Are the ‘lid flippers’ coming for your garbage in Fresno? What to expect from city

Will “lid flippers” change the way you throw away that banana peel in Fresno? The odds are that by 2024, they will, if you are paying for trash service in the City of Fresno.

Lid flipper?

It’s just one term that may become familiar as Fresnans get used to the details of Senate Bill 1383. The state law, which went into effect this year, mandates how Californians reduce organic waste, including food, to cut greenhouse gas emissions.

It has a compliance and enforcement deadline of 2024.

Fresno, like every municipality in the state, needs to develop a plan to do that, and the city is already behind, Ahmad Alkhayyat, assistant director of Public Works, told the City Council last week.

But so are many other cities, he added.

SB 1383 could easily be described as ambitious. Goals include:

• A 75% reduction in the amount of organic waste that goes into state landfills, up to 20 million tons annually.
• Getting apartment complexes and commercial trash haulers on board, which is problematic, because residents who live in the units don’t presently have the option of separating their trash into the three bins that residents of single-family homes are familiar with.
• Documenting progress toward the goal with an education and outreach program.

Those are not simply goals; the law includes “compliance monitoring.” According to Alkhayyat, that means “generators,” the law’s description of anyone putting organic waste into the city’s system, will get an “opportunity for compliance” before enforcement begins.

Would individuals face fines after being cited by “lid flippers,” inspectors who find violations in garbage placed curbside?

Sontaya Rose, spokeswoman for the city, said that could be possible. But is it likely?

In Thursday’s City Council session, City Manager Georgeanne White noted, “We prefer not to penalize.”

In Alkhayyat’s presentation, “only the most egregious violators” will need to be fined.

The presentation did not mention whether the city would be hiring a team of lid flippers in the future. Said Rose:

“We have to create the plan and collaborate with the state on standards.”

This story was originally published February 15, 2022 at 1:48 PM with the headline "Are the ‘lid flippers’ coming for your garbage in Fresno? What to expect from city."