AB 341 - Mandatory Commercial & Multi-Family Recycling

What is Assembly Bill (AB) 341?

In January 2012, Assembly Bill 341 (AB 341) was signed into law in California to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions. AB 341, also called the Mandatory Commercial Recycling Law, requires businesses and multi-family residential dwellings of five units or more, that generate four or more cubic yards of commercial solid waste per week to implement recycling programs, on or after July 1, 2012. The regulatory approach to this legislation has been designed to be extremely flexible. However, SB 1383 is not. 

AB 341 is superseded by California's Senate Bill (SB) 1383 Short-Lived Climate Pollutants, which requires the State to divert 75% of the waste stream (base line of 2014 waste) from the landfill by the year 2025. Regulations for SB 1383 include enforcement actions, such as the issuance of monetary fines, for those without a recycling program. To learn more about SB 1383, please visit this page.

What Kinds of Materials Need to be Diverted? 

Under AB 341, aluminum, paper (cardboard, mixed officer paper, aluminum); plastics (no thin film or bags); and glass need to be separated from the trash and placed inside a recycling container serviced by the City's franchise hauler, Republic Services. Businesses also have the option of self-hauling materials to a recycling center and maintaining receipts need to be kept as proof of diversion. However, recycling service still must be implemented if other recyclables (that cannot be taken to a recycling center) are still present in the waste stream.  

Website Recycling

To learn how to properly recycle, visit CalRecycle's new I Recycle Smart webpage or Republic Services' Recycling Simplified webpage.

How do I arrange for Recycling Services?

The City of Placentia has an agreement with Republic Services, the exclusive franchise hauler. They offer businesses with programs to help reach our goals, such as commercial recycling, waste audits, and more. To implement a recycling program with Republic Services or if you have any further questions or concerns, please contact their Customer Service team at (714) 238-3300. 

If you would like further support with AB 341 compliance, or if you would like to report your business’ diversion efforts and waste generation, please contact the City's Environmental Services Coordinator at (714) 993-8123 or recycling@placentia.org. 

If you have received a noncompliance letter and would like to request an exemption, please fill out the AB 341 Exemption Request Form. In 2024, a revised form will be available to you. 

Additional AB 341 Resources

Assembly Bill (AB) 827 - Customer Access to Recycling

EffectAB827ive July 1, 2020, MCR (AB 341) and MORe (AB 1826) regulated businesses must provide recycling and organics recycling containers at the front-of-house to collect waste generated from the products purchased and consumed on the premises (AB 827, McCarty). These containers must be placed adjacent to trash containers and be visible, easily accessible, and clearly marked.

AB 827 is intended to educate and involve consumers in achieving the state’s recycling goals by requiring businesses subject to MCR and/or MORe to make recycling and/or organic recycling bins available to customers. This law targets businesses that sell products meant for immediate consumption. AB 827 states that businesses that generate 4 cubic yards or more of commercial solid waste must provide their customers with recycling containers that are visible, accessible, and adjacent to each trash container. While AB827 requirements only pertain to limited-service food establishment, full-service restaurants are required to provide properly labeled next to trash containers for employees to separate recyclables and organics for customers. 

The legislative text for AB 827 can be found here. Examples of labels made by CalRecycle can be used for compliance and can be found here.