SB 1383 requires that 75% of organic waste be diverted away from landfills by the end of the year and instead turned into compost. Food and other organic waste sent to landfills is a significant source of methane, a potent greenhouse gas. Methane has a global warming potential about 80 times greater than carbon dioxide<\/a> over a 20-year period.<\/p>\n To reach that goal, crews from L.A.\u2019s 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\u2019s curbside trash collection program.<\/p>\n Scott Lyness, 69, stands near green waste bins outside the apartment building he manages in Koreatown.<\/p>\n (Kayla Bartkowski \/ Los Angeles Times)<\/p>\n Residents are already familiar with the green bins, which were long reserved for lawn clippings and other yard waste but now are the destination for food scraps as well.<\/p>\n Most large apartment buildings in L.A. have been spared from the recent round of green bin deliveries, since they participate in recycLA, the city trash franchise program that relies on private waste haulers.<\/p>\n Sanitation officials say that Angelenos who prefer smaller, more manageable containers should fill out a form<\/a> to get a 30- or 60-gallon replacement. They point out that the bins are part of a much larger effort by the city to reach its zero-waste goals and \u201clead on sustainability.\u201d <\/p>\n Most of the green bins\u2019 contents are taken to a facility in Bakersfield, where the resulting compost can be used by farmers, said Heather Johnson, a sanitation spokesperson.<\/p>\n \u201cWhile some may find [the bins] inconvenient at the moment, in the short term they will result in more diverted waste and cleaner air,\u201d Johnson said in an email.<\/p>\n Despite those serious intentions, Angelenos have been poking fun at the \u201cGreat Green Bin Apocalypse of 2025,<\/a>\u201d as journalist and podcaster Alissa Walker framed the situation on Bluesky. Walker recently shared a photo<\/a> showing what appeared to be 20 green bins in front of one property, right next to a discarded sofa.<\/p>\n \u201cThis one is probably my favorite,\u201d she wrote. \u201cI like how they lined them all up neatly in a row and then left the couch.\u201d <\/p>\n Green organic waste bins outside an apartment building in Koreatown.<\/p>\n (Kayla Bartkowski\/Los Angeles Times)<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
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