Backyard Composting
Backyard composting allows you to recycle your yard clippings and fruit and vegetable scraps into a valuable soil amendment right in your own yard. It is a great way to save money, reduce the amount of waste that is disposed, and improve the quality of your soil. Download our Backyard Composting Guide for more information on proper backyard composting techniques.
SB 1383 and Backyard Composting
Since July 1, 2022, in compliance with the statewide mandate, Senate Bill 1383, the City of Sacramento has been collecting food waste and food-soiled paper from our residential customers along with their yard waste. The organic waste the City collects is recycled into a nutrient dense compost and provided to local agricultural users.
Customers who compost in their backyard can continue to compost food waste at home. The City’s program accepts other organics that are not recommended for backyard composting, including clean wood waste, food-soiled paper, eggshells and bones, spoiled food, citrus, and certain food wastes that can attract vermin. While these are not recommended for backyard composting, they are acceptable in the City's curbside collection program. SB 1383 requires the City to collect all organics, not just those that can be recycled in backyard composting. As such, these residents will also require organic waste collection services from the City. More information can be found here.
Free Backyard Composting Seminars
We are able to offer the compost seminars again this spring 2023! We will also be offering seminars in the fall--more details to come.
Saturday, June 24, 2023, 9:00am-10:00am at Sojourner Truth Community Garden, 7365 Gloria Drive, Sacramento, CA 95831
Please contact us at sacrecycle@cityofsacramento.org if you are interested in attending a composting seminar.
At the seminar you will learn:
- How composting works
- What materials you should and should not compost
- Getting the right balance of food, air and moisture
- Maintaining your compost pile
- How to use a Geobin (all attendees who are City residents can receive a free Geobin!)
- What the City is recycling in your curbside organics container
- And more..
The Backyard Composting Seminars are taught in partnership with the City of Sacramento and the Community Garden Program.