What Is ORRO?

The Organics Reduction and Recycling Ordinance (ORRO) is the local ordinance adopted by the Alameda County Waste Management Authority (ACWMA) to implement California's SB 1383 — the state's landmark organic waste reduction law — within Alameda County. ORRO became effective January 1, 2022, and its regulations were most recently revised on May 28, 2025.

While SB 1383 sets the statewide requirements, ORRO is the enforceable local mechanism through which those requirements are carried out across Alameda County's member agencies in partnership with their solid waste service providers.

Relationship to SB 1383

California's SB 1383 (Lara, 2016) set ambitious targets to reduce organic waste disposal statewide: a 50 percent reduction by 2020 and 75 percent by 2025. The law also requires that at least 20 percent of currently disposed edible food be recovered for human consumption. SB 1383's implementing regulations, enforceable since January 1, 2022, require jurisdictions to adopt local ordinances, roll out organics collection, launch edible food recovery programs, and procure recovered organic waste products.

ORRO fulfills these requirements for Alameda County by establishing local rules that align with the state mandate while reflecting the county's existing infrastructure and programs.

What ORRO Requires

Under ORRO, the following are required within Alameda County:

For businesses, schools, nonprofits, and multi-family properties (5+ units)

  • Subscribe to organics (compost) and recycling collection services through an authorized hauler, or obtain a waiver if eligible
  • Separate organic materials — food scraps, plant debris, food-soiled paper, untreated wood waste — and recyclables from trash
  • Set up properly labeled indoor bins for sorting

For commercial edible food generators

  • Tier 1 generators (grocery stores, food distributors, supermarkets) and Tier 2 generators (restaurants 5,000+ sq ft, hotels, large venues, schools, hospitals) must recover and donate surplus edible food through arrangements with food recovery organizations
  • Report amounts of recovered edible food annually

For residents

  • Participate in curbside organics and recycling collection programs provided by local haulers

StopWaste's Role

StopWaste serves as the coordinating agency for ORRO implementation across Alameda County:

  • Enforcement coordination — Working with the Alameda County Environmental Health Department (ACEHD), which checks for compliance during routine food safety inspections and provides technical assistance at permitted food facilities. StopWaste supports on-site inspections at facilities without food permits, such as food distributors and wholesale vendors.
  • Technical assistance — Providing free consultations, signage, bin stickers, and training materials to help businesses and property managers comply
  • Data collection and reporting — Collecting and standardizing compliance data on behalf of all member agencies, including monitoring of organics collection, edible food recovery, waivers, and enforcement activities
  • Compliance monitoring — To date, over 400 food recovery inspections have been conducted, and technical assistance has been provided to over 300 businesses

Compliance Resources

For step-by-step compliance guidance, free materials, and support, visit the Rules & Compliance section:

Compliance Guidance & Resources

Ordinance Documents

The following documents related to the Organics Reduction and Recycling Ordinance (ORRO) are available for download:

  • Adopted Ordinance Text — The full text of the Organics Reduction and Recycling Ordinance as adopted by the Alameda County Waste Management Authority
  • County Regulations — The Alameda County Solid Waste Collection and Organic Waste Reduction Regulations (most recently revised May 28, 2025)
  • Implementation Guidelines — Guidance for member agencies and haulers on ordinance implementation