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AB 1826 requires businesses to recycle their organic waste. This includes both public and private businesses as well as multifamily complexes or apartment buildings of five units or more.

Organic waste includes the following materials:

• Food waste
• Green waste and landscaping waste (leaves, grass, trimmings, branches and stumps)
• Nonhazardous (untreated) wood waste
• Food-soiled paper waste that is mixed in with food waste

Businesses that generate 2 or more cubic yards of any waste per week are required under AB 1826 to:

• Arrange for organics collection from their waste hauler; or
• Demonstrate an effective method of keeping organics out of the waste stream (self-haul or back-haul)
• Prove that they dispose of less than .5 cubic yards of organic waste each week

If you feel your business qualifies for an AB 1826 exemption, or you are ready to demonstrate your compliance through back or self-haul, please contact RecycleMore with your contact information including address to [email protected] or call (510) 609-1216.

Republic Services can offer organics collection service at no additional cost to most businesses. When organics are collected for composting, they are transformed into a useful agricultural amendment. If organics are sent to the landfill, they generate methane – a greenhouse gas which contributes to climate change.

If you are ready to start organics collection, call Republic Services at (510) 262-7100.

For larger businesses that generate a lot of green organic material, contact Republic Services for a larger organics bin.

If you are a business owner in El Cerrito, East Bay Sanitary Company collects organic materials from El Cerrito businesses. For more information, visit www.ebsan.com.

 

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Questions? CalRecycle offers a complete set of answers to Frequently Asked Questions about AB 1826, including information about exemptions, compliance and reporting.