Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Waste Management Composting topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Committee backs one-year delay in start of curbside food-waste collection
Summary
The committee recommended reporting Bill 28 (2025) out for third reading after receiving a department update that the city will extend the implementation deadline for curbside food-waste collection from April 1, 2025, to April 1, 2026, because a processing facility is still under construction.
The Committee on Housing, Sustainability, Economy and Health on April 29 recommended reporting Bill 28 (2025) for passage on third reading after the Department of Environmental Services said it needs one more year to complete a food-waste processing facility.
Bill 28 amends city code to extend the implementation deadline for curbside collection of food waste and manufactured compostables from April 1, 2025, to April 1, 2026. Roger Babcock, director of the Department of Environmental Services, said the facility is under construction and that the department is creating public information and a rollout program. “It is under construction now, so we’re excited about that,” Babcock told the committee, adding the change will divert recyclable organic material from H-Power and produce compost.
Babcock said officials are still working through operational details such as collection frequency and whether food waste will go into a green cart. He noted that, currently, food waste goes into the gray cart, which receives weekly collection, and that adding an entirely separate set of bins and collections would be “astronomically expensive.” The department is looking at options used by other cities and intends to provide updates as the rollout is finalized.
Committee Vice Chair Cordero raised whether green-waste collection points at parks — particularly those with community gardens — have been discussed with the Department of Parks and Recreation. Babcock said residential collection remains the priority but that the department will explore additional green-waste collection opportunities.
Separately, Babcock announced an expansion of e-waste collection: all seven convenience centers and three transfer stations will accept electronic waste for recycling under a new contract. Angela Melody Young testified in support of the bill, saying diverting food scraps from landfills reduces harmful emissions and can produce valuable compost.
With no committee objections, the chair recommended that Bill 28 be reported out for passage on third reading. The recommendation was ordered with no objections. The meeting record does not show a roll-call vote on the bill at this committee session.
