The following is an op-ed by Third District Representative Dawn Rowe:
My office has received a number of inquiries about a new state law that the County and our area trash haulers are being forced to implement. California Senate Bill 1383, which was signed into law by Governor Brown on September 19, 2016, prohibits waste haulers from disposing of organic waste, including green waste, in a landfill (unless the organic waste is coming from a state-approved low population waiver area). Because of the what the state voted to do, it is now a state law that forces our Morongo Basin communities to separate organic waste (food, kitchen scraps, and yard trimmings) and recyclables from their trash containers so the material can be processed and not disposed of in a landfill. In the Morongo Basin, this means that you will be required by the State to sign up for additional trash services to collect these items separately or receive a self-haul exemption and transport them to a County-owned transfer station in Twentynine Palms for further processing.
This is a state law that leaves no room for local control, and all counties are being forced by the State of California to comply. While the State did include an exemption for areas with low populations, the rule is very specific and unfortunately doesn’t provide adequate relief for most Morongo Basin residents. The State chose to use the census track boundary of 75 people or more per square mile to delineate the SB 1383 compliance boundary. Any area with 75 people per square mile or more must comply with SB 1383. The County has applied for and received every low population waiver available, and unfortunately, most of the Morongo Basin was not eligible.
I realize this new law is not ideal, is cost-prohibitive, and burdensome for our residents. The state legislature passed this “one size fits all” law without additional funding and without fully understanding the implications on San Bernardino County, particularly our rural communities. State Assemblyman Tom Lackey rightfully rejected the flawed law and voted no. Assemblyman Greg Wallis was not in office when this law was passed in 2016.
Additionally, the Little Hoover Commission, a bi-partisan independent state agency, recently found that “successfully implementing this law would require additional funding and a more holistic approach to reducing landfill emissions.” They went further and called for a pause on its implementation until it could be done correctly. I agree with the commission: This law should be halted. I hope that the majority of state legislators who voted in favor of this bill will consider this sound analysis and reverse the negative impacts of this legislation.
As your County Supervisor, I will continue to work with our state partners, to fight for alternatives. I hope that we can find a workable solution at the state level that doesn’t create unnecessary hardships for our residents.
Previously Reported:
