California Assembly Bill 341 requires all businesses that generate four or more cubic yards of trash per week, and multi-family residential dwelling of five or more units to recycle.

This law is designed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by diverting waste from landfills and to reach California’s recycling goal of 75% by 2020. The State’s Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery (CalRecycle) has adopted requirements that implement the law statewide.

There are easy ways to ensure your business or multi-family complex complies. Detailed information, resources, and answers to frequently asked questions are available on CalRecycle’s website.

Compliance

Compliance with the State’s requirements can be achieved by taking one of the following actions:

• Separate recyclable materials from solid waste and subscribe to a basic level of recycling service that includes collection, self-hauling, or other arrangements for the pickup of the recyclable materials;
• Subscribe to a recycling service that may include mixed waste processing; or
• Implement a recycling program for tenants that allows for recyclable materials to be separated from solid waste.

AB 1826 helps to achieve California's recycling and greenhouse gas emission goals by eliminating organic waste, such as, food waste, green waste, landscape and pruning waste, nonhazardous wood waste, and food-soiled paper waste that is mixed in with food waste from the landfill.

Businesses that generate four cubic yards of organic waste per week that consist of foods scraps and yard clippings are required to have recycling services for organics. After January 1, 2019, businesses that generate four cubic yards or more of commercial green waste per week will need to recycle organics.

Multifamily buildings with five or more units are required to collect yard trimmings (please note, that multifamily dwellings are not required to have a food waste diversion program).

Detailed information, resources, and answers to frequently asked questions available on CalRecycle's Mandatory Commercial Organics Recycling website.

Organic Materials

Food for thought, organic materials account for nearly one-third of the approximately 30 million tons of waste destined for California's landfills each year. Diverting organics from landfills for processing into compost and mulch reduces landfill green house gas emissions and produces sustainable products that contribute to soil health, plant nutrition, water conservation and carbon sequestration.

Detailed information, resources, and answers to frequently asked questions are available to help determine how much waste your business or multi-family residential complex generates on CalRecycle's website.

Contact your hauler to discuss options for mandatory commercial or organic waste recycling service options, or to schedule a free Waste Assessment.

Waste Management (G.I. Industries)
(805) 522-9400

Businesses with small amounts of recyclables and multifamily developments may choose to recycle through a commingled bin program, which allows the business to mix various types of recyclables into a single bin for regular collection. Since the cost of sorting the contents of such a bin generally exceeds the value of the recyclables, solid waste haulers charge to collect them.

To initiate recycling collection service, contact your solid waste hauler, or Waste Management (G.I. Industries), (800) 675-1171.

Commercial discard collection occurs between 4:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m.

If you have sufficient volume of high-value recyclable materials, you may be able to arrange for free pick-up with a recycling service provider other than the City’s solid waste hauler. If you do not have sufficient volume for a free pick-up service, then you should contact your solid waste hauler to arrange for recycling services.

Yes. By regularly self-hauling your recyclables to a recycling center or the Simi Valley Landfill and Recycling Center, you will be in compliance with AB 341’s requirements.

If you are self-hauling or using a free recycling service other than your current solid waste hauler, you will be required to submit a Declaration of Compliance to demonstrate your compliance. Compliance is demonstrated through ongoing recycling activities.

As part of the City’s monitoring responsibilities, you may be requested to provide documentation of your recycling program on an annual basis.

An enclosure is not required for developments built or modified prior to September 1, 1994, or if you generate less than one and one half cubic yards of recyclable materials to be collected per week and are utilizing another receptacle as an alternative to a one and one half cubic yard commercial bin. If your building was originally built or modified after September 1, 1994, enclosures for discard and recycle bins are required pursuant to the Simi Valley Municipal Code.

If you need assistance to determine if a new or modified enclosure is required or have questions about the requirements related to the enclosure's size, location and design, please contact the Environmental Services Department’s Planning Division at (805) 583-6769.

If appropriate placement of your commercial bins cannot be accommodated, alternate levels of service may be available from your solid waste hauler or an alternate recycling program such as a self-haul or free pick-up program may be better suited to meet your needs. Your solid waste hauler provides free waste assessments and can assist you in identifying the appropriate service levels for your needs.

Additionally, you may be able to modify your existing service levels to accommodate the placement of an additional bin in your existing enclosure. Free waste assessments are available by contacting Waste Management (G.I. Industries) at (805) 522-9400.

If your development has five units or more and does not have an existing recycling program, you are subject to the State’s AB 341 recycling requirements. Individual carts for each unit or a shared commercial recycling bin are examples of recycling programs that satisfy the State’s requirements.

If your apartment complex has five units or more and does not have an existing recycling program, your complex is subject to the State’s AB 341 and AB 1826 recycling requirements. Your property management office and/or property owner have been informed of the State’s requirements and may implement a recycling program for tenants.

Yes. The regular disposal or donation of computers or other electronic waste would qualify as a commercial recycling program; however, you are required to submit a Declaration of Compliance to document your program.

The City is working with the local solid waste hauler to document those businesses that are already in compliance by subscribing to recycling services. Businesses that have other recycling programs such as self-hauling, free pick-up programs, or donation of recyclable materials are required to submit a Declaration of Compliance so that they can be noted as being in compliance.

If you have any questions about whether or not your recycling efforts meet the State requirements, you can obtain additional information at CalRecycle’s website. City staff is available to assist you with referrals to resources and can be reached at (805) 583-6421.

AB 341 requires cities to educate, conduct outreach, and monitor affected businesses and multifamily developments’ compliance with the State’s AB 341 recycling requirements. The City is also required to report this information to the State on an annual basis. Businesses that are not in compliance will continue to receive follow up notices and information.

Please visit the following links to access additional recycling resources.

• Simi Valley Chamber of Commerce Member Directory
• County of Ventura’s Commercial Recycling Resources
• CalRecycle Waste Prevention Programs
• CalRecycle Waste Reduction Techniques
• CalRecycle Resources for Business and Industry
• Waste Management/G.I. Industries