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Alameda County to expand mandatory organics collection in parts of East County under SB 1383
Summary
County staff told the committee the county is negotiating hauler amendments to bring three‑container (garbage, recycling, green organics) mandatory service to unincorporated areas around Livermore and Pleasanton, with a board hearing set for Aug. 6 and container rollouts planned for September.
Andy Schneider, waste‑program manager in the County Planning Department, briefed the Transportation & Planning Committee on July 1 about the county’s plan to implement SB 1383 required organics collection in unincorporated East Alameda County.
"SB 1383 was enacted in order to reduce methane emissions from the disposal of organic waste in landfills," Schneider said, explaining that jurisdictions must provide three‑container service (garbage, recycling and organics) to all generating entities and run compliance programs. He said the County of Alameda is under a corrective action plan while it finalizes hauler agreements.
Schneider described a three‑party amendment to the county’s 2012 MOU with the city of Livermore and Livermore Sanitation (recently acquired by Waste Connections) that would create a mandatory service area and an adjacent optional area covered by a temporary low‑population waiver. Where feasible, services that current county subscribers already receive will expand automatically; new subscribers will receive containers after a short enrollment process. Schneider said some existing county accounts that had not shared the city’s historical rate increases may see a one‑time rate adjustment of up to 7% to match city rates, then continue with the city’s CPI‑linked adjustments.
He told the committee the Livermore City Council is scheduled to review the amendment on July 22 and the County Board of Supervisors will hear the item on August 6; if the agreements are approved, container delivery to affected accounts would begin in September. Schneider said the county is emphasizing compliance assistance over penalties but must demonstrate an effective enforcement program to CalRecycle.
The presentation also covered rural implementation issues. For low‑density or remote properties the county will allow certified self‑haul, on‑site composting, or other alternative methods that meet diversion requirements, provided the generator documents compliance (for example, weight tags uploaded periodically). Schneider said staff worked with haulers to identify service boundaries and to secure the lowest possible rates given rural collection inefficiencies.
Supervisors asked about jurisdictions that already provide service or waiver processes for very remote areas; Schneider explained the county retains responsibility for unincorporated accounts and will coordinate with multiple haulers (LSI/Waste Connections, PGS, Republic) depending on adjacency and geography.
Next steps: county staff will seek approval of the amendment and continue outreach and enrollment; staff will return with implementation updates as agreements progress.
