The Del Norte Solid Waste Management Authority provided an update Sept. 16 on community meetings exploring alternatives to comply with California Senate Bill 1383, which requires organics management and food recovery strategies, Director Ted Ward said.

Staff reported four meetings held so far, with two additional sessions added to the original six to separate discussions on food rescue/redistribution and mulching/composting so subject-matter participants could focus on their expertise. The next meeting is Oct. 20, Ward said.

Ward said the community engagement is supported by a CalRecycle grant (the OWR grant) that had been set to expire in April but was recently extended to Nov. 2026, giving staff more time to develop local programs and technical tools. The authority is partnering with the Rural County Representatives of the California Environmental Services Joint Powers Authority to help develop a greenhouse gas calculator to estimate emissions impacts of different program choices.

Ward said the calculator is an early-stage tool intended to compare options such as added collection routes or new facilities and their greenhouse-gas implications. He said the grant extension will help fund further technical assistance and allow more time to refine program choices.

Participation in these meetings has been described as strong; the authority thanked the Denault Food Council and Mary Pitto for organizing and providing technical assistance. Public comment during the item was none.