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South Pasadena reports citywide SB 1383 rollout, education and enforcement plans
Summary
Staff told the commission the city has completed the SB 1383 three-stream rollout citywide, delivered more than 33,000 barrels to single-family homes and hundreds of carts to multifamily/commercial properties, and has diverted more than 1,000 tons of organics; staff described outreach, on-site training and an enforcement escalation path managed by contractor Athens.
City staff briefed the National Resources and Environmental Commission on Jan. 27 about South Pasadena's citywide implementation of SB 1383, California's law to reduce organic waste and methane emissions. The presentation described the shift from a two-stream to a three-stream system that adds a dedicated organics collection.
Danielle, a public works water conservation management analyst, said the deployment is complete citywide: "To date over 33,000 barrels were delivered to single family homes, as well as 600 recycling carts and 500 organic carts were delivered to our commercial and multifamily properties who opt in for the automated bin collection service." Staff reported the city has collectively diverted more than 1,000 tons of organic waste and 250 tons of recycling since the rollout.
Staff explained how service differs by account type: single-family households received 32-gallon barrels (one black, one blue, and one green by default) with options for additional containers; commercial and multifamily properties received standardized carts (including a default 96-gallon recycling cart where appropriate) determined by waste assessments. Athens, the city's contractor, provides on-site training for larger multifamily and commercial properties, an interactive "what goes where" online guide, and customer service support.
Commissioners and residents asked whether any entities are exempt. Staff said there is no blanket local exemption; small producers (for example, certain low-organics commercial sites identified during assessments) may be treated differently but the general population must comply with the state law. Schools were noted to have separate jurisdictional issues; staff said the city is coordinating with schools and had planned PTA outreach.
Staff also outlined a year-round curbside bulky-item program that replaces prior senior-week and dumpster days: each unit (including multifamily units) is eligible for four pickups per year and each pickup may include up to five items. For multifamily complexes, staff said each dwelling unit—not just the complex—has eligibility for pickups.
On enforcement, staff said Athens conducts contamination monitoring; properties receive notices (typically three warnings) before enforcement escalates to fines. Staff encouraged residents to contact Athens customer service or the city if they observe contamination; the city is working toward an online reporting function for trash contamination and plans to include Athens at community events and education programs, including a sustainability fair in April (date to be confirmed).
The discussion and Q&A focused on practical issues: how restaurants will be managed (restaurants receive containers and training but compliance depends on operations and enforcement), how multifamily units can request rebalancing of containers (property owners/managers must request an assessment), and how schools will be supported while they work through infrastructure and staffing changes.
Staff provided Athens customer-service contact information for scheduling bulky-item pickups and other questions and said they will continue outreach through billing inserts, postcards, webinars and in-person events.
