Green bin rollout almost complete in City of San Diego

SAN DIEGO (KGTV) – The City of San Diego is nearly finished delivering organic waste recycling bins and kitchen caddies to nearly every home in the city.

According to the Environmental Services Department, San Diego has already given out 177,716 green bins and 235,056 small caddies. It’s part of the city’s effort to comply with a new state law (SB 1383) that requires organic waste recycling.

“We’re starting to see San Diegans adopt this and participate,” says Renee Robertson, the director of San Diego’s Environmental Services Department.

She says the city has already collected more than 17,000 tons of organic waste since the first bins rolled out in January. All of it goes to the state of the art greenery at the Miramar landfill to be turned into compost.

“It’s the number one thing that any of us can do in our homes to really impact and have a positive outcome for climate change,” Robertson says.

But organic waste recycling is new to a lot of people in San Diego, and Robertson wants to make sure everyone knows they don’t have to be perfect right away.

“Start slow,” she says. “Find out what’s going to work for your family.”

Robertson compares it to trying for a layup in basketball instead of a three-point shot. Then people can expand their efforts as they get more comfortable.

“Start with coffee grounds, vegetable trimmings, banana peels. Put those in (your kitchen caddy).”

She says people can use paper towels to line their caddies and help soak up any liquids that come from fruits and veggies.

As for dry foods like stale bread or cereal, those can be removed from their packaging and put right into a bin or a small paper bag.

Also, Robertson advises to keep everything inside your home until the night before your weekly scheduled pickup.

“We’re doing this on the day of our collection,” Robertson says. “We do not put organic food waste into our green bin until the night before the collection.”

Robertson keeps one small caddy in her refrigerator for any food waste that could decompose and lead to a bad smell if left out. If you don’t have an extra caddy, she says a large tupperware with a good lid will also work

And when you move it to that big green bin outside, layers are important.

“Dump your garden waste first as a base layer,” Robertson says. “Most people are already doing that.”

Then, she says to put the organic food waste in a large paper bag and place that on top. That will help keep bugs away, cut down on the smell, and keep the big green bin clean.

Robertson also recommends rinsing the little bins each time you empty them.

She understands it’s a big change for most people, but she hopes it will soon become second nature.

“We’ll look back on this program when we’ve all made it a habit and think, wow, that was so easy, why didn’t we do this earlier.”

For the city’s list of what can and can’t go into the green bin, click here.