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    California goes to war with food waste. Composting is its next climate crusade

    by James Rainey, Los Angeles Times Dec 12, 2021 7 minutes

    LOS ANGELES — Trash never dies. Sometimes it's not even trash.

    That's the notion behind a state law that on Jan. 1 will require Californians to separate organic material from their other garbage. It's a landmark reform that aims to transform the state's throwaway culture — not just to ease pressure on landfills but to reduce the climate-warming fallout of our trashy norm.

    Senate Bill 1383 mandates that Californians toss unused food, coffee grounds, egg shells, banana peels and other leftovers into bins they use for other "green" waste, such as garden trimmings, lawn clippings and leaves.

    Waste haulers will divert the organic material away from traditional landfills to facilities that will turn the biological mishmash into products such as compost, mulch and natural gas.

    In future years, individuals and businesses that don't adequately separate their green waste can face fines of up to $500 daily. Cities that don't comply could be forced to pay as much as $10,000 a day per violation.

    The state Legislature and then-Gov. Jerry Brown passed the law in 2016, seeking many benefits: reducing the flow of refuse to overburdened landfills and returning organics to the land, thereby improving soil quality, enhancing drought resistance,

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