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Services Required by Law

Whether you are a resident or a business in our community, it’s important to stay informed about the mandatory waste management practices and regulations. This page provides essential information about the required services for both residential and commercial customers, ensuring compliance with local and state laws.

The Short-lived Climate Pollutants Law SB 1383 is the law that applies to residents as well as commercial businesses.  The other laws primarily apply to businesses or multifamily dwellings.

Thank you for taking the necessary steps to manage your waste responsibly and efficiently and contributing to a cleaner and more sustainable environment for everyone.

Compost Recycle Icon for SB 1383

SHORT LIVED CLIMATE POLLUTANTS
– SB 1383

Garbage carts icon for SB 827

ORGANICS & RECYCLING BINS – AB 827

Recycle Icon for AB 341

MANDATORY RECYCLING LAW – AB 341

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NEED HELP?

Short Lived Climate Pollutants: SB 1383
(ORganics recycling)

Impacts everyone: single/multifamily residents, businesses, and public entities

Organics recycling materials in a pileSB 1383: Short Lived Climate Pollutants went into effect January 1, 2022 and is a statewide initiative to reduce emissions of short-lived climate pollutants like methane. This legislation targets organics recycling and edible food recovery as part of California’s effort to fast-track climate progress by cutting landfill methane emissions.

Specifically, SB 1383 sets the following targets:

  • Reduce statewide disposal of organic waste by 50% by January 1, 2020 and by 75% by January 1, 2025 (based on 2014 levels).
  • Rescue at least 20% of currently disposed of edible food for human consumption by 2025.

Why Diverting Organics from Landfill is Important

Graphic depicting how methane is created from landfill

When organic waste (or compost) such as food waste, green waste, landscape and pruning waste, food-soiled paper, and non hazardous wood waste is sent to landfill, it decomposes anaerobically (without oxygen) which creates methane — one of the most potent greenhouse gases in Earth’s atmosphere. Methane is a short-lived climate pollutant that is 84 times stronger than carbon dioxide over a 20-year period. NASA recently captured satellite images of California landfills and published an inventory showing them as super emitters of methane.

Diverting organic waste to recycling is an integral part of the state’s climate change program and can significantly reduce the impacts of climate change in our lifetime.

visit calrecyle to learn more about SB 1383

HOW TO COMPLY WITH SB 1383

  • A woman scraps food scraps into a kitchen compost bucketSB 1383 requires all generators of waste (businesses, public entities, and single/multifamily residents) to properly sort their waste, by either placing food scraps, food/beverage soiled paper products, and yard trimmings in the compost cart or self-hauling compostable material to a composting facility or program.
  • Residents must also place recyclables such as paper and cardboard, (and cans and bottles) in the recycling cart.

Jurisdictions (cities, counties and special districts) have the authority to assess a fine for non-compliance.

Good news! We’ve made compliance easy for you.

Compost, recycling, and garbage service are all part of your normal service package with Mill Valley Refuse. All you need to do is properly sort and utilize the carts we’ve provided for collection. 

Woman holds a How to Recycle Brochure
  • All generators of waste (businesses, public entities, and single/multifamily residents) must properly sort their waste, by either placing food scraps, food/beverage soiled paper products, and yard trimmings in the compost, or self-hauling compostable material to a composting facility or program.
    • Generators must also place recyclables including unsoiled paper and cardboard (and cans and bottles) in their recycling cart.
    • The garbage cart should not be contaminated with organic materials or recyclables. Contamination occurs when anything that doesn’t belong in that particular cart (compost, recycling, or garbage) is placed in the cart for collection.
    • Jurisdictions (cities, counties and special districts) have the authority to assess a fine for non-compliance.
  • Multifamily building owners or their designee shall annually educate employees and tenants on proper sorting of materials.
  • Multifamily building owners or their designee shall provide information to new tenants before or within 14 days of occupation of the premises.
Good news! We’ve made compliance easy for you.
  • Compost, recycling, and garbage service are all part of your normal service package with Mill Valley Refuse.
  • Print our recycling posters for educational purposes and put them up at your waste stations to encourage proper sorting.
  • Our customer support team can help you understand and take proper steps to be in compliance. Please email us at customer@millvalleyrefuse.com or call our office at (415) 457-9760, Monday through Friday, between 7 a.m. and 3 p.m.
  • A man in an apron puts food scraps in a compost cartAll generators of waste (businesses, public entities, and single/multifamily residents) must properly sort their waste, by either placing food scraps, food/beverage soiled paper products, and yard trimmings in the compost, or self-hauling compostable material to a composting facility or program.
    • Generators must also place recyclables including unsoiled paper and cardboard (and cans and bottles) in their recycling cart.
    • The garbage cart should not be contaminated with organic materials or recyclables. Contamination occurs when anything that doesn’t belong in that particular cart (compost, recycling, or garbage) is placed in the cart for collection.
    • Jurisdictions (cities, counties and special districts) have the authority to assess a fine for non-compliance.
  • Commercial businesses must also provide or arrange for organic waste collection services for employees, contractors, tenants and customers and provide information to tenants within 14 days of occupation of the premises.
  • Commercial businesses must annually provide information about organic and recycling separation requirements to employees, contractors, tenants and customers.
  • Commercial businesses must provide color coded or labeled containers for the collection of organic waste and non-organic recyclable in all areas where disposal containers are provided for customers, except for restrooms. See the Commercial Organics and Recycling Bins AB 827 tab for rules on bin markings and locations.

