Davis staff report solid-waste progress, warn state rules on biosolids could cut diversion rate

Jennifer Gilbert, the city conservation coordinator, told the Davis Natural Resources Commission on April 7 that Davis residents and businesses are meeting many new state recycling and organics requirements but that a state policy change treating wastewater biosolids as disposal (not diversion) will add about 3,000 tons to the city landfill totals in 2025 and materially lower the reported diversion rate.

Why it matters: the city reports it sent about 34,000 tons of material to landfill in the last reporting year and has been holding steady near a roughly 62percent diversion rate; adding 3,000 tons of biosolids as disposal will reduce the city diversion percentage even while local sorting and collection programs perform well and compliance with SB 1383 is strong.

Gilbert opened the commission briefing by explaining how Davis solid-waste service is structured and where responsibilities sit: Recology Davis is the contractor that collects trash, recycling and organics under a city franchise; the city oversees reporting, outreach and compliance. "So we're gonna talk trash tonight," Gilbert said as she began the presentation.

Key figures and program notes from the presentation: - Annual landfill tonnage reported by the city is about 34,000 tons; the city sent roughly 3,000 tons of biosolids to the nearby Yolo County landfill each year, Gilbert said. Those biosolids have been used by the landfill for daily cover but, under a new state interpretation effective in 2025, those tons will be counted as disposal rather…