Nearly 23 million tons of organic material, including food waste, grass, and garden trimmings, are unnecessarily sent to landfills annually in California. To help conserve space and reduce harmful gasses in California landfills, the state has mandated cities to reduce organic waste in landfills by 75% with California Senate Bill 1383.

While many cities are addressing SB1383 by piggybacking on composting programs or paying a private vendor to haul their organic waste out of the area for a fee, the City of Redding is looking to comply with SB1383 through an innovative process called Pyrolysis.

Pyrolysis is a new technology and is not common to Wastewater systems. Today, only one system in North America functions like the one that will be implemented in Redding. Josh Vandiver, Wastewater Utility Manager for the City of Redding, says the City’s innovative, cutting-edge approach to the SB1383 regulation will not only keep carbon from further polluting the atmosphere, but it will turn what would otherwise fill up the local landfill into something reusable. 

During Pyrolysis, organic waste is superheated without being burned, leaving behind a product known as “Biochar.” Biochar can create products like plastic, paint, and ink. It can also be added to soil, concrete, and asphalt. Essentially, this turns trash into reusable products. 

Currently, at the City’s Clear Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant, large tanks break down sewage with microorganisms to produce biosolids. These biosolids are dewatered and sent to the landfill. Pyrolysis would instead take these biosolids and turn them into Biochar, diverting them from the landfill and then selling them to be used as soil additives or in the manufacturing of plastic products. 

With the SB1383 mandate, the City must collect organic waste from homes and businesses. The City plans to carry the Pyrolysis vision even further by using this collected organic waste and converting it into Biochar and compost. The ultimate goal would be to sell this Biochar and use the proceeds to cover the cost of the Pyrolysis system. 

The Pyrolysis process will become a regular operation of the City’s Wastewater treatment process and will be covered by the rates and fees for sewer service. The first phase of Pyrolysis is in process, with the startup planned for late 2023. The full-scale Pyrolysis system is expected to be complete around 2027. The organics processing addition could be implemented over the next few years, pending grant funding.

With a vision to implement this dynamic Pyrolysis program, the Wastewater Department began consistently setting aside monies from the capital improvement fund for the last few years. This careful planning will ensure that the initial $12 million cost to start the program will not create a debt for the City or the Wastewater Department.

Ultimately, what was once dumped by Redding residents and businesses into the local landfill could become a usable, sustainable, and environmentally conscious product that keeps harmful carbon from being released into the atmosphere. That is something that benefits the entire community and the planet.