As of July 1, 2012 AB 341 requires mandatory commercial recycling by certain businesses and public entities. For more information on who is required to recycle, please click on the link below for Cal Recycle Mandatory Commercial Recycling details.

 http://www.ivrma.org/mcr.php

In efforts to maintain available information and inform the Imperial Valley community regarding the State of California recycling laws, CalRecycles request for each jurisdiction to add Mandatory Commercial Recycling (AB 341) and Mandatory Commercial Organic Recycling (AB 1826) to their city websites.  

*Please note that accounts with service of four (4) cubic yards or more of waste are required by the State to recycle (AB 341) and have an organic waste program (AB 1826).

Mandatory Commercial Recycling

With the passage of AB 341 (Chapter 476, Statutes of 2011 [Chesbro, AB 341]). California is one of the first states in the nation to enact a statewide program to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by diverting commercial solid waste from landfills.

Under State of California law AB 341,  businesses and multi-family housing with 5 or more units are required to arrange for recycling services if any of the following criteria are met:

• Business that generates four (4) or more cubic yards of trash per week

• Multi-family complexes with five (5) or more units. Multi-family properties of 4 units or less are currently exempt.

Mandatory Commercial Organics Recycling

In 2014, AB 1826 Chesbro (Chapter 727, Statutes of 2014) was signed into law, requiring businesses, including multi-family housing with 5 or more units, to recycle organic waste based on the amount of waste generated each week.

* Organic Waste includes food waste, green waste, landscape and pruning waste, nonhazardous wood waste, and food-soiled paper.

Under State of California law AB 1826, businesses and multi-family housing with 5 or more units are required to arrange for recycling services if any of the following criteria are met:

• ​Businesses in the food industry (grocery stores, restaurants, commissaries)

• Multi-family complexeswith five (5) or more units that have green waste or yard trimmings​ ​

Ways business or multi-family complex can comply with the law: ​ ​Business Organic Waste ​​Food Donation: Donate food to a food bank or other food rescue organization. Source reduction through food donation is an acceptable program and helps fight hunger in the community. ​ ​​ ​Landscaping services: If you contract with a landscape company, have them take your green waste to a composting/recycling facility. ​ ​ ​ ​Subscribe to organics services: Food and green waste services are expanding to meet the new state requirements. Check to see if this service is now available in your area. ​ ​ ​ ​​ ​Multi-family Complex Organic Waste ​ ​​Landscaping services: If you contract with a landscape company, have them take your green waste to a composting/recycling facility. ​ ​ ​ ​On-site processing: Through chipping or composting and reuse on-site. ​ ​ ​ ​Subscribe to green waste services: Green waste services are expanding to meet the new state requirements. Check to see if this service is now available in your area.​​

*Note: Multi-family housing units are not required to have food waste diversion program, but must recycle green/landscaping waste.

Establishing Services You may comply with the AB 341 mandatory commercial requirements by contacting (hauler name and number) to establish recycling services.

Many businesses have reduced their trash bill by diverting a significant amount of recyclables and have been able to reduce the size of their trash container.

Timeline for both Commercial & Multifamily (5+units) property owners

• ​​Businesses and multi-family housing units generating 8 cubic yards or more of organic waste per week were required to have organics recycling in place by April 1, 2016.

• Businesses and multi-family housing units generating 4 cubic yards of organic waste per week must arrange to recycle their organics by January 1, 2017.
• Businesses and multi-family housing units generating 4 cubic yards of solid waste per week must arrange to recycle their organics by January 1, 2019

 
For more information about the California's mandatory recycling law, visit CalRecycle at http://www.calrecycle.ca.gov/recycle/commercial/organics/ or feel free to contact me at (760) 337-4586