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Athens Services outlines SB 1383 requirements; Bell Gardens to plan three-stream roll out
Summary
Athens Services briefed council on state rules (AB 939, SB 1383) that require jurisdictions to implement organics diversion; Athens said the city must move to three-stream collection and staff will work with Public Works on outreach and implementation, aiming to be ready by year-end if feasible.
Athens Services presented to the Bell Gardens City Council on March 23 about state solid-waste regulations and the local implications of Senate Bill 1383.
Vicky Martinez Muela, representing Athens Services, summarized California's evolving waste mandates starting with AB 939 and the later, more prescriptive SB 1383. "SB 1383 targets the reduction of methane emissions in our landfills," Martinez Muela said, and explained that the law requires jurisdictions to adopt ordinances, implement contamination monitoring, outreach and education, and provide organics collection for residential and commercial customers. She said SB 1383 effectively ends the two-stream mixed-waste approach and requires a standard three-container service model—trash, recycling and organics—for all customers, including multi-family and commercial properties.
Martinez Muela told the council Athens will collaborate with the city's Public Works Department to develop outreach materials and transition plans, including participation at community events. She described Athens’ current outreach practice and urged the City to identify events and locations where Athens can educate residents on proper sorting. When asked about timelines, Athens said it is actively developing plans with Public Works and would like to be "fully uploaded and ready to go by the end of the year," but cautioned that several implementation details remain to be worked out.
City staff and councilmembers asked about program details and community engagement. Consultants emphasized bilingual outreach (English/Spanish) conducted during plan development; the CAP team later noted that the city conducted community meetings and surveys and provided translation services during outreach.
Councilmembers encouraged Athens and staff to coordinate education and community events such as the upcoming spring festival to increase resident awareness. No formal action was taken at the presentation; staff will continue to plan outreach and return with timeframes and operational details as implementation work proceeds.
