Over the past four years, Folsom residents and businesses have reportedly helped divert nearly 51,000 tons of organic waste from going to the landfill through the city’s Green Bin organics recycling program, marking a milestone in a community effort that continues to reduce waste, lower greenhouse gas emissions and transform discarded materials into valuable resources.
The City of Folsom announced this week that the community’s continued participation in the Green Bin program has resulted in nearly 51,000 tons of food scraps, food-soiled paper and yard waste being redirected from landfills since the program’s implementation. Instead of being buried as trash, those materials are processed into products such as compost and mulch that can be used to improve soil health, support landscaping and enrich agricultural lands.
City officials said the milestone reflects the ongoing commitment of residents and businesses who have embraced California’s statewide organics recycling requirements while helping preserve valuable landfill space for materials that cannot be recycled or composted.
Organic waste is one of the largest components of California’s waste stream. When food waste and other organic materials decompose in landfills, they produce methane, a potent greenhouse gas that contributes to climate change. Diverting those materials through composting and organics recycling programs instead reduces emissions while allowing the materials to be recycled into beneficial products that can be returned to the environment.
The city’s organics collection program accepts food scraps, food-soiled paper and yard waste through Folsom’s Green Bin collection service. Residents are encouraged to place food scraps and food-soiled paper into clear plastic or certified compostable bags before placing them into the Green Bin alongside loose yard waste.
Accepted materials include fruit and vegetable scraps, meat, dairy products, bread, coffee grounds, eggshells, paper napkins, paper towels, pizza boxes and other food-soiled paper products that cannot be recycled through traditional paper recycling programs.
The program also plays an important role in helping Folsom comply with California’s Senate Bill 1383, the statewide law requiring communities to reduce the amount of organic waste sent to landfills. The legislation was enacted to significantly reduce methane emissions by expanding organics recycling and increasing the production and use of compost, mulch and other recycled organic products throughout California.
Folsom’s success also reflects a broader transformation taking place across California since Senate Bill 1383 took effect in 2022. According to CalRecycle, nearly every California community now offers residential organics collection, with 480 of the state’s 496 eligible jurisdictions reporting curbside organics recycling programs. State officials also report that 97 percent of required communities and 75 percent of required businesses now have the capacity to recycle organic waste. CalRecycle estimates that fully achieving the law’s goals will reduce greenhouse gas emissions by an amount equivalent to removing 3 million cars from California’s roads each year.
While the nearly 51,000 tons diverted represents an important milestone for Folsom, city officials say continued participation remains essential. Every bag of food scraps, coffee grounds, yard trimmings and food-soiled paper placed in the Green Bin helps conserve landfill space, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and create beneficial products such as compost and mulch that can be returned to the soil. As California continues working toward its ambitious statewide organics recycling goals, Folsom’s participation demonstrates how thousands of small actions by residents and businesses can collectively produce measurable environmental benefits.
Residents seeking more information about what belongs in the Green Bin or how the organics collection program works can visit the city’s organics webpage at www.folsom.ca.us/organics, email recycle@folsom.ca.us or call 916-461-6730.
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