Organics Recycling Program

Put Your Food Waste to Work with Alhambra's Organics Recycling Program

Approved by the State in 2016, Senate Bill 1383 (SB 1383) requires jurisdictions to provide organic waste collection services to all residents and businesses. SB 1383 is the most significant waste reduction mandate to be adopted in California in the last 30 years, and requires a 75% reduction in organic waste disposal by 2025 in California. Reducing short-lived climate pollutants, which results from the decomposition of organic waste in landfills, will have a significant impact on climate change in the state.

On May 24, 2021, the Alhambra City Council passed the City's Mandatory Organic Waste Disposal Reduction Ordinance (Ordinance No. O2M21-4787), requiring all residential and commercial premises in the City to subscribe to the City's organic waste recycling program. The City of Alhambra and Republic Services entered a new waste management agreement in 2021 to reduce organic waste. Residents have been provided with new carts—blue for recycling, black for trash, and green for organic waste. Residents are required to sort their recyclables, organic waste, and trash into the appropriate containers.

You can find more resources and information on Republic Services website and on our website. For additional information, please visit the CalRecycle webpage.

Organic Waste Dos and Don'ts

Acceptable Materials for Green Organics Container:

Yard trimmings

Flower trimmings
Tree trimmings (twigs/branches must be 4 feet or less in length and less than 6 inches in diameter)
Leaves, grass, brush and weeds
Untreated and unpainted wood

Food scraps (raw or cooked)

Fruits and vegetables
Dairy products
Bread, grains and pastas
Meat and seafood (including bones)
Prepared or processed (e.g. chips, sandwiches, etc)
- Remove packaging and sort separately

Miscellaneous

Food-soiled paper
- Napkins and paper towels
- Uncoated paper: plates, cups, bowls
- Pizza boxes
Biodegradable Waste Bags

Unacceptable Materials for Green Organics Containers:

The following materials must be disposed of in the Black Landfill container.

Dog poop or pet waste from any animal
Hot ashes or briquettes
Large amounts of soil or sod
Plastic bags
Rocks, concrete, dirt or sand
Particle board
Compostable plastics
Palm fronds
Diapers and bathroom tissue paper
Wood that has been treated, coated or painted

Compost Charlie's Sorting Game

Alhambra's recycling mascot needs your help! Click the image below to help Compost Charlie organize his trash properly before the garbage driver arrives. Play until the end for a fun surprise and to find out how well you know your trash. The best players will earn a spot at the top of the leaderboard!

Kitchen Pails

How to Use Your New Pail

It’s easy! Simply add your food scraps with your yard debris. No changes will occur with your normal yard debris collection day. Pro tip: Use a paper bag or biodegradable bag to keep your pail clean, or rinse off with soap and water after use.

Step 1

Place your compost pail in a convenient location in your kitchen.

Step 2

Toss all food scraps and plate scrapings into your compost pail.

Step 3

Empty your pail into your yard debris cart, along with your yard debris

Republic Services distributed complimentary kitchen pails to all single family residences in November 2021. If you did not receive a pail or have any questions, please visit Republic Services' local office located at the Chamber of Commerce Monday-Thursday from 9:00 AM-4:00 PM or contact Republic Services at alhambra@republicservices.com.

Organic Waste Recycling Educational Resources

The City of Alhambra has many resources to assist you in setting up organics recycling at your home or business.

Put Your Food Waste to Work –

English, Spanish & Chinese

It's the Law – English, Spanish

& Chinese

Tips to Keep your Green Organics
Cart Clean

What goes in each cart?

Dos and Don’ts – English

Dos and Don’ts – Spanish

Dos and Don’ts – Chinese

Cart Labels

Republic Services has released videos explaining the process and importance of organics collection for commercial businesses and residents:

Organic Waste Collection Requirements

Senate Bill 1383 and Alhambra Ordinance No. O2M21-4787 require all residences, commercial businesses, and multifamily complexes to subscribe to the City's organics collection services.

In rare occassions, the City may grant waivers to be exempt from organics collection. If you are a commercial business and believe you generate below a certain amount of organic waste material as pursuant to A.M.C. 6.18.040, you may apply for a de minimis waiver. If you are a commercial business or multi-family residential property owner and believe your property lacks the physical space to accommodate a three-container collection system, you may apply for a physical space waiver. Download and complete a copy of the Organic Waste Recycling Waiver and email it to Republic Services at alhambra@republicservices.com. Representatives from Republic Services and Alhambra City Hall will follow up with an inspection for verification.

