Koreatown resident Scott Lyness was well aware that the city of Los Angeles was looking to tackle it’s food waste problem.
While bicycling to work, he saw the growing number of green trash bins popping up on curbs. he read the notice sent to his home instructing residents to expect green bins to be delivered at some point.
Still, Lyness was not prepared for what came next: 13 green bins deposited earlier this month outside the apartment building he manages on New Hampshire Avenue.
That’s on top of the three bins that the city delivered the previous week at a smaller building he also manages next door, and the two green bins that those properties were already using.
Lyness, 69, who works as a project manager at USC, said the two buildings don’t have anywhere near the room to store so many full-size cans – and don’t generate enough organic waste to fill them. He’s tried to have his tenants contact city offices to say they don’t need them. He said he’s even thought about throwing them into the street.
“Our neighborhoods are being inundated with green waste bins,” he said.
City officials are working furiously to get Angelenos to separate more of their food waste – eggshells, coffee grounds, meat bones, unfinished vegetables, orange peels, greasy napkins – to comply with SB 1383, a state composting law passed in 2016. They’ve even implemented Professor Green, an online chatbot that can help residents decide what can and can’t go in the green bin.
SB 1383 requires that 75% of organic waste be diverted away from landfills by the end of the year and rather turned into compost. Food and other organic waste sent to landfills is a notable source of methane, a potent greenhouse gas. Methane has a global warming potential about 80 times greater than carbon dioxide over a 20-year period.
To reach that goal, crews from L.A.’s bureau of Sanitation have deposited huge numbers of 90-gallon green bins in front of some apartment buildings, including duplexes, triplexes, fourplexes and larger buildings that have been grandfathered into the city’s curbside trash collection program.
L.A.’s new composting law is hear.Get ready for a lot of green bins
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Los Angeles is rolling out a major expansion of its composting program, requiring nearly all residents and businesses to have green bins for organic waste. The program, years in the making and mandated by a state law, aims to divert food scraps and yard waste from landfills, reducing greenhouse gas emissions and creating valuable compost.
But the rollout hasn’t been without its hiccups – and a healthy dose of internet mockery.
Starting this month, the city is providing green bins to residents who didn’t previously have them, and enforcement of the new rules will begin in July. Residents are expected to put food scraps, yard trimmings, and other organic materials in the green bins for weekly collection.
The city has been preparing for this for some time, investing in infrastructure and launching public awareness campaigns. Officials say the program is crucial for meeting California’s ambitious climate goals.
Despite those serious intentions, Angelenos have been poking fun at the “Great Green Bin Apocalypse of 2025,” as journalist and podcaster Alissa Walker framed the situation on Bluesky. Walker recently shared a photo showing what appeared to be 20 green bins in front of one property, right next to a discarded sofa.
“This one is probably my favorite,” she wrote. “I like how they lined them all up neatly in a row and then left the couch.”
[Image of numerous green bins lined up next to a discarded sofa]
The abundance of bins has become a running joke online,with residents sharing photos of overflowing bins and comical stacks. While the humor is lighthearted, it also points to potential challenges with the rollout, such as confusion about what can be composted and concerns about bin storage.
Despite the jokes, the city is urging residents to embrace the new program. “this is a big step towards a more sustainable future for Los Angeles,” said a spokesperson for the Bureau of Sanitation. “We understand there might potentially be some adjustments, but we’re confident that Angelenos will rise to the occasion.”
L.A.’s Green Bin Blitz: A Waste of Resources or a Step Towards Sustainability?
los Angeles residents are finding themselves inundated with large green bins as the city rolls out a new food-waste program, and many are questioning the rollout’s effectiveness and cost. A recent photo circulating on Bluesky shows eight green bins lined up outside an eight-unit apartment building, sparking debate about the sheer volume of containers being distributed.
“Unless they are running a juice bar in there, how could they possibly create this much organic waste on a weekly basis?” questioned Tommy Newman, who works at a county housing agency. The sentiment is echoed on X, where one user described the initiative as a “bureaucratic fever dream,” noting they personally received five bins.
The program aims to divert food waste from landfills by requiring residents to separate organic materials and place them in the green bins. Sanitation “ambassadors” have been deployed to educate residents, emphasizing that food scraps should no longer go into customary black bins, while recyclables continue to be sorted into blue bins.
