Aligned with California state law SB 1383, IUSD is dedicated to reducing greenhouse gas emissions by recycling food waste. SB 1383 requires active participation in food waste recycling for all residents, organizations and school districts, including IUSD.
What is organics recycling?
When organic waste, such as food scraps, ends up in landfills and decomposes, it produces methane. Methane is a gas that is 84 times more potent as a greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide.
By recycling organics, particularly food waste, through proper composting processes, we can significantly reduce the amount of organic material in landfills. This, in turn, minimizes the production of methane gas, helping combat climate change and its associated environmental impacts.
IUSD Actions
IUSD is implementing a three-bin waste sorting system at schools and facilities. The bins include recycling (blue), organics (green), and landfill (gray).
Quick guide to waste sorting at IUSD:
- Recycling (blue bin): all plastic bottles, metal cans and clean cardboard trays/cartons
- Organics (green bin): food scraps, including meat, bread, cheese, vegetables and fruit peels
- Landfill (gray bin): any remaining non-recyclable or non-compostable items
IUSD actively reduces waste by discontinuing the use of single-use plastic water bottles and straws, making changes in utensil dispensing methods and a concerted effort to reduce packaging.
This new program will help keep IUSD’s organic waste out of landfills and enable our District to achieve state-required waste reductions.
