Food Waste Reduction, Recovery and Diversion

Preventing Food from Reaching the Landfill

Californians throw away nearly 6 million tons of food scraps each year.  This equates to approximately 18 percent of all the material that goes to the landfill.  But once organic material is placed in a landfill, it does not properly decompose and creates harmful greenhouse gases like Methane.  

California passed a landmark bill that goes into effect in January 2022 – SB 1383, which has a goal to reduce the amount of solid waste (trash, recycling, and organics) going to the landfill by 75% of 2014 levels by 2025.  

In order to comply with the law, cities across California must offer food scrap collection to all of their customers.  Oxnard already offers commercial organics collection services for businesses and multi-family residential properties. 

Starting January 2022, all single-family residential customers will have weekly service for all three carts and will also be asked to place bagged food waste in the organics (green yard waste) cart.  To do this, all single-family residential accounts will be switched to weekly service for all 3 carts. If your property does not have an organics cart, please call (805) 200-2206 or email recycle@oxnard.org.   

How can you help? 

Single-Family Residential Customers

• Place all three carts out on your designated collection day.
• Avoid overfilling your cart.  Make sure the lid closes all the way. 
• Put trash in the gray trash cart, recycling in the blue recycling cart, and organics – green waste and bagged food scraps in the green organics cart. 

Find out what goes where by using our Oxnard Recycles Tool.

Multi-Family Residential Customers

• If your location currently does not have recycling or organics, please call 805-200-2006 or email recycle@oxnard.org. 
• Place trash in designated 2 or 4-yard trash bin
• Place recycling in a designated 2 or 4-yard recycling bin 
• Place food scraps in a designated 64 gallons cart.
• Your location may be eligible for a Waiver.  Please visit HERE for more information.  

Commercial Business Customers (including Tier 1 & 2 Edible Food Generators)

• If your location currently does not have recycling or organics, please call 805-200-2006 or email recycle@oxnard.org.

• Place trash in designated 2 or 4-yard trash bin
• Place recycling in a designated 2 or 4-yard recycling bin 
• Place food scraps in a designated 64 gallons cart.
• Your location may be eligible for a Waiver.  Please visit HERE for Commerical Businesses.