County hauler says SB 1383 organics carts will be delivered next week; service begins July 1

WM Winton Disposal told the Merced County Board of Supervisors on June 10 that it will begin delivering blue and green recycling and organics carts next week in mandatory service areas and will begin weekly organics collection on July 1, 2025, to comply with California's SB 1383 organics requirements.

"Our amended collection contract includes weekly recycling and organics collection for businesses and residents in the mandatory service areas," said Vanessa Barberis, representing WM Winton Disposal. Barberis described SB 1383 as an "unfunded state mandate" and said the company is preparing outreach materials and a supervisor resource guide to help county officials answer constituent questions during the transition.

Barberis said cart deliveries will take about two weeks and that service will start July 1. She also introduced Javier Sanchez, the company’s new recycling education representative based in Atwater. Sanchez said he and the outreach team have already been in the community, including at the Merced County Fair, where he said they spoke with about 800 people in a weekend.

Why it matters: SB 1383 requires expanded organic-waste collection to reduce methane emissions; local implementation often changes collection frequency, cart types and recycling workflows for residents and businesses. Barberis told the board that WM Winton Disposal's amended contract covers both recycling and organics and that the company will provide a supervisor resource guide and contacts for escalated customer concerns.

What the board did: the remarks were delivered during the public comment portion; no board motion or vote on the contract terms was recorded during the June 10 session.

Ending: residents and supervisors are due to see cart deliveries and outreach communications in the coming weeks ahead of the July 1 service start date.