In 2020, Senate Bill 1383 set methane reduction targets in a statewide effort to reduce emissions of short-lived climate pollutants and required counties to take the lead in collaborating with the jurisdictions and organizations located within the county to divert organic waste from landfills. The Yolo Food Bank (YFB) promotes and sustains Edible Food Recovery (EFR) from selected food waste generators by collecting edible food and redistributing it to food insecure families throughout the County, as a service to both our community and in response to the requirements of SB 1383. With this increase in food distribution also comes an increase in waste. The purpose of the attached agreement is to assist the YFB, utilizing grant funds to offset the cost of additional disposal fees to ensure that food waste brought to the Yolo County Central Landfill (YCCL) is sent through our food waste depackager and processed through our compost facility instead of being landfilled.
In October 2022, YCCL partnered with the YFB on a countywide project which resulted in the signing of the Yolo County Edible Food Recovery Grant Funding Assistance Agreement. Under that agreement, the YFB increased the amount of edible food collected from existing donors and new donors which successfully met the goals of SB 1383 for Year 1 of the program. However, this increase in food also resulted in an increase in organic waste and corresponding disposal costs for our non-profit partner. Since YCCL currently accepts all food waste generated at the YFB that is unable to be shared with the community, we are seeking Board approval of this new waste flow agreement to ensure the waste generated from this partnership is being sent off to the highest and best use, which is composting, by providing the YFB with a discounted food waste depackager fee. In turn, the YFB will aim to decrease the amount of organic waste brought to YCCL by 5% each year. The shared goals in this agreement are in line with current efforts and regulations in place through SB 1383 to reduce the amount of food and other organic waste going into landfills. The difference in revenue from the YFB's discounted rate will be offset by SB 1383 grant funds and additional Sanitation Enterprise Fund revenue.
In addition to the benefit of the food waste being diverted to our compost facility, YFB receives thousands of pounds of non-edible donations each year that cannot move through their program. This includes items such as household paper products, feminine hygiene products, pet products, etc. that will now be routed to Yolo County's Blue Barn thrift store for resale. All proceeds from the sale of these items will go back to the Sanitation Enterprise Fund to support SB 1383 efforts.
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