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From Waste to Wine: Leveraging Community Compost at McManis Family Vineyards
See how McManis Family Vineyards helps keep organic waste out of landfills — while growing better-quality grapes — by using compost from the community.Byline: BTB Author
July 14, 2025 / Time to read: 5 minWhen SB 1383 legislation challenged
The Challenge
California legislation, known as
McManis Family Vineyards, a certified California sustainable winery in Ripon — with a network of vineyards in Lodi, Manteca, Ripon and Clarksburg — is doing more than just meeting California’s organics recycling requirements. They’re advancing their sustainability and circularity initiatives even further.
The Solution
Republic Services plays a crucial role in McManis’ sustainable cycle by providing agricultural-grade compost to the vineyards. This compost is produced from food and yard waste collected from the community — including the vineyards themselves.
The Outcome
Compost improves soil water retention, enriches plants with essential nutrients, reduces the need for pesticides and even helps sequester carbon from the atmosphere. All these factors contribute to McManis’ ability to grow better-quality grapes while minimizing environmental impact. Dirk Heuvel, vice president of vineyard operations, says: “It doesn’t start and end in a vineyard for us, so aligning with a sustainable business helps contribute to our sustainable story.”
Our Commitment to Organics Solutions
Republic Services
Today we operate:
- 13 compost facilities
- 7 commercial food waste processing facilities
- 4 green waste facilities
- 1 anaerobic digestion facility
We are continuously expanding our capabilities to support both businesses and communities in achieving their sustainability objectives while producing valuable nutrient-rich resources. You can learn more about our climate leadership in organics recycling
SB-1383 - California Compost Procurement Program
