AB 1826 requires businesses to recycle their organic waste. This includes both public and private businesses as well as multifamily complexes or apartment buildings of five units or more. The date at which a business is required to begin recycling their organics depends on how much waste the business generates each week.

The key deadlines for beginning organics recycling are:

April 1, 2016: Businesses that generate more than 8 cubic yards of organic waste per week must recycle organic waste.

January 1, 2017: Businesses that generate more than 4 cubic yards of organic waste per week must recycle organic waste.

January 1, 2019: Businesses that generate more than 4 cubic yards of solid waste per week must recycle organic waste.

January 1, 2021: Businesses that generate more than 2 cubic yards of solid waste per week must recycle organic waste.

Organic waste includes the following materials:

  • food waste
  • green waste and landscaping waste (leaves, grass, trimmings, branches and stumps)
  • nonhazardous wood waste
  • food-soiled paper waste that is mixed in with food waste (this does not include plastic-coated paper items such as paper cups)

Questions? CalRecycle offers a complete set of answers to Frequently Asked Questions about AB 1826, including information about exemptions, compliance and reporting.