CalRecycle local assistance grant funding applications are due November 15—and AI for contamination monitoring is an eligible expense.

CalRecycle has allocated $90M in funding for the SB 1383 Local Assistance Grant Program as part of the Circular Economy Package. Entities in California–all 615 of them–have until November 15, 2023, to roll up their sleeves and take advantage of this funding meant to spur and accelerate required SB 1383 implementation activities. The award for each eligible entity ranges from a minimum of $75,000 to a maximum of $6,154,317, depending on the population. 

The most recent data from CalRecycle indicates that 74 percent (459 out of 615) of jurisdictions now have residential organics waste collection in place—the first part of California’s SB 1383 requirements. That means most jurisdictions are now shifting into the required Monitoring phase, where they need to monitor contamination and conduct site inspections at commercial and residential waste generators. 

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Meet Zabble’s latest AI-powered offering for Jurisdictions, specifically to make lid flips and site visits hassle-free.

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In December 2022, Zabble received an EPA SBIR Phase I award to conduct research into the contamination monitoring aspects of the legislation. In spring 2023, Zabble interviewed over 40 jurisdictions, haulers, and consultants about the two ways to comply with this requirement: route reviews and waste evaluations. However, Zabble’s research (full report can be accessed using this link) showed an overwhelming majority of jurisdictions selected lid flips as the primary mechanism to monitor, track, and ultimately decrease contamination in organic waste streams for cost, simplicity and community engagement. Lid flips and waste evaluations are eligible expenses covered in this grant cycle.

Zabble’s latest AI-powered offering enables jurisdictions to:

• Stay SB 1383 compliant
• Save team time and resources
• Set themselves up to track the effectiveness of data-driven outreach campaigns–and make real contamination reduction progress year after year

How it works:

1. Self-upload up to 1,000 accounts at a time–digital route plans ready in hours, not weeks (NOTE: For jurisdictions with more than 50,000 in population Zabble’s product offering includes premium support to upload all account data)
2. Cover more ground with offline maps showing exactly where to go next 
3. While lid flipping, leverage Zabble’s patented computer-vision AI for  contamination and fullness suggestions in real-time
4. Connect stakeholders in real time and manage tasks across teams
5. Measure effectiveness of outreach through granular data by account, route, neighborhood and jurisdiction
6. Access ready-to-submit SB 1383 compliance records in one place on the web dashboard

Including Zabble in the SB 1383 local assistance grant program application

According to CalRecycle, the new grant program is non-competitive, and covered activities can be associated with, but not limited to, the following areas:

• Capacity Planning
• Collection
• Edible Food Recovery
• Education and outreach (includes organic waste & edible food recovery)
• Enforcement and Inspection
• Program Evaluation/Gap Analysis
• Procurement Requirements
• Record Keeping

Any entity looking to use Zabble’s AI-powered lid flips to complete their contamination monitoring requirement can utilize the non-Edible Food Recovery software for Record Keeping category to outline, budget, and justify the program. 

Zabble’s team is available to help with the grant application language that goes into both the requested Narrative and Budget templates for these respective categories. Reach out here so the team can answer any questions and provide you with a simple quote for your jurisdiction before partnering with you to craft the grant language.

More granular information on the eligible categories is found in the Procedures and Requirements document.

Who the grant is for

Eligible applicants include cities, counties, city and counties, regional or joint power authorities, and special districts that provide solid waste collection services.

Note that even though lid flip programs may be managed or executed by a hauler or consultant contracted by a jurisdiction, the jurisdiction can–and should–still apply for the grant funding. Zabble can help the teams align on what will be rolled out, when, and by whom, if not decided upon yet, at the time of application. When it’s time to implement lid flips, the Zabble team will assist you with making sure all the account information is in one place and stakeholders aligned to seamlessly execute the activity, check the box on compliance or even go above and beyond in reducing contamination. 

When to apply

Entities must submit applications via the Grants Management System (GMS) by November 15, 2023. 

Reach out to us for assistance and to learn more about how Mobile Tagging™ for Jurisdictions can help you save time and resources while helping you stay compliant on contamination monitoring with SB 1383.