The Alameda (California) County Waste Management Authority has begun issuing fines to businesses and multifamily property owners still in violation of Alameda County’s Mandatory Recycling Ordinance. To date, more than 100 citation notices have been served, and more are expected as routine inspections continue, the agency says. However, of the locations inspected this year, the majority was found to be in compliance with the ordinance at the time of inspection, the authority says.
The law, which went into effect in 2012, requires businesses and multifamily property owners to establish adequate recycling collection service. Additionally, businesses are required to separate recyclable and/or organic materials into the correct containers. Although the county’s cities and unincorporated areas participate in the ordinance to varying degrees and with different implementation schedules, most have at least basic recycling requirements in place.
The Alameda County Waste Management Authority says it has reached out to businesses and property owners to assist them in complying with the law. The authority says the few businesses and properties that are still in violation of the ordinance’s requirements have received multiple communications from the authority, including an official notification and a notice to correct violation letter. Still not having taken corrective measures, these noncompliant locations are now facing fines.
“The Mandatory Recycling Ordinance has been in place for almost three years, and the primary goal of the authority has been education,” says Brian Mathews, enforcement officer for the authority. “We are only now issuing the first citations. The cities, haulers and authority have given businesses and multifamily property owners ample time to comply or seek assistance before issuing citations.”
All citations issued by the authority are reviewed and approved by staff in the city or unincorporated county area where the business or multifamily building is located. Fines can vary from $100 for a single violation to $400 depending on the number and type of violation(s). Continued noncompliance can result in additional penalties, the authority says. A 30-day appeal period allows fine recipients to contest the citation.
The authority says it considers citations a last resort to achieve compliance. “We are here to serve as a resource for businesses and multifamily property owners that have questions about the Mandatory Recycling Ordinance or are in need of assistance,” says Gary Wolff, P.E., Ph.D., executive director of the Alameda County Waste Management Authority. “To support businesses and increase compliance, our agency has provided technical assistance to thousands of local enterprises to start or increase recycling and organics collection services.”
The purpose of the Ordinance is to reduce the amount of waste Alameda County sends to landfill and to help reach long-term waste reduction goals—specifically, to ensure that by 2020 waste sent to landfills contains less than 10 percent of materials that are easily recyclable or compostable. For businesses, the amount of this “good stuff” in the garbage varies by industry. In 2014, 25 percent to 59 percent of the items in businesses’ garbage containers could have been recycled or composted, the authority says. Looking at multifamily properties, an average of 46 percent of their “garbage” is actually recyclable or compostable, the authority adds.
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