Earth Day – A Little History

In the 1960s, Americans were becoming increasingly aware of how their actions and behaviors were dramatically affecting the environment and harming the natural world. In researching the history of Earth Day, I learned there were a few factors leading up it being officially declared, but ultimately, it was the massive oil spill off the coast of Santa Barbara in 1969 that served as the catalyst for action. It was, at the time, ranked as the largest oil spill in U.S. waters and made headlines across the country, leading to nationwide support for the modern environmental movement.

Wisconsin Jr. Senator Gaylord Nelson (founder) and Congressman Pete McCloskey were co-chairs, and they also recruited activist, Denis Hayes, to help organize and facilitate. Take a look at this CBS news piece, from 1970, with Walter Cronkite.

Earth Day’s original main target audience was college students, which is why April 22^nd was selected – a weekday falling between spring break and final exams. Realizing they had the potential to inspire all Americans, they expanded their team to 85 people and moved from speaking only at campuses to include a broader range of organizations and faith groups.

“Earth Day inspired 20 million Americans — at the time, 10% of the total population of the United States — to take to the streets, parks and auditoriums to demonstrate against the impacts of 150 years of industrial development which had left a growing legacy of serious human health impacts.”

In 1990, the movement turned global, which mobilized 200 million people in 141 countries and amplified environmental issues onto the world stage.

Today, in 2022, Earth Day is widely recognized as the largest secular observance in the world, marked by more than a billion people every year as a day of action to change human behavior and create global, national and local policy changes.

As we well know in the solid waste industry – the fight for a clean environment continues with increasing urgency, as the effects of climate change become more apparent every day!

Are you ready for the Inspection and Recordkeeping requirements of SB 1383? Have you started the report for your jurisdiction due on April 1, 2022? And how is it different from the reports due August 1, 2022 and October 1, 2022? R3 is ready to help you get up to speed with inspections, recordkeeping, and reporting!

See below for more information regarding the Implementation Record and Inspection Requirements; see here for the Initial Jurisdiction Compliance Report due by Friday, April 1, 2022; and see here for the Jurisdiction Annual Reporting due August 1, 2022 and October 1, 2022 (and August 1 annually thereafter). Please don’t hesitate to reach out to the R3 team if you need further assistance!

March 2022 – Inspections and Recordkeeping

For this month, we’re looking at SB 1383 Inspections, Recordkeeping, and Reporting requirements, primarily focusing on three parts:

1. Initial Jurisdiction Compliance Report
2. Jurisdiction Annual Report (Restructured EAR)
3. Implementation Record and Inspection Requirements

See below for some tips and guidelines that will help you through this ongoing process. Please remember to start tracking information in your Implementation Record now!

3.  Implementation Record

Each jurisdiction should maintain all records required by SB 1383 using an Implementation Record, such as the Model Implementation Record Tool provided by CalRecycle. Records must be retained for five years and provided to CalRecycle within ten business days upon request.

The Implementation Record must include the following information:

1. Ordinances and enforceable mechanisms
2. Written program descriptions
3. Organic waste service collection
4. Contamination minimization, including route reviews and waste evaluations
5. Waivers and exemptions
6. Education and outreach
7. Jurisdiction oversight of hauler programs
8. Edible food recovery
9. Recovered organic waste product procurement
10. Paper procurement
11. Inspection and enforcement
12. Compliance reviews
13. Investigation of complaints and alleged violations 

Helpful Links:

• Model Implementation Record Tool
• Model Performance Implementation Record Tool
• Implementation Record Webinar Recording
• Implementation Record PowerPoint

Inspection Requirements

Each jurisdiction shall have an inspection and enforcement program designed to ensure overall compliance with SB 1383 regulations.

Inspections must include the following requirements:

