We understand that owning an apartment building in California can be a good investment, but it is not always an easy investment. Keeping up with state and local regulations is an ongoing challenge – and from a trash hauling perspective – 2012 is shaping up to be an unusually tricky year for apartment owners.

Last October, Governor Brown signed AB 341 into law. AB 341 sets a 75% recycling goal for California by 2020; the most ambitious in the nation. The law mandates recycling for any commercial or public entity that generates 4 cubic yards of solid waste per week and multifamily residential dwellings of 5 or more units. Specifically section 42649.2 of the law states:

(a) On and after July 1, 2012, a business that generates more than 4 cubic yards of commercial solid waste per week or is a multifamily residential dwelling of 5 units or more shall arrange for recycling services consistent with state or local laws or requirements including a local ordinance or agreement applicable to the collection, handling, or recycling of solid waste, to the extent that these services are offered and reasonably available from a local service provider.
(b) A commercial waste generator shall take at least one of the following actions: (1) Source-separate recyclable materials from solid waste and subscribe to a basic level of recycling service that includes collection, self-hauling, or other arrangements for the pickup of the recyclable materials. (2) Subscribe to a recycling service that may include mixed waste processing that yields diversion results comparable to source separation.
(c) A property owner of a multifamily residential dwelling may require tenants to source separate their recyclable materials to aid in compliance with this section.

While the state agency, Cal Recycle has not published the final rules or stated how local municipalities will enforce the new law, all apartment owners should ask, "Is my property in compliance?"

As you may know, we have developed a member discount and benefit program with Athens Services. Being a member of AAGLA's Product Service Council for the last two years, Athens representatives have heard from many AAGLA members regarding the difficulty of implementing on-site "sourceseparated systems." Expressed concerns have included limited room to stage extra blue recycling bins, existing trash chute infrastructure does not support sourceseparated systems, and recycling compliance from tenants may prove problematic. Furthermore, the mere presence of recycling bins can attract scavengers to your property.

Athens Services recognizes that apartment owners want to recycle, but many of these buildings must be able to overcome these inherent impediments. In anticipation of higher recycling demands, Athens Services opened its first material recycling facility (MRF) in 1996 and continues to invest in its recycling infrastructure with two additional facilities

Don't Forget About AAGLA's Monthly Saturday Morning Meetings

Attending AAGLA’s monthly member meetings — held on the second Saturday of most months (see the calendar for more info) — can be very helpful. The quality of our speakers and their political influence has increased over the past few years. It is important for us to communicate our positions on issues to these leaders. It is just as important to THEM to hear our suggestions and comments. Please participate by attending these meetings only two hours of your time each month is all we ask.