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Mandatory Commercial & Organics Recycling
State Mandatory Organics Recycling
Starting in 2016, businesses, including commercial or public entities like schools, hospitals, stores, restaurants, industrial businesses, for-profit or nonprofit organizations, residential dwellings with 5 or more units (see Note 1), and others must recycle their organic waste (food waste, green waste, landscape and pruning waste, nonhazardous wood waste, and food-soiled paper waste that is mixed in with food waste) based on the amount of waste the business produces on a weekly basis, with full implementation realized in 2019.
Organics recycling requirements depend on the amount of organic waste generated by the business each week (see chart below). The minimum threshold of organic waste generation by businesses decreases over time, so a larger proportion of the commercial sector will be required to comply in the new organics recycling requirements in the coming years.
Compliance Schedule
| Compliance Date | Threshold to Arrange for Organic Waste Recycling Services |
|---|---|
| April 1, 2016 | Businesses that generate 8 cubic yards of organic waste per week |
| January 1, 2017 | Businesses that generate 4 cubic yards of organic waste per week |
| January 1, 2019 | Businesses that generate 4 cubic yards of commercial solid waste per week |
| Summer/Fall 2021 | Businesses that generate 2 cubic yards of commercial solid waste per week (see Note 2) |
The mandatory commercial organics recycling law (AB 1826) was signed in 2014 to help achieve California's aggressive recycling and greenhouse gas emission goals. California landfills about 30 million tons of waste each year, of which more than 30% is organic, which could be composted or used to produce renewable energy. Greenhouse gas emissions resulting from the decomposition of organic waste in landfills have been identified as a significant source of emissions contributing to global climate change.
Learn More
The City of Lynwood Public Works Department is here to help.
To know if your business is required to recycle organic waste or to learn more about this new law, call Public Works, at 310-603-0220, ext. 801. We will need the following information from you to determine if your facility is required to comply:
- Number of Part-Time and Full Time Employees
- Type of Business
Notes
- Multifamily dwellings are not required to have a food waste diversion program
- Takes effect if CalRecycle determines that statewide disposal of organic waste in 2020 has not been reduce by 50% of 2014 levels
Mandatory Commercial Recycling
State law requires all businesses and multi-family complexes (5 or more units) that generate 4 or more cubic yards of waste weekly to recycle. This can be accomplished in a few ways:
- Self-haul to a recycling facility
- Subscribe to a hauler's recycling service
- Sell or donate recyclables
- Subscribe to a recycling service that includes mixed waste processing
The City's franchised hauler offers recycling services at half the cost of solid waste collection service for the same size container. It may be to your advantage to subscribe to a separate recycling service for paper, plastic, glass, and metals.
You may also contact Waste Resources Inc. to order your recycling bin at 888-467-7600.