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Pico Rivera hears SB 1383 compliance update; city reports 34% waste diversion in June
Summary
City staff told the City Council on Sept. 23 that Pico Rivera has increased waste diversion to 34% in June 2025, outlined challenges meeting Senate Bill 1383 food-recovery requirements and described outreach and partnerships to improve compliance.
On Sept. 23, 2025, the Pico Rivera City Council received an update from the Office of Sustainability on the city’s progress toward complying with California’s Senate Bill 1383, which requires significant reductions in organic waste and food recovery by 2025.
Victor Farrar, of the Office of Sustainability, told the council the city collected 5,212 tons of waste in June 2025 and achieved a 34% diversion rate, up from 32% in May. Farrar summarized the law’s principal targets — a 75% reduction of organic waste and 20% food recovery by 2025 — and warned that failure to meet requirements can carry fines ranging from $7,500 to $10,000 per day, per occurrence.
The update matters because SB 1383 imposes statewide performance targets and reporting obligations on cities and can lead to steep penalties for noncompliance. Farrar said the city has an existing franchise agreement with a private hauler (identified in the presentation as “NASA Services” in the transcript) that provides organics, recycling, construction-and-demolition, e-waste and tire collection services.
Farrar identified two principal obstacles to full compliance: the absence of state-certified local food banks that can meet SB 1383 reporting rules, and gaps in household and business participation in required organic separation. To address those problems, he described near-term actions: a partnership with the nonprofit Food Cycle LA to connect businesses to food-recovery resources; quarterly residential composting and commercial compliance workshops; digital outreach including an upcoming instructional video; and targeted distribution of small kitchen pails for household source-separation.
Farrar said the city is issuing warning notices to residents and businesses that are not yet complying and is working with schools to engage youth in long-term behavior change.
Councilmembers praised the work. Councilmember Lutz commended the Office of Sustainability for the improvement in diversion rates. Councilmember Dr. Sanchez asked whether additional kitchen pails were available for residents who missed community events; Farrar said residents can pick them up at City Hall, Monday–Thursday, 7:30 a.m.–5:30 p.m.
Farrar also provided numbers used in the presentation: 5,212 tons collected in June, a 34% diversion rate for that month (up from 32% in May), and a reported growth in diversion trends that CalRecycle and the city’s hauler characterized as comparatively strong for the region.
The council did not take a formal vote tied to the presentation; Farrar’s briefing outlined ongoing administrative actions and outreach.
