The Mandatory Commercial Recycling Regulation, enacted by Assembly Bill 341, went into effect July 1, requiring businesses that generate four cubic yards or more of solid waste a week to implement a recycling program.
CalRecycle, the California Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery, estimates that the new law will affect about 250,000 businesses, or nearly 20 percent of the state's 1.3 million businesses. About 90 percent of those businesses are small businesses, with less than 100 employees.
The law also applies to multifamily residential units that have more than five living units.
The new law sets a statewide mandatory commercial recycling goal of diverting 75 percent of all commercial waste away from landfills by 2020, but there are no diversion goals for businesses, they only have to implement a commercial recycling program.
Under the law, "diversion" is achieved by sorting trash and separating recyclable materials and either taking them to a recycling station or contracting with someone that does. The new law doesn't specify how much or what materials must by recycled by a business, and does not limit the materials that can be recycled or composted, though jurisdictions, such as cities, can inform businesses about the law and let them know how they can recycle in that jurisdiction.
Businesses are not required to keep data on their recycling activities, although jurisdictions can enact laws to track recycling.
The City of Carlsbad's franchised waste and recycling hauler, Waste Management, offers commercial recycling services, and the City of Carlsbad notes that recycling programs could help businesses lower waste collection bills, since recycling fees are lower than waste collection fees.
The City is also offering the following tips:
• Double side copies or save documents electronically.
• Buy bulk products or items that use little packaging. Cardboard is recyclable.
• Choose products that come in recyclable or refillable containers.
• "Closing the loop" means purchasing products made from recycled material.
• Consider making forms electronic.
• Promote "think before printing" attitude.
? Source: City of Carlsbad
CalRecycle, the California Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery, estimates that the new law will affect about 250,000 businesses, or nearly 20 percent of the state's 1.3 million businesses. About 90 percent of those businesses are small businesses, with less than 100 employees.
The law also applies to multifamily residential units that have more than five living units.
The new law sets a statewide mandatory commercial recycling goal of diverting 75 percent of all commercial waste away from landfills by 2020, but there are no diversion goals for businesses, they only have to implement a commercial recycling program.
Under the law, "diversion" is achieved by sorting trash and separating recyclable materials and either taking them to a recycling station or contracting with someone that does. The new law doesn't specify how much or what materials must by recycled by a business, and does not limit the materials that can be recycled or composted, though jurisdictions, such as cities, can inform businesses about the law and let them know how they can recycle in that jurisdiction.
Businesses are not required to keep data on their recycling activities, although jurisdictions can enact laws to track recycling.
The City of Carlsbad's franchised waste and recycling hauler, Waste Management, offers commercial recycling services, and the City of Carlsbad notes that recycling programs could help businesses lower waste collection bills, since recycling fees are lower than waste collection fees.
The City is also offering the following tips:
• Double side copies or save documents electronically.
• Buy bulk products or items that use little packaging. Cardboard is recyclable.
• Choose products that come in recyclable or refillable containers.
• "Closing the loop" means purchasing products made from recycled material.
• Consider making forms electronic.
• Promote "think before printing" attitude.
? Source: City of Carlsbad