StopWaste’s RE:Source Guide is Alameda County’s one-stop shop for answers on what to do with an unwanted item. The Guide provides easy access to information on proper disposal with the goal of maximizing the benefits of compost, reuse, repair and recycling, while minimizing contamination from items going in the wrong bin. 

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the state temporarily prohibited self-service which led to all food share table programs around the state being paused. Given the very low risk of transmission from surfaces and shared objects, self-service food bars and food share tables are now allowed by the California Department of Education and the Alameda County Department of Environmental Health. StopWaste encourages the use of food share tables to reduce food waste and encourage the consumption of food served to students.

A new California State law, SB 1383, aims to keep food and other compostable materials out of landfills to reduce methane emissions that contribute to climate change. An important requirement of the law is that food generating businesses must recover surplus edible food that would otherwise be disposed of and donate it to feed people.

In 2021 the California Legislature passed AB 1276 into law, expanding the prior “straws on request only” law to also now include single-use cutlery, condiment packs and chopsticks. Affected entities include all retail food operations as well as food delivery platforms. The purpose of AB 1276 is to reduce excess packaging and reduce food waste from unwanted condiment packs.

A new California State law, SB 1383, aims to keep food and plant materials out of landfills to reduce emissions that contribute to climate change (food scraps emit more methane than any other material in the landfill). Under the law residents must properly sort recyclable and compostable materials into the appropriate containers.

In 2017, StopWaste began working with the Alameda County Resource Conservation District and later additional partners (The Natural Resource Conservation Service and UC Merced) to add to the body of knowledge on how carbon farming can fight climate change through the application of compost on range lands. Carbon farming refers to practices—including the one-time application of compost—that increase the ability of the soil and plants to pull carbon from the atmosphere and sequester it deep in the soil. 

StopWaste provides grants of up to $10,000 for nonprofits to acquire food storage equipment, aimed at increasing safe recovery and distribution of surplus food. This guide includes details on eligible equipment, PG&E incentives for qualified products, selection criteria for equipment, and the rebate process. It also offers guidance on how to choose appropriate refrigeration equipment based on dimensions and electrical requirements.

NOTICE: New Law Requires Donation of Surplus Edible Food

New State law, SB 1383, and the Alameda County Organics Reduction and Recycling Ordinance go into effect January 1, 2022 and require all businesses to keep compostable and recyclable materials out of landfills. The laws also require certain food generating businesses to donate surplus edible food to feed people instead of composting it. This notice provides more details about how businesses with surplus edible food can comply with the new law.

Last Updated January 2024