local waterways. These practices would mitigate increasing problems with siltation and temperature increases that adversely impact fish species.

Biennial Infrastructure Survey
The Board completed the first survey of California’s compost and mulch-producing industry in 2001. In May of 2002 the Board approved a contractor to conduct a second assessment of California's compost and mulch-producing infrastructure. Board staff anticipates completing the final report in the summer of 2003.

Grant Funding Pilot Project
The Board continued monitoring a pilot program it approved in 2001. The program seeks funding from federal and other State sources for organic materials management research and demonstration projects administered by local jurisdictions and/or businesses. As part of the pilot program, the Board targeted a select number of external grant programs, solicited and selected partners from local jurisdictions and the business sector, and committed resources to work with these partners in developing grant proposals. A key feature of the program is that the external grant program awarded funds directly to the selected partner(s) for a specific project. The Board was not a recipient of grant funds or a party to the grant.

The Board participated in a grant proposal with the UC Cooperative Extension, Santa Clara County, to investigate the merits of using composted wood “overs” and vermicompost as substrates in mushroom production. In November 2002 the Board was notified that the proposal was selected for funding. Over the next two years Board staff will work with staff of UCCE, the City of San Jose, Santa Clara County, and compost and mushroom producers to develop technology to grow mushrooms from recycled urban waste and food scrap vermicompost.

Best Management Practices (BMP) for Compostable Materials
Composting activities remain an important step in the Board’s goal to get California to reduce and recycle organics in the waste stream. In 2002, staff continued to coordinate with industry, local enforcement agencies, and local and State government agencies in developing best management practices (BMP) and odor mitigation measures to satisfy the requirements of Public Resources Code section 43209.1. Odor-based BMPs integrate feedstock handling with composting methods to promote a greater degree of aerobic activity. Operators have contributed valuable insights based on their varied operations. The Board also is conducting emissions tests to identify BMPs that result in cost-affordable alternative control strategies for compost facilities to meet air quality standards.

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