Guide to California Recycling Rules and Laws
California has some of the strictest recycling laws out of all the US states. They aim to improve sustainability and environmental protection. Many of these laws and bills apply to cities across the Golden State, which affect households, while they also require businesses to manage their trash and recycle efficiently.
A range of Senate Bills (SB) and Assembly Bills (AB) have been introduced in California over the past few decades that cover waste management and recycling. These are often updated, amended, and new bills are introduced to further help the state improve its recycling and landfill diversion rates.
It’s important you understand which California recycling laws and rules apply if you run a business of any type, size, and location across the state. Efficient, sustainable, and legally compliant California waste management is vital for every organization. Understand the main recycling laws and rules in the state.
Mandatory Commercial Recycling
Code – AB 341
Year – 2011
Details – Businesses and multi-family residential dwellings of five or more units in California that create four or more cubic yards of solid waste each week must arrange recycling services. Applicable companies must have recycling in place for paper, cardboard, plastic, glass, and aluminum (or use single stream recycling services).
It aims to improve recycling rates across the commercial and residential sector, which should also reduce landfill use. Initially, it was introduced to target a landfill diversion rate of 75% in California by 2020. This bill was introduced in 2011 but became effective from the start of 2012.
Mandatory Commercial Organics Recycling
Code – AB 1826
Year – 2014
Details – Businesses that produce at least two cubic yards of combined waste and recycling and multifamily units with five or more units, must recycle their organic waste. This includes food waste, scraps, food-soiled fiber-based paper, green waste, and landscape waste. Organic recycling services such as composting, mulching, and anaerobic digestion should be used, to reduce such waste going to landfill sites. This bill was introduced in 2014 but became effective from April 2016.
Commercial Organic Waste and Recycling Containers
Code – AB 827
Year – 2020
Details – Businesses that generate four or more cubic yards of solid waste weekly must have compost and recycling containers next to their trash cans and containers. These need to be clearly labeled, accessible, and visible too.
Responsible Textile Recovery Act
Code – SB 707
Year – 2024
Details – The Responsible Textile Recovery Act is a Senate Bill that was signed into law in September 2024. It’s sometimes informally referred to as the California clothing recycling law. Under this law any company that produces, sells, and distributes clothing and/or textiles in California must join a producer responsibility organization (PRO). The legislation requires relevant businesses to join a PRO by the start of 2026.
The introduction of this California textile recycling law is an example of Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR). It aims to shift the responsibility for managing, recycling, and disposing of textile waste onto the producer (manufacturer/seller) rather than the consumer. This will hopefully reduce the amount of textiles sent to landfill and improve recycling, reuse, and recovery.
Plastic Pollution Prevention and Packaging Producer Responsibility Act
Code – SB 54
Year – 2022
Details – This California recycling law places an extended producer responsibility (EPR) on single-use packaging and plastic utensils in the state. It aims to ensure all product packaging and food service wares (including containers and utensils) are recyclable or compostable, as it’s estimated that packaging accounts for more than half of all trash in the Golden State.
The act was introduced in 2022 but there’s a decade before packaging producers must legally meet some targets. It requires producers to sell 25% less single-use packaging and food ware and make it all recyclable or compostable by 2032.
The California Beverage Container Recycling and Litter Reduction Act
Code – AB 2020
Year – 1986
Details – One of the older recycling laws California introduced in the 1980s is the California Beverage Container Recycling and Litter Reduction Act (colloquially known as the Bottle Bill). This requires deposits on select beverage containers made of glass, plastic, and aluminum – known as the California Redemption Value (CRV). Consumers pay the CRV and get a refund of it when returning bottles and cans to a certified recycling center or an approved location.
It was introduced to reduce litter and improve recycling rates of beverage containers, though there are exemptions from it. The act has been amended various times over the years. For example, wine and spirit containers were added into the bill from the start of 2024 and from July 2025 were required to be labeled with CRV indicia.
Organize commercial waste
collection in California
Comply with all relevant California recycling rules with Business Waste. We provide commercial waste collection services across the state, including in Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Sacramento. All trash is removed by fully licensed professionals, transported safely, and disposed of away from landfill where possible in line with relevant state and county laws.
Arrange dumpster rental and use suitable types, sizes, and numbers of dumpsters and trash cans to separate and store recyclable garbage and waste streams on your site. Then arrange regular daily, weekly, or fortnightly pickup. Your commercial waste is recycled where possible, food waste composted, and other disposal methods used to comply with California’s laws.
Speak to one of our friendly team if you’ve got any questions or simply to get a free quote for garbage collection from your business in California – call 888 584 2118 or contact us online today.
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