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Commercial Solid Waste Requirements
STATE LEGISLATION:
- AB 341 (effective 2012) - mandatory recycling services for businesses and multi-family units generating 4 or more cubic yards (CY) of garbage
- AB 827 (effective 2020) - mandatory indoor recycling and organics receptacles for customer use
- AB 1826 (effective 2018) - mandatory green waste composting for specified commercial accounts and multi-family units
- SB 1383 (effective 2022) - mandatory recycling, green waste, and food scraps collection services for all commercial and residential properties. Required edible food recovery for businesses meeting specific thresholds.
- AB 1884 - requires straws upon request at sit down restaurants
- SB 1335 - requires recyclable and compostable takeout food packaging at state facilities, parks, beaches, colleges, and fairgrounds
Ordinances
- Plastic Bag Ordinances (ECMC 2013-03) - Bans El Cerrito retail and other applicable businesses from providing single-use plastic bags
- Food Ware Ordinance (ECMC 2013-04) - Bans food service businesses from providing prepared food in EPS foam food ware or take-out containers. Instead use food ware containers that are either compostable or recyclable through the City's curbside program
ORGANICS:
Recycling organics produces a nutrient rich soil amendment
that helps to feed the soil food web to product healthy soils
for healthy plants,
and contributes to healthy air.
Educational Video:
Perfect for coffee shops and restaurants - Organics Recycling
Organics include:
Recycling organics produces a nutrient rich soil amendment
that helps to feed the soil food web to product healthy soils
for healthy plants,
and contributes to healthy air.
Educational Video:
Perfect for coffee shops and restaurants - Organics Recycling
Organics include:
- BPI ASTM D6400 Compostable bags
- Coffee grounds
- Fiber - based paper products
- Food scraps
- Food soiled paper products
- BPI ASTM D6400 Compostable bags
RECYCLING:
Recycling is a tool that helps to keep commodities out of the landfill and in circulation. Glass and metals can be recycled ad infinitum. They are much too valuable to sit in a landfill forever. Single-use plastics are best avoided as much as possible, but we are able to accept all plastics for recycling purposes. Beverage containers and narrow-necked empty, clean, and dry plastics have a thriving recycling market. They are valuable and must never be landfilled.
Recyclable materials include:
Recycling is a tool that helps to keep commodities out of the landfill and in circulation. Glass and metals can be recycled ad infinitum. They are much too valuable to sit in a landfill forever. Single-use plastics are best avoided as much as possible, but we are able to accept all plastics for recycling purposes. Beverage containers and narrow-necked empty, clean, and dry plastics have a thriving recycling market. They are valuable and must never be landfilled.
Recyclable materials include:
- Bottles and cans - aluminum, glass, tin, plastic
- Cardboard boxes
- Clean paper - clean means it never touched food (includes: office paper, newspaper, post-its, envelopes etc.)
OUTREACH and EDUCATION
The Operations + Environmental Services Division has various types of outreach materials available to help educate your employees on how to recycle and compost in our city. Materials include: brochures, posters, bin stickers, Slim Jims, and green product samples. Please contact staff for assistance including scheduling a presentation at 559.7686 or via email.
Commercial NewsletterS
Quarterly, newsletters for the commercial sector are created and included with the garbage services invoice. To read and/or download copies of all archived newsletters, please visit: