There is no denying that the North Coast is defined by its breathtaking natural beauty—from the towering redwoods to the rugged Pacific coastline. As a community, Eureka has always taken pride in protecting the environment we call home.
Whether you rent an apartment, own a home, or manage a commercial property in Humboldt County, a critical environmental regulation impacts your daily routine: California Senate Bill 1383 (SB 1383).
At Rentor, we believe that staying informed is key to seamless property management and thriving tenancies. Here is everything Eureka residents, landlords, and businesses need to know about California’s mandatory composting law and how to stay fully compliant.
What is SB 1383?
Passed as part of California’s broader strategy to combat climate change, SB 1383 is a statewide mandate designed to slash organic waste sent to landfills by 75%.
When organic materials like leftovers, yard clippings, and food-soiled paper are tossed into a standard trash bin, they end up buried in a landfill. Deprived of oxygen, these materials undergo anaerobic decomposition, creating methane gas. Methane is a short-lived climate pollutant that is up to 84 times more potent than carbon dioxide over a 20-year timeline. In fact, organic waste in landfills accounts for roughly 20% of California’s total methane emissions.
By separating organic waste, Eureka residents help divert tons of material to industrial composting facilities where it is transformed into nutrient-rich soil amendments instead of harmful greenhouse gases.
The Golden Rule: What Goes in the Organics Bin?
Compliance starts at the kitchen counter and the backyard. All Eureka residents and businesses are required to separate organic material into three primary categories:
- Food Scraps: Fruit, vegetables, meat, bones, dairy, eggshells, coffee grounds, and leftover plate scrapings.
- Food-Soiled Paper: 100% fiber-based paper products that have been stained by food, such as pizza boxes, paper napkins, paper towels, and paper plates (provided they do not have a plastic coating).
- Yard Trimmings: Grass clippings, leaves, twigs, weeds, and small branches.
What to keep OUT: Plastic bags (even if labeled "biodegradable" or "compostable" unless explicitly permitted by your waste hauler), plastic clamshells, glass, metal, diapers, pet waste, and treated wood. These items contaminate the composting stream and can cause operational issues at regional sorting facilities.
What are the current options for recycling organics?
At this time, only some areas in Humboldt County are provided with curbside collection service for greenwaste, however, green waste may be self-hauled to various sites. Contact your area waste hauler (listed below) for more information. Food waste is not being collected yet at all by the county's franchised waste haulers. However, you may choose to compost at home or sign up for service to have your food waste collected by one of the following operators.
Humboldt County Waste Disposal
Humboldt County's franchised waste haulers that provide curbside collection of trash and recyclables are Recology, Humboldt Sanitation and Tom's Trash. Please contact waste haulers directly to sign up for service.
- 555 Vance Avenue Samoa, CA 95564 or call 707-442-5711
- 965 Riverwalk Drive Fortuna, CA 95540 or call 707-725-5156
- 2585 Central Avenue McKinleyville, CA 9551 or call 707-839-3285
- 41864 Highway 299 Willow Creek, CA 95573 or call 530-629-2070
For Tenants: How to Participate
If you rent a single-family home or an apartment managed by Rentor, adapting your daily habit is simple:
- Keep a countertop bin: Keep a small, sealed container in your kitchen to collect food scraps while cooking or clearing the table.
- Know your waste service: Sort your waste into the designated green organics bin provided at your property.
- Prevent contamination: When in doubt, leave it out. Make sure no plastic wrappers or metallic ties make it into your green bin.
For Landlords and Property Managers: Your Obligations
If you own or manage a multi-family residential property (such as an apartment building or a complex) or a commercial building in Eureka, SB 1383 places specific responsibilities on you:
- Provide Adequate Service: When available, property owners must subscribe to an organic waste collection service that is sufficient in size and frequency to handle all the organic waste generated at the site.
- Container Access & Labeling: When available, you must provide clearly labeled, color-coded organic waste containers for tenants and employees in common disposal areas.
- Mandatory Tenant Education: When available, landlords are required by state law to provide educational materials on how to properly sort waste to all tenants annually, as well as to new tenants within 14 days of occupying the premises.
- Contamination Inspections: Property managers should periodically inspect bins for contamination and inform tenants if items are being sorted incorrectly.
Because California jurisdictions have the authority to issue formal notices of violation and administrative monetary fines for non-compliance, keeping your properties equipped and your tenants educated is both environmentally responsible and financially smart.
How to Get Started in Eureka
The City of Eureka and Humboldt County work closely with local waste management providers like Recology to integrate SB 1383 rules. Depending on your exact location within the county, localized rollout timelines for universal curbside pickup carts can vary.
If your property does not yet have an official green curbside bin, or if you want to jumpstart your compliance habits today, several authorized regional options are available to Eureka residents:
- Local Organic Haulers: Services like The Local Worm Guy offer specialized residential and business food waste pick-up services throughout Eureka, Arcata, and McKinleyville.
- Home Composting: Setting up a backyard vermicomposting (worm composting) or traditional compost bin is fully permitted and an excellent way to generate free, nutrient-dense fertilizer for your own garden.
Partnering with Rentor for a Greener Tomorrow
Property management involves juggling a lot of moving parts, and evolving environmental regulations like SB 1383 can feel overwhelming. At Rentor, we take care of the heavy lifting. We work directly with property owners and tenants to ensure proper waste infrastructure is in place, educational resources are distributed, and properties remain fully compliant with state and local laws.
Have questions about how SB 1383 affects your Eureka rental property? Reach out to the team at Rentor today!
Sources & Additional Resources:
- CalRecycle: Statewide Mandatory Organic Waste Collection (SB 1383)
- Humboldt County Official Website: Organic Waste and SB 1383 Regulations
- Recology: Understanding SB 1383 & What Belongs in the Bin
- Athens Services & RecycleMore:
Multi-Family and Commercial Property Compliance Guides
