Title
Staff Report for a City of San Leandro City Council Resolution to Approve a CalRecycle Grant Application in the Amount of $115,507 for a SB1383 Local Assistance Grant Program Funding for Fiscal Year 2021-2022 and 2022-2023; and to authorize the City Manager or Her Designee to Execute all Documents Pertaining to this Resolution and the Administration of the Grant Award
Staffreport
SUMMARY AND RECOMMENDATIONS
Staff recommends that the City Council approve a Department of Resources and Recycling and Recovery (“CalRecycle”) grant application to support cross-departmental efforts impacting the entire City to design and implement a program to reduce organic waste disposal. This effort will advance Council Goal “E”--support and implement programs that advance the quality of life for residents of San Leandro.
BACKGROUND
The Department of Resources and Recycling and Recovery provides the following history behind the new law and this grant. They explain the history as follows:
In September 2016, Governor Edmund Brown Jr. set methane emissions reduction targets for California (SB 1383 Lara, Chapter 395, Statutes of 2016) in a statewide effort to reduce emissions of short-lived climate pollutants (SLCP). The targets must reduce organic waste disposal 50 percent by 2020 and 75 percent by 2025 and rescue for people to eat at least 20 percent of currently disposed surplus food by 2025.
SB 1383 is an unfunded mandate with serious budget implications. Ultimately, the City is responsible for complying with the extensive program requirements that include:
• Provide organics collection service to all residents and businesses
• Establish an edible food recovery program for commercial food generators
• Conduct education and outreach to the community
• Procure recyclable and recovered organic products
• Secure access to edible food recovery capacity, in partnership with the County
• Monitor generators for compliance and conduct enforcement; and
• By January 1, 2022, the City must adopt an ordinance requiring all organic waste generators comply with the regulations.
The Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery (CalRecycle) is administering a one-time grant program meant to provide aid in the implementation of regulations adopted by CalRecycle pursuant to Chapter 395, Statutes of 2016 and SB170 Budget Act of 2021. This non-competitive grant program provides $57,000,000 of funding to local jurisdictions to assist with the implementation of regulation requirements associated with SB 1383, including but not limited to:
• Capacity Planning
• Collection
• Edible Food Recovery
• Education and outreach (includes organic waste & edible food recovery)
• Enforcement and Inspection
• Program Evaluation/Gap Analysis
• Procurement Requirements
• Record Keeping
Analysis
The City of San Leandro will utilize grant funds to secure a consultant that will help create a robust education and outreach program. The campaign will target residents-with the focus being multifamily properties-and businesses about the benefits of organics recycling.
Grant funds will be used to create advertisements, flyers, and educational materials in a variety of media formats (print, social, video), languages, and delivery methods. Funds will also be used for the purchase of equipment, such as countertop kitchen pails and paper bag liners for residents, in addition to organics and recycling bins for businesses. These tools will support proper sorting and recycling throughout the San Leandro community. Finally, the City will acquire a subscription to Recyclist, a software database that will assist with SB 1383 recordkeeping and reporting.
This grant does not require the City to match funding. If CalRecycle awards the City this grant, the Finance Department will create a cost center specific to the grant to track all related expenditures.
Moving forward with the grant will not only help the City meet its state-mandated requirements, but also help reach its Climate Action Plan goals on emissions reduction and waste management. Methane has four times the amount of impact on emissions than CO2 and reducing organic waste disposal is one step to limiting methane. Furthermore, encouraging better consumption habits will encourage resource conservation, water savings, and healthier environments.
CalRecycle could potentially fine jurisdictions from $500 to $10,000 per day for non-compliance depending on the violation.
The City’s compliance with SB 1383 will mean a significant workload increase for staff. Currently, the Recycling Program is staffed by one full time Recycling Specialist, so inter-departmental collaboration and developing of external partnerships will be crucial to the City meeting the challenges of SB 1383.
Prior Actions
• Ordinance No. 2021-012 adding Chapter 3-24, Organics Reductions and Recycling
Added to the San Leandro Municipal Code to Incorporate an Ordinance of the Alameda County Waste Management Authority to Reduce the Amount of Organic and Recyclable Materials Deposited into Landfills, November 15, 2021
Fiscal Impacts
There will be no net impact to the General Fund. This Grant Fund (Fund 150) project operates as a reimbursement style award, requiring the City to pay the costs upfront but then seek reimbursement up to the grant award amount.
ATTACHMENT
• SB1383 Grant Application - City of San Leandro
PREPARED BY
Hoi-Fei Mok, PhD., Sustainability Manager
Scott Koll, Financial Services