Frequently Asked Questions - FAQs

Are bags accepted in the green, organics container?

Plastic bags, and any other plastic, are not accepted in the organics container. However, certified biodegradable bags and brown paper bags are allowed. You may consider using newspapers to wrap your organic waste as well.

How do I keep my green, organics containers clean and free of rodents?

Here are seven tips and tricks to help keep your organics container free of rodents and clean:

Regularly wash your kitchen compost pail with soap and water and rinse your green organics cart.
Line the bottom of your kitchen pail and green organics cart with newspaper, cardboard, or paper towels to absorb moisture.
Freeze meat scraps in a reusable container and only put them into your green organics cart on collection day.
Lightly sprinkle baking soda into your kitchen pail and green organics cart to absorb odors.
Layer wet materials (food scraps) and dry materials (leaves, clippings, and branches) in your green organics cart to reduce the chances of material sticking to your container.
Place wet materials (food scraps) into a paper bag or certified biodegradable bag before placing them into your green organics cart.
Keep your cart lids tightly closed.

Do I recycle or compost pizza boxes?

Clean paper and cardboard should be recycled and placed in your blue, recycling container. Food-soiled paper and cardboard is not recyclable but is compostable and should be placed in your green, organics container. If your pizza box has grease or other food residues, place it in your green, organics container.

Do I need to pay more for organic waste and recycling collection?

No. Services come at a bundled rate. Residential accounts receive one refuse, recycling, and organics/yard waste cart at a standard rate. Additional carts come at an extra charge. Visit Solid Waste & Recycling | Alhambra, CA (cityofalhambra.org) for all rates.

What if I already have a compost bin at home? Can I be excluded from organics service?

The state law requires mandatory compliance with organics recycling collection service. If you already compost at home, look at this as an opportunity to complement your home system and properly dispose of items that cannot normally go in your home compost. There are many waste types that should not go into a home composting bin but can be composted through this program including meat, grains, packaged and processed food, and food-soiled paper such as dirty paper napkins.

What if I refuse to separate my food waste?

The state has made these requirements mandatory and the City has been mandated to enforce them. If Republic Services’ drivers notice contamination in your recycle cart or bin, they may not be able to service it as recycling and may tag it to have it serviced as trash (in which case you may be charged). Noncompliance may result in enforcement actions taken by the City.

What happens to the materials I place in my organics recycling cart after they're collected?

Republic Services' drivers collect your organics separately and take it to one of two preprocessing facilities. Here, contaminants are separated out and the remainder is pulverized into a thick slurry. The material is then takern to one of two composting facilities. Using a variety of processes including windrow composting and covered aerated static pile composting, organic material is processed into compost. This compost is then given back to the community at Alhambra Recycles Events and can be used in gardens as nutrient-rich soil additive!

How does recycling food waste relate to climate change?

California is now experiencing the effects of a climate crisis: hotter summers with world record-breaking temperatures, even more devastating fire seasons, more extreme droughts, and rising sea levels that erode our coastlines.

Scientists tell us that landfills are responsible for 21% of the state’s methane emissions, a gas that is 84 times more potent that carbon dioxide and significant contributor to climate change. Organic materials make up about half of California's waste stream, and food waste is the largest single waste stream. Therefore, organic waste recycling not only reduces emissions, but reduces the impacts of climate change and contributes valuable resources (such as compost) to our communities.

View All

Questions or Concerns?

Please complete the "Contact Us" form below or email recycle@cityofalhambra.org for any questions regarding Alhambra's Organics Recycling program or to submit a claim of alleged violations of SB 1383.

If you are submitting an SB 1383 violation complaint, please include the following:

If the complaint is not anonymous, the name and contact information of the complainant.
The identity of the alleged violator, if known.
A description of the alleged violation including location(s) and all other relevant facts known to the complainant.
Any relevant photographic or documentary evidence to support the allegations in the complaint.
The identity of any witnesses, if known.

Organics Recycling Program

Put Your Food Waste to Work with Alhambra's Organics Recycling Program

Organic Waste Dos and Don'ts

Acceptable Materials for Green Organics Container:

Unacceptable Materials for Green Organics Containers:

Compost Charlie's Sorting Game

Kitchen Pails

How to Use Your New Pail

Organic Waste Recycling Educational Resources

Organic Waste Collection Requirements

Frequently Asked Questions - FAQs

Questions or Concerns?

Contact Us

Contact Us

Republic Services

Joris Eigirdas

Quick Links

Useful Documents

Contact Us

Quick Links

Helpful Links