City of Long Beach Continues Rollout of Residential Organics Collection Program
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Long Beach, CA – This June, the City of Long Beach is continuing its commitment to sustainability with the expansion of its Residential Organics Collection Program, pursuant to the Short-Lived Climate Pollutant Reduction Strategy bill, SB 1383. Following the successful launch of the program's first phase in October 2024, the City is preparing to complete implementation, which will finalize alignment with state requirements by providing organics collections services for all remaining residents receiving City refuse service by the end of 2025.

The phased rollout will continue through October 2025, based on existing refuse collection days for residences serviced by the City. The next phase of residential organics collection will roll out in June to households with Monday collection service, reaching approximately 19,000 single family and multifamily homes. Future phases will continue expanding service coverage in the coming months—Tuesday and Wednesday service areas will begin service in August, and Thursday and Friday service areas will begin in October. New green carts for yard trimmings and food scraps will be delivered ahead of each service start. Residents with City service, or customers, are encouraged to view the City's MapIt web application to find out when their organics collection service is scheduled to begin.

Customers will receive two mailers, printed in English and Spanish, before their service begins, outlining key information and instructions. Materials in Khmer and Tagalog will also be available upon request and online. The Public Works team will also be at events Citywide, distributing pails for food scraps and educational materials. Staff will also conduct routine reviews to assess cart usage and contamination levels, providing ongoing education to ensure program compliance.

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The program, designed to reduce landfill-bound organic waste and cut climate pollutants, has already achieved meaningful results. Nearly 8,000 households participated in the initial phase with over 900 tons of organic material successfully diverted from landfills.

To ensure each residence receives the cart best suited to its service needs, the City has implemented a process for evaluating and adjusting cart sizes. Customers are asked to wait at least two weeks after receiving their new cart before submitting a size-change request, allowing the customer to assess cart usage and the City to optimize cart allocation and maintain smooth operations. After this evaluation period, customers wishing to increase or decrease cart size or request an additional organics cart may submit a request online at lbcity.info/CartSupport or by contacting the Public Works Refuse Services Call Center at 562.570.2876. In accordance with Chapter 8.60.020 of the Long Beach Municipal Code, exchanges are permitted only once every six months, with changes scheduled at the earliest available date.

For residents opting to reduce their cart size, City staff will conduct a site visit within the first month after the change to monitor for potential overage issues. If no concerns are identified, the new size will be maintained. If safety or service complications are assessed, the cart will be reverted to the standard residential size. This effort ensures services are tailored appropriately and maintain operational efficiency and safety.

As part of the program, new blue carts will also be introduced for recycling, while purple carts will be retired from service and properly recycled. This recycling cart exchange will be conducted at a later date to ensure a smooth green cart delivery process and comply with SB 1383's requirement for standardized cart colors across the state. More information about the blue recycling cart rollout process will be provided by the City in early 2026.

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The City has been working to implement SB 1383 for several years. In 2021, the Commercial Food Scraps Collection Program was launched to divert food scraps from the waste stream, with a full implementation by 2023. Last fall, the City launched the first phase of the Residential Organics Collection program, supported by a robust education and engagement campaign.

In late 2023, the City of Long Beach's Public Works Department conducted a thorough Solid Waste Cost-of-Service Rate Study that concluded the current rates for solid waste collection services were insufficient to cover the actual costs of providing these essential services. A Long Beach City Council Special Meeting was held on Tuesday, March 11, 2025, and the proposed rate adjustments were approved by the City Council with a 7 to 0 vote.

Billing for organics collection service will begin Aug. 1, 2025, for residences that have received a green cart and started service. Residences not yet included in the rollout will not be billed until their service officially begins. View more information on the approved collection rates at lbcity.info/CollectionRates.

Some multifamily homes and condos are serviced by private haulers and may already have organics collection services. View more information on private haulers in the city.

For more information about the Residential Organics Collection Program, visit longbeach.gov/lbrecycles.

Media inquiries may be directed to Dalia Gonzalez-Gaeta, Customer Relations Officer, Environmental Services Bureau, Public Works, at 562.570.2849 orDalia.Gonzalez@longbeach.gov.

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