Folsom green bins divert 37,000 tons of food waste

Folsom officials announced last week that 37,000 tons of organic material has been diverted from the landfill in three years of the program. "Thanks to the community's commitment, the City of Folsom's curbside collection program has made a big impact," the Folsom Public Works Department announced. "Since residents and businesses started placing food scraps and food-soiled paper in the green bin three years ago, nearly 37,000 tons of organic waste has been diverted from the landfill." Keeping organic material out of the trash not only saves valuable landfill space but also reduces greenhouse gas emissions. The program also helps create food products like mulch and nutrient-rich compost, officials said. The Folsom collection program also helps comply with state law, which requires residents and businesses to separate organics from the regular trash. Senate Bill 1383 requires all California residents and businesses to recycle organic waste. That includes food waste, food-soiled paper such as napkins and coffee filters, yard waste and wood. To maximize resources and reach, Folsom partnered with Capital Food Access Alliance – a regional group of a half-dozen jurisdictions working together to support food recovery. The alliance, including Sacramento County, Citrus Heights, Elk Grove, Galt and Rancho Cordova, helps to recover food that otherwise would have been wasted. According to CalRecycle, Californians otherwise send 11.2 billion pounds of food to landfills each year, some still fresh enough to have been recovered to feed the less fortunate. Recovering surplus food helps Californians conserve resources and lower methane emissions, a climate "super pollutant," emitted by organic waste in landfills, authorities said. Surplus food still safe for people to eat is distributed to food banks, soup kitchens and other food recovery organizations, staff said. When sorting waste: * Bag food scraps and food-soiled paper in clear plastic or compostable bags. * Place them in your Green Bin, along with loose yard waste. For more information, visit folsom.ca.us/organics.