Commercial Overview
Beginning July 1, 2012, businesses and institutions in Alameda County generating four or more cubic yards of solid waste per week are required to have recycling service capable of handling the amount of recyclables they produce.
In order to comply with the new law, commercial property owners or managers are required to complete the following three steps:
- Arrange for collection service of recyclables which are separated from the garbage.
- Provide containers for recyclables at the same location as the garbage cans or bins. Recycling containers must be large enough to hold all of the recyclables generated on site.
- Provide employees with information annually describing where recycling containers are located and how to use them. For commercial property owners who lease space to one or more businesses, such information must be provided to each tenant to share with their employees.
These requirements apply to all commercial property owners, property managers and institutions such as hospitals and nonprofit organizations that generate four or more cubic yards of garbage per week. Learn more about commercial compliance.
Recommended: Post prominent signs on or near the recycling and garbage containers clearly indicating which are for garbage and which are for recycling. Use posters or decals that contain drawings or pictures of the materials that go into each container. This helps people understand with a quick glance how to sort the materials properly. Many haulers and cities can supply you with posters and/or decals that are specific to the materials they accept.
Businesses located in the following Alameda County jurisdictions are covered under the law:
- Alameda
- Albany
- Berkeley
- Emeryville
- Fremont
- Hayward
- Livermore
- Newark
- Oakland
- Piedmont
- Pleasanton*
- San Leandro
- Union City
- Unincorporated areas of Alameda County (except those within the boundaries of the Oro Loma and Castro Valley Sanitary Districts)
*Effective March 1, 2013; enforcement begins September 1, 2013.
For help setting up or improving your organization’s recycling program, or to inform your employees in order to comply with the Mandatory Recycling Ordinance, please use the online Technical Assistance Request form or contact the Mandatory Recycling Information line at (510) 891-6575.