Top Composting & Food Waste in Lake Forest, California Ranked

For restaurants and food service businesses in Lake Forest, managing organic waste is no longer just an environmental best practice-it's a state-mandated requirement. California's SB 1383 regulations have transformed food scrap recycling from an option into a core operational necessity. The city of Lake Forest, in partnership with its waste hauler CR&R, has implemented a clear, color-coded system to help businesses comply efficiently. This program is designed to divert organic material from landfills, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and for larger establishments, recover edible food for those in need. Understanding and implementing these organics recycling protocols is essential for legal compliance, avoiding potential fines, and contributing to the city's sustainability goals.

CR & R Inc

12739 Lakeland Rd, Santa Fe Springs, CA 90670

CR & R Inc provides food waste and composting services for restaurants in La Mirada, CA. The company focuses on sustainable solid waste and recycling solutions, operating advanced materials processing centers and using alternative fuel vehicles to reduce environmental impact. With over three decades of experience, CR & R Inc has developed a state-of-the-art anaerobic digester to process organic waste and produce renewable natural gas, supporting cleaner air and greener practices in the region.

3.1

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Understanding SB 1383 and Lake Forest's Mandatory Program

California's landmark law, SB 1383, sets ambitious targets to reduce the amount of organic waste sent to landfills by 75% by 2025. This law mandates that all jurisdictions, including Lake Forest, provide organic waste collection services to all residents and businesses. For restaurant owners and managers, this means a mandatory subscription to organics recycling service is not optional ^{1 2}. The law is structured in tiers, with specific requirements based on the size and type of food service business. Compliance involves more than just putting out a different bin; it requires active participation in sorting waste correctly and, for qualifying businesses, establishing edible food recovery programs. The city's official resources and its contractor, CR&R, provide the framework and tools needed to meet these state requirements ^{3 4}.

The Color-Coded Bin System: Your Guide to Sorting

Lake Forest has simplified the sorting process with a universal, color-coded container system. Familiarizing your entire staff with this system is the first critical step toward compliance.

• Green Cart/Bin: Organics. This is for all food scraps and yard trimmings. It's the cornerstone of your new waste separation process ^{1 5}.
• Blue Cart/Bin: Recyclables. This continues to be for clean cardboard, paper, plastic bottles, aluminum, and glass containers.
• Gray or Black Cart/Bin: Trash/Landfill. This is now only for items that cannot go into the green or blue containers. The goal is to make this bin the smallest by diverting everything else ⁶.

All containers provided by CR&R must have graphic labels showing what materials are accepted and what are prohibited. Consistent use of these labels at your waste stations reduces contamination-a common issue that can undermine recycling efforts ^{1 7}.

What Goes In the Green Organics Bin?

Knowing exactly what to toss into the green bin is crucial for effective composting and avoiding contamination. The following items are accepted in your commercial organics cart ⁵:

• All Food Scraps: This includes fruits, vegetables, meat, bones, seafood, dairy products, bread, pasta, rice, nuts, and eggshells.
• Food-Soiled Paper: Napkins, paper towels, paper plates (without plastic coating), and pizza boxes.
• Coffee Grounds & Filters: Both can be composted.
• Yard Trimmings: Grass clippings, leaves, flowers, and small branches.

It is equally important to know what does not belong in the green bin. Prohibited items include ^{5 7}:

• Plastic of any kind, including so-called "compostable" or "biodegradable" bags and utensils (unless specifically approved by the hauler).
• Glass, metal, or foil.
• Pet waste or cat litter.
• Palm fronds and treated wood.
• Any liquids or grease.

Setting Up an Efficient Kitchen Collection System

A successful organics program starts inside your kitchen. Relying on staff to walk food scraps directly to the large outdoor cart is inefficient and often leads to improper sorting. Implementing a convenient, interior collection system is key.

Consider placing small, dedicated containers at every major prep and dishwashing station. These can be:

• Countertop bowls or bins (emptied frequently).
• Paper bags in a holder.
• Small, lidded buckets labeled specifically for food scraps.

Train your team to scrape food waste from plates, peelings from prep stations, and coffee grounds directly into these containers. These can then be consolidated and emptied into the large, wheeled green organics cart outside. This "two-step" process makes proper sorting a seamless part of the kitchen workflow ⁶.

Edible Food Recovery for Larger Restaurants

SB 1383 includes a critical component aimed at addressing food insecurity: edible food recovery. This is not composting, but rather the safe donation of surplus food that is still fit for human consumption.

Tier 2 commercial edible food generators must arrange to recover the maximum amount of their edible food that would otherwise be disposed. In Lake Forest, this tier includes ³:

• Restaurants with 250 or more seats.
• Food service providers located within a venue complex (e.g., sports arena or entertainment center) that has a total capacity of 2,000 or more seats.

If your restaurant falls into this category, you are required to contract with or establish a agreement with a food recovery organization or service to pick up and redistribute edible surplus food. This requirement took effect on January 1, 2024. The city provides resources to help connect businesses with local food recovery partners ^{3 2}.

Service Logistics, Costs, and Compliance

CR&R provides weekly organics collection on your established commercial service day. The standard commercial cart size is 35 gallons, but larger sizes are available based on your establishment's volume of organic waste ^{1 6}.

Costs for organic waste recycling service are in addition to your existing trash and recycling fees. The price structure is typically tiered, depending on the size of your organics cart, the frequency of pickup, and the level of service required (e.g., basic collection vs. collection that includes support for edible food recovery). While this represents an added operational cost, it is a mandatory expense for compliance with state law. Investing in proper service helps avoid the potentially significant fines associated with non-compliance under SB 1383 ^{8 4}.

For businesses that generate large volumes of organic waste, a self-haul option exists. You may transport your own organic waste to a permitted facility, such as a composting operation or anaerobic digester. If you choose this route, you are responsible for maintaining detailed records (receipts, weight tickets, etc.) for review to prove compliance ¹.

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