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Composting, Construction Waste Lead to High SC Recycling Rate

The Sierra Club just gave San Clemente high marks for its efforts to recycle yard waste and food scraps into compost.

With an expanded composting facility in San Juan Capistrano, San Clemente is diverting more and more of its food waste to recycling.

The Sierra Club Angeles Chapter recently surveyed cities in Los Angeles and Orange counties to better understand what the region is doing with discarded food scraps and yard trimmings, known as “organics.” The club produced a report detailing its findings from the 23 cities that participated in the initial survey, and San Juan and San Clemente ranked among the highest in composting efforts.

Danna McIntosh, San Clemente's Environmental Services Coordinator, said the city has expanded what was originally a pilot project to collect and compost food waste from local restaurants and businesses.

Find out what's happening in San Clementewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Now there are 12 organizations involved, the largest being San Clemente Villas Senior Living Community, San Clemente's Saddleback Memorial Medical Center and Fisherman's Restaurant, McIntosh said.

She said the city is negotiating with the local landfill to put together a system that would allow residents to mingle food waste with yard waste and compost on an individual level.

Find out what's happening in San Clementewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The city's overall rate of recycling is 71 percent, with most of the weight borne by construction outfits who are now mandated to take their construction waste to the corresponding section at the CR&R Prima Deshecha Landfill.

"Even old carpet they're making car mats out of," McIntosh said. "We've actually extended the landfill site life for another 10 years."

Resdential and commercial recycling rates in San Clemente aren't quite as great, however: 49 percent and 46 percent, respectively, she said.


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