New Recycling Law Takes Effect Monday: Businesses Required To Comply

Businesses and landlords unsure of how new state recycling regulations that take effect Monday may impact them can seek assistance from the Riverside County Department of Waste Management.

Assembly Bill 341, approved by the Legislature and signed into law by Gov. Jerry Brown last fall, seeks to have 75 percent of rubbish generated by commercial enterprises and apartment houses recycled by 2020. (See attached PDF to read the bill's full text.)

The waste diversion plan is part of the state's goal to conserve landfill space and reduce greenhouse gas emissions to 1990 levels over the next decade.

"Recycled materials can reduce the greenhouse gas emissions from multiple phases of product production, including extraction of raw materials, preprocessing and manufacturing," according to legislative analyst Elizabeth MacMillan. "Increased recycling also reduces methane emissions at landfills resulting from the decomposition of organic materials."

Under the new law, any business that generates more than four cubic yards of waste per week and any multifamily dwelling with five or more units will be required to maintain a recycling program.

According to the California Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery, 58 percent of all waste generated in the state is recycled or composted, exceeding a 1994 target to have 50 percent of all discarded materials recycled.

Setting the 75 percent goal will make the state even more efficient, according to supporters of AB 341. They said commercial interests were targeted because they create 60 percent of all waste, while multifamily dwellings create around 8 percent.

Riverside County Department of Waste Management personnel are available to lend a hand to landlords, businesses and government agencies with establishing recycling programs.

For additional information, call (951) 486-3200, or visit www.rivcowm.org.