El Monte, CA – The City of El Monte, in partnership with Valley Vista Services, delivered over 15,000 organic waste pails to every residential home in the city in order to comply with Senate Bill 1383 which aims to divert organic waste from landfills. Through this partnership, the City has taken a proactive approach to support the state’s goal of reaching 75% organic waste reduction by 2025. The City will be kicking off a social media campaign and continuing to host workshops to educate all residents on how to recycle organic waste including the do’s and don’ts.
“I am proud to say that the City is doubling down on its commitment to support programs that benefit our community to ensure that we are doing our part to combat climate change,” shared Jessica Ancona, Mayor of the City of El Monte. “I would like to thank our partners at Valley Vista Services who are going door to door to ensure each household in our City receives an organic food waste pail to comply with SB 1383.”
On October 19, 2021, The El Monte City Council passed the City’s Mandatory Organic Waste Disposal Reduction Ordinance requiring all residential, commercial, and multi-family premises located within the City boundaries to participate in the program. Since the ordinance, El Monte residents have been informed of the law, SB 1383, that went into effect on July 18, 2022 as the City partnered with Valley Vista Services and hosted community workshops to educate residents on the new changes and how to recycle properly.
Key points that the community workshop focuses on, but are not limited to, include:
- Addressing Misconceptions: That a compostable bag liner must be used for organic waste. At the moment, this is currently not needed as the bag gets separated from the waste as it gets processed.
- List of Compostable Items: Include egg shells, food scraps, meat, poultry, bones, dairy, leaves, among many others.
- Best Practices: How to prevent food waste from smelling and how to merge your at home composting set up with the new organic waste recycling.
“The City of El Monte is one of our strong partners that goes above and beyond to ensure that residents and commercial businesses are aware of any changes impacting their waste and help us ensure we have good waste management,” said David Perez, owner of Valley Vista Services. “We know that 50% of the waste that goes into landfills can be recycled, which is why we are committed towards supporting policies like SB 1383. We will continue to do our part by collecting and sorting waste and educating the communities we service to support our efforts of zero waste.”
By ensuring that organic waste is properly recycled, El Monte residents are helping reduce greenhouse gas emissions like methane and air pollutants by PM 2.5.
This campaign is part of El Monte’s broader goals to go green. In recent years, the City has installed over 30 Electric Vehicle (EV) stations throughout the City which include Main St., the Metrolink Station, city facilities, and within the Public Works Department. The City is also undergoing the transition of replacing their fleet vehicles with energy efficient vehicles, replacing all lighting with LED lights, and working with SoCal Edison to install energy efficient water heaters throughout city buildings.
The City was recently awarded a grant of nearly $2 million from the South Coast Air Quality Management District (AQMD) to convert the City’s compressions gas stations from CNG to RNG which will benefit the environment by lowering emissions. In addition, through the City’s Climate Action Plan, the City hopes to address the island heat effect by introducing white streets.