To help Rancho Cordova meet the state mandates for diverting recycling and organic waste from landfills, businesses and multifamily properties must separate all waste generated onsite into recycling, organic waste and trash. Organic materials include plant debris, food waste, food soiled paper, and untreated wood waste. Recyclable materials include clean cardboard and paper, glass bottles and jars, metal containers, and hard plastics.

In addition, businesses must provide organics and recycling service to employees, contractors, tenants, and customers.

Requirements:

• Collection service must be arranged so that access to an adequate number, size, and location of containers is available.
• Small indoor containers for organics and recycling must be provided in all areas where garbage containers are present, except for restrooms (multifamily residential buildings are exempt).
• For all outdoor and indoor containers, the container bodies or lids shall be the following colors: gray/black for landfill, blue for recycling, and green for organics.
• Containers must also have labels with graphic images to indicate what materials are accepted or prohibited.
• Business owners and property managers must annually provide educational information about the legal requirements to compost and recycle to employees and/or tenants.
• Education must also be provided on how to properly sort the three waste streams into correct containers (for new tenants, this information must be provided before or within 14 days of move-in).

Finally, business owners and property managers must periodically inspect recycling and organics containers and inform employees and/or tenants if contamination is found.

1. Choose a Hauler or Self-Haul

To sign up for solid waste services, commercial properties may choose:

• An Authorized Waste Hauler
• A Non-Exclusive Franchised Hauler
• To self-haul recycling and/or organic waste using personal or company vehicles and employees.

If a business or multifamily property chooses to self-haul recycling or organics, they must complete an Alternative Compliance Waiver and a Solid Waste Self-Haul Application and must agree to keep receipts or weight tickets from the processing facility and proof that material is being recycled. These records must be made available upon the city’s request.  

Authorized Waste Haulers

• Republic Services
• Waste Management
• Atlas Disposal

Non-Exclusive Franchised Haulers

• Advanced Disposal, Inc.: 916.444.8676
• Atlas Disposal Industries: 916.455.2800
• Elk Grove Waste Management: 916.381.6390
• Green Waste of Sacramento (Zanker): 916.429.9900
• North Cal Hauling Company: 916.381.9033
• Patrick’s Construction Clean-up, Inc.: 916.452.5495
• Quality Construction Clean-up, Inc.: 916.388.8989
• Republic Services: 916.631.0600
• USA Waste of California (WM of Sacramento): 916.387.1400
• Waste Removal and Recycling: 916.453.1400

2. Purchase Indoor Bins

Purchase indoor bins for separating garbage, recycling and organic waste. State law requires businesses to provide customers with an organic bin/container and recycling bin/container to collect materials generated by products that are purchased on the premises.

Requirements

The organics and recycling containers must be:

• Visible and easily accessible to customers.
• Clearly marked to indicate which types of materials are appropriate for each container.
• Placed next to each trash can, except in restrooms.

There is no minimum number of bins currently required.

Exemptions

A Full-Service Restaurant

A full-service restaurant is exempt if employees collect material from customers and dispose of food waste in organic waste recycling bins at the back of house. Bins for employees must be labeled, visible, readily accessible, and next to any and all trash receptacles.

A “full-service” restaurant is defined as one where an employee takes all the following actions:

• Escorts or assigns the customer to an assigned eating area.
• Takes the food and beverage orders after the customer has been seated.
• Directly delivers the food and beverage orders to the customer.
• Collects trash, recyclables, and organic waste materials from the customer.
• Delivers the check directly to the customer at the assigned seating area.

Businesses that Sell Food but Do Not Offer Immediate Consumption

If all material is consumed off-site and there is no trash container for customers to use, containers for recycling or organics are not required.

Responsibility for Providing Bins

The business is responsible for providing bins or containers for their employees and customers.

3. Educate

Educate yourself, your staff and tenants how to properly separate waste. Periodically inspect recycling and organics containers and inform employees and/or tenants if contamination is found.

Beginning January 1, 2022, new SB 1383 regulations will foster coordination between California jurisdictions, Commercial Edible Food Generators, Edible Food Recovery Services, and Edible Food Recovery Organizations to reduce edible food waste and increase edible food recovery.

Commercial Edible Food Generator Requirements:

• Secure contracts or written agreements with Edible Food Recovery Services and/or Organizations to recover the maximum amount of edible food that would otherwise be disposed. Visit the CalRecycle website to read their Model Food Recovery Agreement to use as a reference when creating your own agreement.
• Maintain a list and copy of all Edible Food Recovery Services and/or Organization's contracts or agreements that collects or receives its edible food.
• Maintain a record of the following for each contract or written agreement; 1) name, address, and contact information of the service or organization, 2) the types of food that will be collected by or self-hauled to the service or organization, 3) the established frequency that food will be collected or self-hauled, and 4) the pounds of food per month collected or self-hauled to a service or organization for food recovery.

