Organic Materials Recycling Marketing Guide

Demand for yard trimmings has increased, although, in some regions of the state, the cost of obtaining, processing and applying materials continues to impede their widespread use.

Most marketing efforts in California have focused on yard trimmings, food scraps, and wood scraps. (We use the term "materials", as opposed to yard "waste," food "waste," and wood "waste," to reflect the resource conservation benefits inherent in these materials.)

This guide lists recycling and marketing sources to promote the use of organic materials for:

• Farmers, growers, landscapers, home gardeners.
• Students, academics, and researchers.
• Recyclers, processors, manufacturers, and producers of compost, mulch, and other products made from organic materials.

California's composting regulations are available on this Web site.

Recycling Centers/Coordinators/Associations/Resources

Recycling Centers: A hotline is available to help you locate a convenient recycling center. This is an automated phone system maintained by Cal/EPA. Call 1-800-CLEAN UP and follow the recorded instructions.

Recycling Coordinators: In most parts of California, local recycling coordinators help to identify markets and sources of organic materials is available from city and county recycling coordinators. Contact Board staff member John Duke at (916) 341-6199 for the name and phone number of the recycling coordinator for your community or look in your local telephone directory.

CIWMB and Jurisdiction Contacts: The CIWMB Office of Local Assistance (OLA) maintains a directory of Board staff and local contacts for each county and jurisdiction.

California Recycling Advocacy Associations: Recycling advocacy associations actively promote the recovery and use of secondary materials. The California Resource Recovery Association, the Northern California Recycling Association, and Californian's Against Waste are three leading California recycling advocacy groups.

Trade Groups and Associations: Provides links on organic materials management trade associations, grassroots lobbying organizations, resources conservation nonprofits, sustainable farming alliances, and U.S. EPA.

References and Periodicals: Provides links on organic materials management recycling, compost and mulch use, educational materials, news, and scientific research.

Market Information Resources: The markets for organic materials are not as established as markets for scrap materials such as metal and paper.  Market Information Resources provide market information and price data both for feedstocks and for products make from organic materials.

Reader Feedback

Let us know if you have information to add about markets or marketing issues for organic materials, especially in landscape, erosion control, and agricultural uses. Research, reports, and other information and useful links will be included in future updates.

We would like to know if you found this marketing guide helpful. Your comments and suggestions are an important way for us to improve this information. Thank you for your interest in the Board's organic materials recycling and composting programs.

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Last updated: October 21, 2008