California considers food waste recycling

The San Bernardino (California) Sun reports food waste recycling in California must increase if the state hopes to reach its 75 percent recycling goal by 2020. 

“Food waste is really a big problem,” CalRecycle spokesperson Heather Jones told the newspaper. “If we get programs in place, they can make a big difference and quickly as to how much goes to landfills.” 

Los Angeles County produces an estimated 4,000 to 6,000 tons of food waste per day, most of which ends up in landfills. In 2015, waste sent to landfills increased by 2 million tons. Organic waste accounted for 40 percent of this increase, according to the article.

In 2014, the Los Angeles County Sanitation Districts were the first public agencies in the county to convert food waste into methane and biogas, which now runs the Carson wastewater plant and generates excess electricity for South California Edison. The agency is considering expanding into full food waste processing at the Puente Hills material recovery facility (MRF), the article says. 

If the proposed expansion is completed, food waste will be processed into bioslurry, which will be transported to the digestion plant in Carson and converted into biogas and fertilizer, the article says.