California Senate Bill 1383 went into effect January 1, 2022 aiming to reduce organic materials going to landfill by 75% by January 1, 2025. The law also set targets to recover edible food that would otherwise be disposed and donate it to feed people. In a recent article, WasteDive covers how local governments are implementing SB 1383 food recovery requirements in Alameda County and beyond.

StopWaste program manager, Cassie Bartholomew, shared insights on the challenges and new partnership opportunities that have arisen in Alameda County in an effort to meet the state’s 20% edible food waste reduction goal by 2030. In Alameda County, partnerships have formed between cities and the local health department to lead inspections of food generators that hold food permits, with San Bernardino doing something similar. In addition to building intra-agency partnerships, Cassie also underscored the importance of working with food recovery organizations explaining that, “Within the landscape of food recovery, there are so many different types of organizations that I think generally there’s a fit for every donor, but it’s not a one size fits all approach.” Cassie highlighted the Alameda County Food Recovery Network that StopWaste convenes as a model for strengthening collaboration between food recovery organizations and food generators and helping to meet 1383 recovery and donation requirements. 

Continue reading WasteDive's article here.