Click here to learn more about Sacramento County's Edible Food Recovery Program.

Commercial service providers in the City of Rancho Cordova are required to adhere to this Non-Exclusive Commercial Collection Service agreement located here.

Some businesses and multifamily properties may be exempt from organic waste recycling services if:

• They self-haul their pre-sorted organic waste to a licensed organic waste processing facility. Copies of weight tickets or receipts must be retained onsite for verification during inspections.
• They backhaul their organic waste to a central or corporate location to be collected for recycling. Contracts or other proof of evidence must be retained onsite for verification during inspection.
• The business does not have adequate space for an organic materials container, as verified by onsite inspection or documentation as evidence. Most businesses are ineligible for this waiver.
• They generate a minimal amount of organic material per week, as verified by onsite inspection. Multifamily residential buildings, restaurants, and other businesses that sell food products are ineligible for this waiver. Thresholds to qualify for a waiver based on minimal organic waste are:
  • Businesses that generate less than 2 cubic yards per week of solid waste (garbage and recycling combined), and generate less than 10 gallons of organic waste per week.
  • Businesses that generate 2 cubic yards or more per week of solid waste (garbage and recycling combined), and generate less than 20 gallons of organic waste per week.

Exemptions for organic waste are NOT granted by the city for businesses who do not have recycling collection service in place, or evidence of self-hauling. If you think your business or multifamily property may be exempt from having a mixed or organic waste recycling service, fill out the Alternative Service Compliance and Exemption Form.

Mixed recycling includes materials such as:

• Flattened cardboard: Cereal boxes, tissue boxes, egg cartons and clean pizza boxes.
• Mixed paper: White and colored paper, newspaper, magazines and catalogs.
• Cans: Metal food cans, aluminum cans, aluminum foil and empty aerosol cans.
• Plastic film and wrappers
• Plastics: Milk jugs, rigid plastics, trays and flowerpots.
• Scrap metal less than 10 lbs.: All-metal tools (wrenches, pliers, files) and aluminum siding.
• Clean polystyrene foam
• Glass: Beverage bottles and food jars.

Organic waste recycling includes materials such as:

• Food waste: Uneaten fruits, vegetables, meat, bones, pizza, eggs, dairy, rice and pasta.
• Food soiled paper: Pizza boxes and used paper plates, napkins and paper towels, coffee filters and tea bags, and paper food wrappings for hamburgers or French fries.
• Untreated wood waste.
• Branches less than 4” in diameter
• Yard Waste: Cut flowers, grass clippings, house plants, leaves, shrubs, weeds and dead plants.

To learn more about which materials are separated into which container, use the city’s Waste Wizard.

Businesses who qualify as Very Small Quantity Generators (VSQGs) can make an appointment to dispose of hazardous waste at one of the following facilities:

• North Area Recovery Station's Household Hazardous Waste Facility, located at 4450 Roseville Road, North Highlands, CA. Appointments are required and can be made by contacting the facility at 916.876.9458. There may be a fee, depending on material type. For more information, call 311 or email sacgreenteam@saccounty.gov. Learn more.
• Kiefer Landfill's Special Waste Facility, located at 12701 Kiefer Boulevard and Grant Line Road, Sloughhouse, CA. This facility accepts antifreeze, batteries, oils, paints (ABOP) and limited other wastes. Appointments are required and can be made by contacting the facility at 916.876.9458. There may be a fee, depending on material type. For more information, call 311 or email sacgreenteam@saccounty.gov. Learn more.
• Sacramento Recycling and Transfer Station (SRTS), located at 8491 Fruitridge Road, Sacramento, CA. Appointments are required and can be made by contacting the facility at 916.876.9458. There may be a fee, depending on material type. Learn more.
• Elk Grove Special Waste Collection Center, located at 9255 Disposal Lane, Elk Grove, CA. This facility accepts HHW, tires, sharps, and unused medications. A Reuse Room is onsite for household items including paint, cleaners, pool supplies, and clean wood. This facility also accepts recyclables. Appointments are required and can be made by contacting the facility at 916.627.3232. Learn more.

To learn about residential Waste Services in Rancho Cordova, visit our Residential Waste Services webpage.

For more information about Solid Waste services in the City of Rancho Cordova, contact the city’s Recycle Coordinator at 916.851.8935 or recycling@cityofranchocordova.org.