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Nevada County outlines SB 1383 food‑waste rollout, transfer-station upgrades and outreach
Summary
Solid Waste staff reported progress on SB 1383 implementation: McCourtney Road transfer station renovation to segregate food waste is nearing completion, county will deploy three‑cart collection (weekly organics pickup) in January 2025 with waivers for high‑elevation/low‑density areas, and edible‑food recovery and procurement efforts are under way.
Nevada County staff told the Board on Aug. 6 that the county is preparing for statewide SB 1383 requirements to reduce landfill organics by expanding edible-food recovery, procuring recycled organic products and implementing a three‑cart residential collection program.
David Garcia, the county’s solid‑waste program manager, said the McCourtney Road transfer station renovation — a prerequisite to begin countywide organics collection — is largely complete: buildings, scale houses and earthwork are finished and the facility is expected to be operational in September. The facility upgrades are necessary to segregate food waste and to route it for processing.
Garcia outlined the collection plan: leverage the existing green‑waste cart (already used by roughly half of county residents), extend to a mandatory three‑cart program with weekly organics pickup for eligible areas, and provide a 64‑gallon organics cart for commercial customers sized to need. The county said waivers exist for census tracts over 4,500 feet elevation and for low‑density areas (under 75 people per square mile) and for Nevada City, which are exempt from the collection requirement.
The county is still negotiating a franchise agreement amendment with the hauler to finalize rates, cart distribution logistics and contamination monitoring. Garcia said staff will return to the board next month with a detailed item on negotiated amendments and rates. He also described outreach plans (fair presence, workshops, business meetings and a public website) and edible‑food recovery work connecting Tier 1 and Tier 2 businesses with food‑recovery organizations such as Sierra Community House and Nevada County Food Bank.
Board members pressed staff on customer communication, bin distribution logistics, cost impacts and whether weekly pickup might discourage home composting; staff said procurement/fees will be the subject of an upcoming dedicated board item and emphasized education-first outreach ahead of the January 2025 start date.
