What we do with our trash has sure changed over the years.
We went from using our own trash cans for everything, then came the three-cart system for separating yard waste, trash and recyclables.
Now we’ve advanced to the next chapter of trash.
As of July 1, we are required by law to separate our organic refuse. It is the result of Senate Bill 1383, the residential organic waste recycling law to keep useable waste out of the landfills, and help improve the environment. It was signed into law in September 2024. It is now in effect.
Brea residents have been alerted about it through mailings, online, City Council meetings and in the Brea Line newsletter. Still, several people I’ve spoken with didn’t recall hearing about it or forgot about it starting July 1.
Many of us received the Residential Service Guide by mail on June 29 or 30 and others still haven’t received it, or thought it was junk mail and tossed it out. It has good information that tells exactly what goes into our yard waste, trash and recycling carts. Too bad it wasn’t sent a week earlier, and reminders posted on social media, the city TV channel and on the electronic message boards around town.
Nordstrom’s Anniversary Sale starts July 12. I can’t count all the pre-sale email promos I’ve received more than two weeks prior to that date. Maybe the city and Republic Services should follow Nordstrom’s example on getting the word out.
But the time is now. Are you tossing your food scrapes, pizza boxes and used paper plates and napkins in your yard waste bin? I surveyed 25 Breans and got varied responses. Most said they would adhere to the program. Some said they are already bagging food scraps, freezing them and then putting them in the yard waste cart on trash day, something recommended in the guide.
Others said their freezers are full, so freezing food scraps was not an option. Even more people said they probably would keep putting food scraps in their black trash cart. That can cause contamination.
The new law requires contamination monitoring. If a contamination inspector sees you threw last night’s leftovers in the trash cart instead of the yard waste/organics cart, a courtesy notice may be left on the cart. If it happens again, you may be fined.
One person I surveyed said he would put vegetable waste in a countertop container and empty it into the brown cart, but not meat waste, which he will continue to put in the trash cart.
One couple said they are redoing their yard, the cart is always full, and they don’t want to throw food waste in it. Think it is gross.
Several people are concerned about smells, flies and critters, so they do not want to put food waste into the brown cart. Francesca Vivanti, Brea’s recycling pro, suggests layering organics with the yard waste to keep smells down and the lid closed to keep rodents away.
At the recycling info booth at Brea’s July 4 Country Fair, Vivanti told me that eventually we will get new refuse carts and the old ones will be recycled. I learned that shredded paper is not recyclable and goes into the trash cart.
She also suggests putting cardboard in the bottom of a paper bag to catch drips from collected food scraps. When full, toss the bag in the yard/organics cart.
Other people are composting their food waste, something I may do. We don’t like change, but in time, this system will be no big deal.
Terri Daxon is a freelance writer and the owner of Daxon Marketing Communications. She gives her perspective on Brea issues twice a month. Contact her at [email protected].
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