Back in 2016, the state's governor, Edmund Brown, established methane emission reduction targets to be achieved by reducing organic waste disposal and by redistributing surplus food. By 2025, the target for the former is 75 percent and the target for the latter is 20 percent. A study in recent years had found that food scraps, paper, cardboard, and yard trimmings constituted half of the contents of the state's landfills and that that organic waste emitted 20 percent of the state's methane.

The big change that most California residents will notice is that, starting in January 2022, they will be required to recycle organic materials, using a dedicated green bin. Into that green bin are meant to go things like apple cores, banana peels, uncooked vegetable stalks, and even food-soaked newspaper. State law stipulates fines for noncompliance. The same requirements to apply to businesses and schools. The end result of all of that recycling collection is to be composting, the results of which residents can avail themselves after a time. Another use of that compost will be as biofuel.

As well, businesses are more than ever encouraged to take advantage of existing schemes to get food not used but still edible to food banks and other food relief organizations.