SLOUGHHOUSE, Calif. (KTXL) — The city of Sacramento and county officials are asking people to stop tossing food waste in a regular trash can.
Sacramento County’s newest landfill is adding an expansion in Sloughhouse.
“This will continue to grow and wrap around the back and all along this, so there’s going be a lot of growth here of the county’s garbage if we don’t start thinking about ways to instead divert that material to something else that’s useful,” Ted Horton the Superintendent Sacramento County Waste Management said.
That can be the pail the county is offering and other jurisdictions are providing these as well.
“It’s really as simple as taking your food waste and moving it from what would otherwise be the garbage and now moving it to your green waste,” Jennifer Claiborne from Sacramento County Waste Management said.
Food and garden waste will all go in the same green waste bin and be broken down into compost, as county officials launch their curbside organics service.
However, there will be some tougher calls like items that look recyclable but have a coating, like some to-go containers. And some items require multiple steps, like take-out foods.
Now, grass pizza boxes that contaminate regular recycling have a new home. Instead of going into the garbage, it gets to go into the green waste cart.
Also, only specific liners are allowed in the compost bins. Something that is BPI certified means it meets a specific standard.
Officials estimate the organic waste composting program could cut as much as 25%. Meaning the Sloughhouse expansion would fill up in just over six years.