Last summer, the city sent out notices warning residents of the impending bin deliveries, stating a 90-gallon green container would be delivered unless residents opted out. However,many believe the notices were easily missed or discarded.Critics argue that simply flooding neighborhoods with bins isn’t the best approach to encourage proper waste disposal.
The ambitious program comes with a hefty price tag, projected to cost $66 million annually. This cost contributed to a significant increase in trash fees approved by the City Council earlier this year, with some residents seeing their bills double. Each 90-gallon bin costs the city $58.61, though residents aren’t currently being directly charged for the deliveries.
To date, over 65,000 green bins have been delivered, with 4,000 remaining. However,the city is struggling to keep up with requests for bin removal or replacement with smaller sizes,processing only around 1,000 orders per workday.
Residents like Lucy Alvidrez, a 20-year resident of North Berendo Street, express frustration with the situation. “they sure got carried away with it,” she said, pointing to an apartment building overflowing with two dozen green bins. Alvidrez herself received four bins for her four-unit building, a situation she hadn’t experienced in two decades of living in the neighborhood.
Los Angeles Residents Struggle with Proper Use of Organic waste Bins, Hindering City Composting Goals
Los Angeles’ ambitious plan to divert organic waste from landfills and create valuable compost is facing a significant hurdle: residents are struggling to properly sort their trash. A recent surge in contamination – the mixing of non-compostable items with organic waste – is undermining the program’s effectiveness and raising concerns about its future.
!A dozen green organic waste bins occupy a street in Koreatown.
(Kayla Bartkowski/Los Angeles times)
The Challenge of Contamination
Launched in 2022, Los Angeles’ citywide organic waste collection program requires residents and businesses to separate food scraps, yard waste, and other compostable materials into designated green bins.The goal is to reduce the amount of waste sent to landfills, decrease greenhouse gas emissions, and create compost that can be used to enrich local soils. However,a significant portion of the collected material is being rejected due to contamination.
According to a report by CalRecycle,contamination rates in California’s organic waste programs are a major concern. Items like plastic bags, food packaging, and even household trash are frequently found in green bins, rendering entire loads unusable for composting.
“It’s trash,” lamented one resident, identified as Lyness, to the Los Angeles Times, after finding a neighbor’s green bin filled with non-compostable waste. “It’s all trash.” This sentiment highlights a core issue: a lack of understanding about what can and cannot be composted.
Why Proper Sorting Matters
Contamination has several negative consequences:
* Increased Costs: Contaminated loads require additional sorting,increasing processing costs for the city.
* Reduced Compost Quality: Non-compostable materials degrade the quality of the finished compost, making it less effective for agricultural and landscaping purposes.
* Landfill Diversion Failure: Heavily contaminated loads may ultimately be sent to landfills, defeating the purpose of the program.
* Environmental Impact: landfilling organic waste contributes to methane emissions, a potent greenhouse gas.
What Can Go in the green Bin?
The City of Los Angeles provides detailed guidelines on acceptable materials for the green bin. Generally,the following items can be composted:
* food scraps (fruits,vegetables,meat,bones,dairy)
* Yard waste (leaves,grass clippings,branches)
* paper products (napkins,paper towels,uncoated paper plates)
* Coffee filters and grounds
* Tea bags (remove staples)
Items that cannot be composted include:
* Plastic bags (even those labeled “compostable”)
* Styrofoam
* Food packaging
* glass
* Metal
* Clothing
* Pet waste
The city of Los Angeles provides a complete list and visual guide on their website: https://www.lacitysan.org/san/faces/home/portal/s-lsh-wwd/s-lsh-wwd-s/s-lsh-wwd-s-organics
Addressing the Problem: Education and Enforcement
to improve compliance, the City of Los Angeles is focusing on increased education and outreach.This includes:
* Distribution of educational materials: Providing residents with clear and concise guides on proper sorting.
* Community workshops: Hosting workshops to demonstrate composting best practices.
* Bin tagging: inspectors are tagging bins with warnings for contamination,and repeat offenders may face fines. NBC Los Angeles reports that warnings are the first step, with fines escalating for continued violations.
key Takeaways
* Los Angeles’ organic waste program is struggling with high contamination rates.
* Contamination increases costs, reduces compost quality