Despite not collecting solid waste or managing landfills, the County influences and supports private sector waste diversion through agreements with waste haulers and the administration of state and local solid waste and land use policies, programs, and ordinances. The solid waste measure focuses on diverting waste from landfills through food donation programs, waste prevention education and outreach, and updating land use ordinances to increase organic materials processing to help the County achieve reductions of 79,052 metric tons carbon dioxide equivalent in 2030.

On September 11, 2024, the Board of Supervisors adopted the 2024 Climate Action Plan . The Final 2024 CAP project documents will be posted online soon. This website will be updated to reflect the 2024 CAP. 

MEASURE

Strategy SW-1 – Increase Solid Waste Diversion in the Unincorporated County

BACKGROUND

Solid waste disposal accounts for 11% of unincorporated county emissions, largely from methane, a greenhouse gas 85 times more potent than carbon dioxide. Methane is produced at landfills when organic materials (such as food scraps, landscape debris and paper) decompose in a landfill. The Otay and Borrego landfills are located in the unincorporated county. According to the County of San Diego’s Strategic Plan to Reduce Waste, 474,750 tons of solid waste from the unincorporated county was sent to landfills in 2015. Of the materials sent to the landfill, construction and demolition debris comprised 34% and organic materials comprised an additional 34%, though both streams of valuable recoverable materials that could be diverted from the landfill.

The County’s Board of Supervisors established a 75% waste diversion target by 2025 for the unincorporated county through the implementation of the Strategic Plan to Reduce Waste. The 2018 Climate Action Plan established an 80% waste diversion target by 2030 within the unincorporated area.

Achievements

• Updated the County’s Solid Waste Ordinance and Non-Exclusive Franchise Agreement with waste haulers in 2021 to require recycling of designated organic materials and expand collection of these materials.
• Completed an Organic Materials Ordinance Update in 2022, an ordinance amendment for composting standards in the unincorporated area.
• Established an Edible Food Recovery Subcommittee, as part of the regionwide Integrated Waste Management Technical Advisory Committee to coordinate edible food recovery efforts across many stakeholder groups.
• County contractors and staff regulary conduct community outreach, educational presentations, site visits, and programs with unincorporated businesses, residents, and schools/students covering topics such as recycling, composting, and food waste reduction.

In Progress

• Implementing food scrap and other waste diversion programs in collaboration with franchise haulers and community organizations.
  
• Leading efforts to determine the volume of organic material processing capacity countywide.
• Leading efforts to quantify edible food recovery capacity countywide.
• The Department of Public Works is leading an internal working group comprised of multiple departments to collaboratively implement required programs to divert organic waste, promote food recovery, and achieve procurement targets for recovered organic waste products under SB 1383 (Short Lived Climate Pollutants).