How to Comply: Requirements for Residents
Food waste accounts for 25% of the total disposed waste from residences.
KITCHEN PAIL
Most residential and multifamily tenants (limit 1 per unit) will be provided a kitchen pail to properly dispose of food waste at home. Place loose or bagged food waste and food-soiled paper in your organic waste container. Make sure to remove all packaging (plastic wrap, produce stickers, foil, twist ties, containers) from your food scraps, and dispose your kitchen pail waste into your green organic waste bin. For more information regarding the kitchen pails, please contact your waste hauler.
WHAT GOES INTO THE KITCHEN PAIL?
- Food waste and food soiled paper
- House plant leaves
- Produce
- Meat, fish and poultry
- Dairy products
- Bread, pasta, rice, grains, and coffee grounds
HELPUL TIPS ON HOW TO USE YOUR KITCHEN PAIL
- Drain excess liquid from food scraps.
- Cut up citrus or bell peppers to keep smells away.
- Empty your food pail daily, or every couple of days.
- Line your pail with a paper or plastic bag or with newspaper.
- Sprinkle baking soda inside the pail to absorb moisture and smells.
- Consider freezing food waste until your collection day to reduce odors.
SINGLE-FAMILY RESIDENCES & MULTI-FAMILY (2-4 UNITS)
As a single-family household, a large portion of your waste may be organic materials, such as green waste, food scraps, and food-soiled paper. With the new organic waste collection service, most residents will continue to use their current containers for trash, recyclables, and green waste, but place food waste in with their yard or green waste container.
Click on the following links for more information:
- Residents with Cart Services
- Residents in Garbage Disposal Districts
- Residents with Dumpster Services
You may self-manage all or part of your organic waste and will be required to register and submit information to Los Angeles County Public Works to ensure compliance. Self-management includes, but is not limited to self-hauling, back-hauling, or on-site composting. If you self-haul your organic waste, you must take it to an acceptable community compost center. If you would like to manage your organic waste on site, and learn more about backyard composting, please visit SmartGardening.com. Webinar attendees may purchase a discounted compost bin.
MULTI-FAMILY RESIDENCES (5 UNITS OR MORE)
Multi-family properties must subscribe to separate organic waste collection service. This service will include new containers for most properties. Landscaping green waste may be managed separately or combined with food waste. Please work with your waste hauler to determine what is best for your circumstance. The County is available to assist as well. Click here for more information on the unincorporated County commercial services.
Managers and owners of certain multi-family buildings of five (5) units or more have additional responsibilities.
- You can self-haul your materials and must ensure organic waste and recyclables are not landfilled, and receipts and weight tickets are kept on file. If you self-manage any part of your organic waste, such as through self-hauling, backyard composting, or back-hauling, you will be required to register and submit information to Los Angeles County Public Works to ensure compliance.
- Provide an adequate number of organic waste and recycling containers to employees, contractors, tenants, and customers.
- Containers for organic waste and recycling must be provided in all areas where garbage containers are present, except for restrooms, or inside multi-family dwelling units.
- Educate your tenants and staff on how to separate organic waste and recyclables from garbage and provide them with an adequate number of organic waste and recycling containers.
- Containers must have labels with language and/or graphic images so employees or tenants can indicate primary materials accepted and prohibited by your hauler.
- Inspect containers periodically to make sure the right materials are going in the right containers.
- May apply for a waiver and temporarily exempt from some or all requirements, if adequate documentation and evidence are provided to support the waiver options.
Frequently Asked Questions
All residents in multi-family housing (including occupants of apartment or condo complexes) are required to participate in some form of organic waste collection service from their waste hauler.
- Speak to your landlord or property manager responsible for compliance to learn more about how to sort your waste including food, yard, and recyclables from waste that cannot be recycled.
Options to dispose of food waste and reduce odors are:
- Place food scraps in lidded containers (such as in an empty coffee tub) in your freezer until waste collection day
- Line your container with readily available organic material such as newspaper, brown yard waste, to absorb odor causing liquids.
- Clean your container frequently and keep your container in a dark and cool area.
- Additional ideas may be provided by your organic waste hauler for how to store your food scraps prior to placing them in the green cart or bin they provide.
Some tips to keep kitchen pails and organic waste bin clean and reduce odors:
- Drain excess liquid from your food scraps before disposing.
- Line your kitchen pail with organic material such as newspaper, brown yard waste, before discarding into your green organic waste bin to absorb odor causing liquids.
- Sprinkle baking soda on top of food scraps to eliminate odors.
- Frequent cleaning of your kitchen pail and organic waste bin.
- Additional ideas may be provided by your organic waste hauler for how to store your food scraps prior to placing them in the green cart or bin they provide.
- For residents located in Los Angeles County unincorporated communities, our waste hauler should have conducted a site visit and waste assessment making recommendations for improvement to your services.
- If you did not receive a site visit, you may request one from your waste hauler or ask the County at 1 (888) Clean-LA (253-2652) to coordinate the visit.
- You may also watch recorded community meetings on the Clean LA website specific to your waste hauler and service area.
- For residents located in other city jurisdictions, please contact your waste hauler directly about your current waste service.
Yes, manure must be collected in a separate manure waste container. Manure containers are available upon request at an additional cost. Please contact your waste hauler to find out the best service needed for your location.
Residential customers already receive a default 3-cart service; thus, there is no need to decline the converted green waste cart that will be used for organic waste collection service.
CAN’T FIND WHAT YOU’RE LOOKING FOR?
For specific information about how organic waste is being managed in your community, contact your waste hauler. If you live in an unincorporated area, you may also call Los Angeles County Public Works staff at (888) 253-2652 from 7 a.m. – 5 p.m., Monday through Thursday. We also encourage you to check back to this website for additional updates.
*ADA and Title VI Accommodations: Individuals requiring reasonable accommodations, interpretation services, and materials in other languages or in an alternate format may contact Los Angeles County Public Works at (626) 458-5100. Requests will be processed within 7 days. Individuals with hearing or speech impairment may use California Relay Service 711.