 

Good news! We’ve made compliance easy for you.

  • Compost, recycling, and garbage service are all part of your normal service package with Mill Valley Refuse.
  • Print our recycling posters for educational purposes and put them up at your waste stations to encourage proper sorting.
  • Our customer support team can help you understand and take proper steps to be in compliance. Please email us at customer@millvalleyrefuse.com or call our office at (415) 457-9760, Monday through Friday, between 7 a.m. and 3 p.m.

Picture of edible food suitable for donationCalifornia has a 2025 goal to redirect 20% of edible food currently thrown away to help feed the almost 1 in 4 Californians without enough to eat.

The second portion of SB 1383, the recovery of edible food waste, applies only to commercial food generators and implementation is split into two tiers:

TIER ONE BUSINESSES MUST COMPLY BY 1/1/2022

  • Supermarkets
  • Grocery Stores (with a total facility size ≥ 10,000 sq. ft.)
  • Food Service Providers
  • Wholesale Food Vendors
  • Food Distributors

TIER TWO BUSINESSES MUST COMPLY BY 1/1/2024

  • Restaurants (with ≥ 250 seats, or ≥ 5,000 sq. ft.)
  • Hotels (with onsite food facility and ≥200 rooms
  • Health facilities (with onsite food facility and ≥100 beds)
  • State agencies (with a cafeteria with ≥ 250 seats, or ≥ 5,000 sq. ft)
  • Local education agencies (with an onsite food facility)
  • Large venues
  • Large events

To comply with SB 1383 regulations, businesses in these tiers must contract with a food recovery organization or service such as the Marin Food Bank or ExtraFood.

For more information about SB 1383 edible food recovery visit the CalRecycle website or Zero Waste Marin.

Certain commercial businesses and multifamily dwellings with five or more units may qualify for waivers from organic waste requirements if the business:

  1. Generates a small amount of organic waste (low-generator “de minimis” waiver).
  2. Has organics recycling handled by a third party, like a landscaper.
  3. Lacks space for additional green or food waste containers (space-constraint waiver).
 
For waiver details and more information, please call our office at 415-457-9760 or contact your city/town.

Commercial Organics and Recycling Bins: AB 827

Impacts businesses and public entities

AB 827 amended two existing laws (the Mandatory Commercial Recycling law and the Mandatory Commercial Recycling Organics Recycling law) and requires businesses to make composting and recycling bins accessible to customers at restaurants, malls, and other businesses.

HOW TO COMPLY WITH AB 827

  • AB 827 requires collection containers at front-of-house to be visible, easily accessible, and clearly marked.

  • This law targets businesses that sell products meant for immediate consumption.

  • Full-service restaurants do not have to provide properly labeled containers for patrons but must provide properly labeled containers next to trash containers for employees to separate post-consumer recyclables.

For more information download this AB 827 Flyer (PDF) from CalRecycle or visit the CalRecycle website.

Example of three containers

Print Signage from MVRS

You can print bin labels and posters and put them up around your business and at your public recycling stations to encourage proper recycling and composting.

Mandatory Commercial Recycling: AB 341

Impacts businesses, public entities, and Multifamily Dwellings

A blue, “chasing arrows” Recycling SymbolAB 341 is part of California’s effort to tackle climate change by requiring businesses to recycle more. It all started with the Assembly Bill 32 Scoping Plan, aiming to cut greenhouse gas emissions. The goal is to reduce 5 million metric tons of CO2 by increasing recycling in the commercial sector.

 

AB 341 REQUIREMENTS

  • A business (includes public entities) that generates four (4) cubic yards or more of commercial solid waste per week shall arrange for recycling services.
  • Multifamily complex (designated as five or more units) shall arrange for recycling services.

 

How to Comply

The requirement to recycle can be met by taking one or any combination of the following actions, provided that the action is in compliance with local ordinances and requirements.

  1. Self-haul.
  2. Subscribe to recycling service. We’ve made this easy for you! Recycling service is part of your normal garbage service package with Mill Valley Refuse.
  3. Arrange for the pickup of recyclable materials.
  4. Subscribe to a recycling service that may include mixed waste processing that yields diversion results comparable to source separation.

For more information about AB 341, visit the CalRecycle website.

WE'RE HERE TO HELP!

If you need help understanding or complying with these laws, our customer support team will be happy to assist you.

  • 415-457-9760
  • Monday – Friday between 7:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m.
Mill Valley Refuse Service
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