1. If the jurisdiction is using the compliance method with a two-container or three-container collection system, it shall complete a compliance review of all solid waste collection accounts for commercial businesses that generate two cubic yards or more per week of solid waste.
   • The jurisdiction shall also determine compliance with organic waste generator requirements and self-haul requirements, including whether a business is complying through back-hauling organic waste.
   • The jurisdiction shall either:
     • Conduct annual route reviews of commercial businesses and residential generators for compliance with organic waste generator and container contamination requirements; or
     • Perform waste evaluations to verify commercial businesses and residential generators compliance with organic waste generator requirements.
2. If a jurisdiction is using the unsegregated single-container collection services compliance method, it shall conduct a compliance review of all solid waste collection accounts for commercial businesses that generate two cubic yards or more per week of solid waste, including organic waste.
   • The jurisdiction shall also determine compliance with:
     • Organic waste generator requirements and document if the business is transporting the contents to a high diversion organic waste processing facility; or
     • Self-hauling requirements, including whether a business is complying through back-hauling organic waste.
3. Edible Food Recovery:
   • Conduct inspections of Tier One commercial edible food generators and food recovery organizations and services
   • Conduct inspections of Tier Two commercial edible food generators
   • 
4. Enforcement:
   • Investigate complaints
   • Enforce SB 1383 regulations in response to violations
   • At least every five years from the date of issuance, verify through inspection that commercial businesses are meeting de minimis and physical space waivers for compliance
   • Generate a written or electronic record for each inspection, route review, and compliance review conducted pursuant to this chapter, including at a minimum:
     • Identifying information for the subject/subjects of the inspection, route review or compliance review, such as:
       1. Name/account name
       2. Description of hauler route and addresses covered by route review
          1. Addresses where prohibited contaminants were found
       3. List of accounts reviewed for each compliance review, the date/dates the inspection/review was conducted
       4. Person/persons conducted the action
       5. Findings regarding compliance and any NOVs or educational materials issued
       6. Any relevant evidence supporting the findings such as photos or account records
   • Documents for route reviews, compliance reviews, and inspections, as well as all other enforcement, shall be maintained in the Implementation Record and shall include:
     • Copies of all documentation
     • Copies of all enforcement actions including NOVs and penalty orders

Other Helpful Links:

• https://www.calrecycle.ca.gov/organics/slcp/reporting
• Recordkeeping Tool for Self-Haulers
• Procurement Calculator Tool

Are you ready for the Inspection and Recordkeeping requirements of SB 1383? Have you started the report for your jurisdiction due on April 1, 2022? And how is it different from the reports due August 1, 2022 and October 1, 2022? R3 is ready to help you get up to speed with inspections, recordkeeping, and reporting!

See below for more information regarding the Initial Jurisdiction Compliance Report due by Friday, April 1, 2022; see here for the Jurisdiction Annual Reporting due August 1, 2022 and October 1, 2022 (and August 1 annually thereafter); and see here for the Implementation Record and Inspection Requirements. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to the R3 team if you need further assistance!

March 2022 – Inspections and Recordkeeping

For this month, we’re looking at SB 1383 Inspections, Recordkeeping, and Reporting requirements, primarily focusing on three parts:

1. Initial Jurisdiction Compliance Report
2. Jurisdiction Annual Report (Restructured EAR)
3. Implementation Record and Inspection Requirements

See below for some tips and guidelines that will help you through this ongoing process and please remember to start tracking information in your Implementation Record now!

1. Initial Jurisdiction Compliance Report

Each jurisdiction is required to submit an initial report on its compliance with the requirements of SB 1383 by April 1, 2022.

No April Fools jokes here – if you haven’t started your report yet, the best time to start is now!

CalRecycle has developed a model tool to assist in this initial reporting. Be sure to attach the initial reporting tool or alternative document with the information below and copies of your jurisdiction’s ordinances or enforceable mechanisms attached separately. Submit your report to SLCP.Organics@calrecycle.ca.gov with the subject line “Initial Jurisdiction Report”.

Initial Jurisdiction Compliance Reporting Tool

The initial report must include the following information:

1. A copy of ordinances or other enforceable mechanisms adopted by the jurisdiction
2. The reporting items must include:
   • The type of organic waste collection service(s) provided by the jurisdiction to its generators.
   • The total number of generators that receive each type of organic waste collection service provided by the jurisdiction.
   • If the jurisdiction is implementing an organic waste collection service that requires transport of the contents of containers to a high diversion organic waste processing facility, the jurisdiction shall identify the Recycling and Disposal Reporting System (RDRS) number of each facility that receives organic waste from the jurisdiction.
   • If the jurisdiction allows placement of compostable plastics in containers, the jurisdiction shall identify each facility that has notified the jurisdiction that it accepts and recovers that material.
   • If the jurisdiction allows organic waste to be collected in plastic bags and placed in containers with a two-container or three-container system, the jurisdiction shall identify each facility that has notified the jurisdiction that it can accept and remove plastic bags when it recovers source separated organic waste.
3. The following contact information:
   • Jurisdiction Primary Contact Information (The person responsible for receiving communications regarding annual reporting compliance)
     • Name
     • Mailing Address
     • Phone Number
     • Email Address
   • Jurisdiction Designee Contact Information (The person responsible for receiving service of process regarding from CalRecycle for the purposes of enforcement of SB 1383)
     •  Name
     • Mailing Address
     • Phone Number
     • Email Address