State law requires city governments to reduce organic waste. To oversimplify, food trash and yard trash. The City Council last week approved a contract with HF&H Consultants, LLC, to negotiate customer service rates between Seal Beach and Republic Services.
“Over the past several years, the City has undertaken numerous efforts to be in compliance with current state unfunded mandates such as Assembly Bill (AB) 341 (Mandatory Commercial Recycling), AB 1826 (Mandatory Organic Commercial Recycling) and AB 1594 (Green Material used as Alternative Daily Cover),” according to the staff report by Assistant City Manager Patrick Gallegos.
Staff recommended approving the contract based on HF&H Consultants’ experience in the solid waste industry and its familiarity with Seal Beach, according to the Gallegos report.
The contract will be fore $75,000 with a contingency fee of $15,000.
As for the state mandate:
“SB 1383 establishes a target to achieve a 50 percent reduction in statewide disposal of organic waste from 2014 levels by 2020 and a 75 percent reduction by 2025,” Gallegos wrote.
“Requirements include: 1. Providing organic collection services to all residents and businesses 2. Establishing a food recovery program to recover edible food 3. Conducting education and outreach efforts to all affected parties including city departments, waste generators, haulers, facilities, and edible food recovery organizations 4. Evaluating the City’s readiness to implement SB 1383 and conducting capacity planning related to collection and recycling 5. Procuring recycled organic waste products 6. Maintaining accurate records and submitting reports to the State 7. Ensuring compliance with SB 1383 through enforcement,” Gallegos wrote.
