Don’t let these tricky items contaminate your Sacramento food waste bin

As of July, all Sacramento County — including city — residents are mandated to separate their organic waste material from their trash — but the rules surrounding what can and cannot be tossed in the bin may be tricky.

While soiled paper and cardboard can be placed in the organics bin, materials lined with plastic, wax or other materials should be thrown in the garbage, said Jesa David, a spokeswoman for Sacramento’s Recycling and Solid Waste Division. It can be hard to spot.

“The plastic breaks down but only into smaller plastic, so microplastic,” she said. “It’ll just end up contaminating any of the compost that we have.”

A good rule of thumb: If the material is smooth to the touch or shiny, it means it’s coated and should be tossed in the garbage. This could include some party plates, takeout containers, fast food wrappers and paper coffee cups coated in plastic or wax.

The rules on compostable products can get even more confusing.

Takeout cutlery, coffee cups, hard plastic or bio-plastic takeout containers that are labeled compostable should be trashed because the region’s facilities aren’t equipped to handle the material, David said.

“Those need a more intensive process to be able to break down into compost and the level of processing is not available in our region yet, so those need to go in the garbage as well,” she said.

The exceptions to the accepted organics rule may seem like a no brainier to some, but California’s new food waste mandate changes a core muscle memory.

“Right now we just want to make sure that everyone understands how to do this,’‘ said program manager Jennifer Claiborne with Sacramento County Waste Management and Recycling during a live demonstration on June 30. “It’s a huge behavioral change, we recognize.”

What doesn’t belong in my organics bin?

The rules on the accepted organic materials are generally the same for the city of Sacramento and Sacramento County, so here’s what cannot be placed in your organics bin and should be thrown in the trash instead, David said:

• Coffee cups (lined with plastic or wax)

• Takeout containers (lined with plastic or wax)

• Coated paper plates

• Face and bathroom tissue (either clean or used)

• Coated gift wrapping paper

Clean paper and cardboard should be recycled.

“It’s not always easy to tell, but when in doubt — throw it out,” she said. “We all do that recycling thing where we are like ‘I think this is recyclable, I’m going to put it in’ and we understand.”

What can I throw in my organics bin?

Before tossing any organic food waste material into the bin, remove stickers, twist ties and rubber bands from the produce.

Here’s what should be recycled as organic food and green waste material, according to the county website, which is the same for the city:

Here’s what else shouldn’t go into the bin, according to the website:

• Plastic bags
• Styrofoam
• Takeout containers
• Utensils
• Glass
• Metal
• Liquids
• Pet waste
• Water hoses

State law prohibits putting organic waste in the trash or mixed recycling can, according to Cal Recycle.

This story was originally published July 11, 2022 at 5:00 AM.