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Building a Cleaner Future Through Composting and Organic Recycling
As a leading provider of organics recycling, Republic Services is working to ensure that through our organics recycling services, food and yard waste will see new life and purpose in our communities in the form of compost or renewable energy.Byline: BTB Editor
April 27, 2023 / Time to read: 5 minDid you know that food and yard waste make up an estimated one-third of all materials that end up in our landfills each year?
As a leading provider of organics recycling, Republic Services is working to ensure that through our organics recycling services, food and yard waste will see new life and purpose in our communities in the form of compost or renewable energy. We are working toward our goal of a circular economy by partnering with our customers to extend the life of their organic waste.
With 12 composting facilities, four green waste facilities and three pre-processing facilities in the U.S., we are taking actionable steps toward removing food waste from our landfills and implementing sustainable solutions in our communities.
Our facilities process more than 2 billion pounds of food and yard waste annually. Through organics recycling, we convert this waste into compost to create nutrient-rich soil, preserving natural resources and reducing water consumption. This compost can then be used by agricultural and landscaping industries, as well as by the communities where the organic waste was created.
Commercial Composting
One way we're supporting businesses of all sizes is through our organics pre-processing services. Our pre-processing capabilities handle commercial food waste, such as table scraps and unsellable produce from businesses like supermarkets, hotels and restaurants. Pre-processing removes contamination such as plastic bags or cutlery from this material, resulting in clean organic material that is delivered to wastewater treatment digesters or an anaerobic digestion facility. From there, the organic material is broken down and converted into renewable energy.
California's SB 1383
On January 1, 2022, California's state law SB 1383 took effect, requiring homes and businesses to recycle food and yard waste. At Republic Services, we know this can be an adjustment for some, but with informative guides and community events, our organics recycling and composting resources can help make the transition toward sustainability easy. By diverting organic material from landfills, California residents are reducing harmful greenhouse gas emissions and working toward their goal of reducing the volume of organic waste sent to landfills by 75% by 2025.
Solar-powered Compost: Otay Compost Facility
By investing in organics infrastructure, we're helping our customers achieve their environmental goals and helping the planet.
When California passed its new legislation, Republic Services stepped up to help customers comply with the new law by establishing the Otay Compost Facility in Chula Vista, California, in October 2021.
The Otay Compost Facility is California's first fully solar-powered compost operation. Running completely off-grid, the facility is powered by 144 solar panels and has enough battery storage to run the site for three days in case San Diego should get one of its rare, cloudy days.
Otay is designed to take in 200 tons of food and yard waste per day from Chula Vista, Carlsbad and San Diego County. California's law is going one step further to support a circular economy by requiring cities to produce and use organics-based products, which help ensure the compost produced at Otay is returned to the community.
If you want to see more success stories like our Otay Compost Facility or learn about our sustainability efforts, browse through our resource center!
