Zero Waste
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The Zero Waste Strategy, as outlined in the City’s CAP, aims to reduce the amount of waste sent to landfills. CAP Measure ZW-1 commits the City to implementing a Zero Waste Program that aims to reduce landfill waste disposal from residents and businesses by sorting and diverting recyclable and organic materials. Organic materials, such as food and landscape waste, can generate a significant amount of greenhouse gas emissions. Organic waste decomposing in landfills emits methane, a greenhouse gas that is 25 times more potent than carbon dioxide.
Implementation of the Zero Waste strategy is estimated to reduce the City’s GHG emissions by 2,830 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (MTCO2e) by 2020 and 9,216 MTCO2e by 2030.
Explore the sections below to learn about the City’s planned and ongoing actions to achieve these goals.
ZW-1: Implement a Zero Waste Program
Divert Solid Waste
With the implementation of California Senate Bill (SB) 1383, California municipalities are now required to implement organic waste collection and diversion programs for all residential and nonresidential entities. The City partnered with its exclusive franchise waste hauler, EDCO Disposal (EDCO), to implement curbside organic waste collection services as a part of its existing recycling and waste collection program for residents and businesses. With a summer 2021 rollout, this program has now achieved 100 percent enrollment in both residential and nonresidential sectors with respect to organic waste recycling.
EDCO constructed a first-in-the-region anaerobic digestion facility to process organic waste. Anaerobic digestion facilities prevent methane emissions from escaping into the atmosphere. In an anaerobic digestion facility, the methane gas emitted from organic waste is captured, refined into renewable natural gas, and reused to power a zero-emission fleet of EDCO waste collection vehicles. The solid and liquid materials produced from the anerobic digestion process are further refined into nutrient-rich mulch and compost. The City’s organics recycling program represents a true closed-loop system with respect to the capture and reuse of all organic matter diverted from landfill.
In addition to the organic waste recycling facility, EDCO operates a state-of-the-art mixed-use recycling facility (MURF) to properly sort comingled recyclables. In Encinitas, all recyclables go into one bin regardless of material (e.g. paper, metal, glass, hard plastic). Once recyclables are collected, a number of technologies at the MURF work to ensure all recyclable waste is sorted into its respective material while diverting any waste contaminants.
Encinitas has improved the Zero Waste Program through continuous education and outreach efforts and the adoption of waste reduction ordinances that go above and beyond state requirements. Encinitas’s Zero Waste Program seeks to divert 65 percent of Encinitas’s solid waste from the landfill by 2020, and 80 percent of total solid waste by 2030. This is equivalent to reducing waste generation rates to 5.3 pounds per person per day by 2020 and three (3) pounds per person per day by 2030.
Visit the City's Zero Waste webpage to learn more.
UNIT | "Pounds Per Person Per Day" shows the approximate amount of waste each resident of Encinitas produces per day. | lbs/person/dayPounds per Person per Day |
"Pounds Per Person Per Day" shows the approximate amount of waste each resident of Encinitas produces per day. | lbs/person/dayPounds per Person per Day |
Last updated July 10, 2024
ZW-1: Implement a Zero Waste Program
Organic (Green Waste and Food Waste) Recycling
In 2021, the City adopted, Ordinance No. 2021-15, mandating organics recycling and edible food recovery. Effective January 1, 2022, Ordinance No. 2021-15 not only requires all food generators to recycle organics but also mandates that some food generators donate any leftover food products to local organizations to give away.
Under SB 1383, all residents and businesses must divert organic waste including food scraps, yard waste and other qualifying materials from landfills by participating in the City’s organics and recycling program. Businesses in Encinitas are required to separate organic waste from landfill disposal, subscribe to organics recycling service and prevent contamination in waste containers. In 2025, City staff conducted approximately 20 commercial (nonresidential) SB 1383 inspections. These efforts are part of the City’s broader commitment to waste diversion and compliance with state diversion and edible food recovery targets.
ZW-1: Implement a Zero Waste Program
Solid Waste Management and Construction and Demolition Debris Recycling
In 2021, to comply with SB 1383, the City updated its Solid Waste Management and Construction and Demolition Debris Recycling Ordinances (Ordinance Nos. 2021-16 and 2021-17). These ordinances require a 5 percent increase (from 60 percent to 65 percent) in the percentage of construction debris that must be recycled by construction and demolition projects. The ordinances became effective on January 1, 2022. As part of ongoing implementation and enforcement efforts, the City reviews approximately 1,000 permits per year for compliance with the Construction and Demolition Debris Ordinance. From 2024 to 2025, the City's Construction and Demolition total diversion tonnage increased by 48 percent. This rise indicates that the City's active enforcement of the ordinance has proven effective and resulted in positive change within the community.
ZW-1: Implement a Zero Waste Program
Education and Outreach
The City supports at-home management of organic waste through educational workshops—such as an annual Zero Waste Fair—and offers subsidies to purchase compost and worm bins. The City frequently partners with local organizations such as the Solana Center for Environmental Innovation, I Love a Clean San Diego, BCK Programs, and several Encinitas schools for various outreach events and programming.
Over the years, through periodic audits and observation, City staff has found that recyclable material can sometimes be misplaced in the trash and vice-versa. In 2021, to help improve and promote the City’s blue bin recycling program, the City contracted the Solana Center to create a how-to video and resource packet for multi-family home property managers to share with their residents. The goal of this initiative was to improve residents’ recycling habits and achieve a better understanding of how different types of materials should be disposed of.
ZW-1: Implement a Zero Waste Program
Balloon Ordinance
Aside from SB 1383, the Encinitas City Council adopted a number of ordinances aimed at further reducing waste and pollution. In 2022, City Council unanimously passed the ‘Lighter-Than-Air’ Balloon Ordinance (Ordinance No. 2022-01), restricting the sale of helium (or any gas lighter than air) filled balloons. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration cited balloons as a top pollutant that poses harmful consequences to marine life. This ordinance serves as a source-reduction measure for harmful marine pollutants.
Divert Solid Waste
Smoke-Free Ordinance
In 2023, Encinitas City Council adopted of Ordinance No. 2023-02, restricting smoking and vaping in all public places.
Prior to adoption of the ordinance, the top waste item found at beach cleans ups in San Diego County was cigarette butts. Tobacco waste is one of the main sources of marine plastic pollution worldwide. The goal of the ordinance is to reduce waste, protect the environment and support public health by limiting secondhand smoke exposure.
Divert Solid Waste
How You Can Help
Last updated June 28, 2022
