This holiday season, let's give back to the world around us by composting food scraps from all upcoming festivities! Not only does it help the environment, but you are also complying with Senate Bill 1383 (SB 1383), a state law that requires every resident and business to recycle organic waste in an effort to reduce methane emissions.

Residents that have the organics cart and those HOA communities that have an communal bin are required to separate their organic waste from the trash and place it the organics cart/bin for composting.

Here are a few tips on common holiday food that can be composted:

• Vegetables and fruits are the quintessential compostable foods. Compost potatoes, carrots, corn, yam, and other veggies and fruits in any form — scraps, peels, raw, cooked, and even rotten.
• Nearly all cooked foods can be composted, including grains, breads, beans, pastas, sauces, soups, and casseroles.
• SB 1383 requires and allows meat and bones to also be composted.
• Organic waste includes food-soiled paper such as napkins, paper towels, and uncoated cardboard.

For more information on SB 1383, tips on organic waste recycling, and more resources, visit cityofirvine.org/sb1383.