2003 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 for Compostable Mateials

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.

The Board continues to work with the Department of General Services (DGS) to improve landscaping practices at the State Capitol. A Capitol Park Training Manual on proper horticultural practices is being developed for distribution to DGS staff. Board staff also coordinated with Waste Management, Inc., and the Department of Water Resources to implement a Water Wise Gardening demonstration project at the State Capitol. The project will illustrate how water-efficient plants, urban-derived mulch, and drip irrigation can help conserve water, reduce green waste, and minimize water runoff.

The Board continues to coordinate 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 under this project to reduce over-planting by homebuilders and minimize green waste generation. The City Planning Commission and City Council approved the landscape 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. This includes working with the City of Sacramento on a public outreach campaign directed at homeowners and landscapers in the City’s North Natomas area to promote the use of resource-efficient landscape management practices.

Board staff also worked with the California Department of Water Resources, California Landscape Contractors Association, City of Sacramento Department of Utilities, Regional Water Authority, and the Sacramento County Stormwater Program to plan and organize the “Eco-Landscaping: Profiting From A Green Future” seminar in Sacramento on January 10, 2004. This event featured speakers, workshops, and a trade show that promoted sustainable landscape design, installation, and maintenance concepts.

Food Scrap Management

According to a 1999 study, 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 other reference resources. Many jurisdictions, institutions, and commercial businesses are planning and implementing food diversion programs. There are also many perceived and real barriers to food scrap program implementation. To identify and address these barriers, the Board held a statewide Food Residuals Diversion Summit in Sacramento in October 2002. The Board adopted specific recommendations arising from the summit in early 2003. These recommendations included the following:

• 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.

Since the adoption of these recommendations, Board staff has been promoting the food waste diversion hierarchy. Tasks completed include adding and updating fact sheets and other online resource materials, working on degradable plastic standard development and legislative issues, and pursuing the publication of food diversion articles as well as partnerships with other public and private organizations involved in food waste issues.

Compost/Mulch Source List

In 2003, 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. Staff also began linking the compost/mulch source list to the Board’s profiles  program to make it more user-friendly and current.

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Organics Partnerships

In 2003, the Board continued its work on the following organics-related partnership projects:

• 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). Contract with CDFA to collect samples and UC San Diego to test for herbicides in compost.

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:

• Funding a project with Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo, College of Architecture and Environmental Design, to develop a model sustainable environmental design education program for use by universities and industry continuing education programs. The program will help teach 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 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.
• Working with the San Francisco group Sustainable Development to develop a pilot project that would use manure from local dairies in Merced to co-compost green material from local growers. The aim is to use existing composting infrastructure to produce compost that can then be given or sold to local growers. The result would be a value-added product for growers, which minimizes environmental damage from manure runoff in dairies.

Biennial Infrastructure Survey

The Board completed the first survey of California’s compost and mulch-producing industry in 2001. 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 spring 2004.

Grant Funding Pilot Project

The Board continued monitoring a grant funding 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 (UCCE), 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 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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