Mandatory Commercial Organics Recycling

In October of 2014 Governor Brown signed AB 1826 Chesbro (Chapter 727, Statutes of 2014), requiring businesses to recycle their organic waste on and after April 1, 2016, depending on the amount of waste they generate per week. The State's Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery (CalRecycle) has adopted requirements that implement the law statewide.This law also requires that on and after January 1, 2016, local jurisdictions across the state implement an organic waste recycling program to divert organic waste generated by businesses, including multifamily residential dwellings that consist of five or more units.

Organic waste means food waste, green waste, landscape and pruning waste, nonhazardous wood waste, and food-soiled paper waste that is mixed in with food waste. This law phases in the mandatory recycling of commercial organics over time, while also offering an exemption process for rural counties. In particular, the minimum threshold of organic waste generation by businesses decreases over time, which means that an increasingly greater proportion of the commercial sector will be required to comply.

Similarly to the Mandatory Commercial Recycling legislation (which can be found below), the City will be complying with these new requirements through its exclusive franchise agreement with Advance Disposal to collect, process, recycle and dispose of solid waste from both residential premises and commercial businesses within Hesperia City limits. This collection process replicates source separated  mandatory commercial organics recycling efforts in that all solid waste generated with the City of Hesperia is collected by Advance Disposal and processed through the mixed waste materials recovery facility. By utilizing this single stream process, there is no need for new bins or trash enclosures. As with previous legislation, the City of Hesperia and Advance Disposal will continue to track, monitor and report to the State of California on the program's diversion and total effectiveness.

Mandatory Commercial Organics Recycling Flyer

Mandatory Commercial Recycling Legislation

Assembly Bill 341 (AB 341) was signed by the Governor in October 2011, and requires that on or before July 1, 2012, local governments must implement, and businesses must comply with, a mandatory commercial solid waste recycling program. The State's Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery (CalRecycle) has adopted requirements that implement the law statewide.

The purpose of this new legislation is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and to create new jobs by diverting commercial solid waste to recycling efforts. According to the State, the commercial sector generates over 60 percent of California's solid waste. Therefore, AB 341 requires businesses that generate four cubic yards or more of commercial solid waste per week, and multifamily residential dwellings of five units or more, to implement a recycling program. Detailed information, resources, and answers to frequently asked questions are available on CalRecycle's website.

To comply with the State requirements, the City has an exclusive franchise agreement with Advance Disposal to collect, process, recycle and dispose of solid waste from residential premises and commercial businesses in the City of Hesperia. This process is considered to be the equivalent of mandatory commercial recycling in that all solid waste generated by businesses and multifamily units will be collected by Advance Disposal, using existing trash enclosures and bins, and processed through a mixed waste materials recovery facility. This eliminates the need to modify existing bin enclosures to accommodate separate recycling bins and train employees on recycling requirements. As required by AB 341, the City of Hesperia and Advance Disposal will track, monitor and report to the State on program effectiveness and diversion data.

Commercial businesses may choose to conduct their own source separation activities and self-haul to a recycling facility. Such activities may enable businesses to reduce their solid waste trash collection costs by reducing their bin size (s) and/or frequency of trash pick-up. It is an existing right of businesses to donate or sell their recyclable material.

Mandatory Commercial Recycling Brochure