New STA Participant Spotlight: OC Waste & Recycling

OC Waste & Recycling (OCWR) provides an essential public service for the County of Orange, through waste management and recycling to ensure a safe and healthy community for current and future generations. Reflecting innovative environmental engineering at its best, our three active landfills are among the largest in the state and annually receive more than 4 million tons of solid waste.
 
California's waste industry is undergoing monumental transformation with the passing of SB 1383 to expand organics diversion away from landfills. OCWR is leading the effort to comply with the new mandates and is committed to creating a beneficial reuse for material that was once considered waste. Currently, OCWR has composting operations co-located at two landfills, and anticipate the opening of a third in late 2022. The company creates quality compost from green waste collected from residential homes. Composting helps reduce greenhouse gasses and conserves landfill capacity. The use of compost creates healthy soils, adding nutrients for plant growth as well as improving water retention and quality.
 
OCWR's greeneries utilize windrow composting and will evolve to covered aerated static piles (CASP) and then to integrating multiple types of feedstock. The composting operations’ goal is to provide a regional solution that meets new mandates designed to steward the environment.
 
“OCWR is honored to enroll in the US Composting Council Seal of Testing Assurance (STA) certification program,” said Tom Koutroulis, director of OCWR. “STA certification provides residents the confidence and knowledge of what is in the compost and how it is produced, assuring a quality product that is great for their gardens.”