2022 was a year of change and focus, keeping
our commitment to continuous improvement at
the core of everything we do.

Recent state legislation set into motion major recycling mandates that
have and will continue to significantly impact residents, businesses,
cities, waste haulers and our own landfill operations.

I’m proud to share OC Waste & Recycling met these mandates positively
and proactively. As environmental stewards providing an essential
public service, we’re reimagining our agency’s future as it evolves toward
resource recovery.

The evolution of our agency spans new composting infrastructure;
enhancing and developing, repurposing and recycling programs; with
transparent community outreach and education initiatives to bring
clarity to all that we do. At all three of our active landfills, we continue
to recover and recycle mattresses, appliances and scrap metal to
conserve valuable landfill space. Our habitat restoration efforts provide
homes for many native wildlife and plant species. And our landfill gas-
to-energy facilities harness methane gas to produce renewable energy,
generating electricity for homes throughout the County.

On the heels of organics recycling legislation, we’ve designed and
constructed compost greeneries at two of the municipal landfills. A
third facility is being built and will open in 2023. The greeneries will
ensure a local solution to recycling organic materials long after the
landfills have reached capacity.

The concept of recycling organics is a clear and simple one – food fit for
human consumption is diverted to nonprofits and organizations that
feed hungry families. Businesses such as grocery stores and restaurants
are doing their part to make sure edible food is not wasted by
transferring it to local food pantries. Believe it or not, this work is
needed in Orange County. And we’re honored to play a role in the effort
to help eliminate food insecurity in our communities.

Another area where we need to work together is actively participating in
your jurisdiction’s recycling programs at home, at work and at school.
Senate Bill 1383 mandates the diversion of edible food and organics
material from the landfill. We cannot accomplish this goal without your
support and participation.

This year, OC Waste & Recycling was proud to host Countywide
Compost Giveaways. These events raise awareness about the
importance of placing healthy organic material back into our
communities. For the first time, residents saw a curbside-to-community
return on new organics mandates. And it was well received.

While we continue to advance towards change, we believe that meeting
mandates is as much about education in the community as it is about
operations and processes.

We are active in schools and the community, answering questions from
residents, hosting public meetings, attending community events and
providing landfill and greenery tours.

OC Waste & Recycling partnered with the Orange County Department of
Education, providing recycling education directly into classrooms, giving
teachers valuable tools to teach and inspire the next generation of
environmental stewards.

We have raised the bar to get to where we are today, but it is apparent
that there is still plenty of work to do. I hope you will join us in this
effort as we continue to innovate and transform.

It all starts with doing things a little differently. Then, before you
know it, small changes become continuous improvement and we’ve
made positive impacts that clearly benefit our environment and our
communities.

Thank you and please enjoy OC Waste & Recycling’s 2022 Annual
Report.