Recycling is mandatory in Carson under three layered authorities: (1) the city's exclusive residential recycling franchise (CMC Art. 5 Ch. 2), (2) California AB 341 mandatory commercial recycling for businesses generating 4+ cubic yards/week and multifamily of 5+ units (PRC §42649 et seq.), and (3) California AB 1826 / SB 1383 mandatory organics recycling for ALL residents and businesses (PRC §42649.8 et seq., §42652 et seq.). Every Carson home gets a 96-gallon blue-lid recycling cart and 96-gallon green-lid organics cart from Waste Resources; food scraps and food-soiled paper go in the green organics cart along with yard trimmings.
Carson's residential recycling is delivered under the exclusive franchise authorized by CMC Art. 5 Ch. 2 — no other hauler may collect recyclables generated at residential premises. State law layers in: AB 341 (PRC §42649 et seq.) requires businesses generating 4+ cubic yards of solid waste per week and multifamily dwellings of 5+ units to arrange for recycling services. AB 1826 (PRC §42649.8 et seq.) extended mandatory organics recycling to commercial generators. SB 1383 (PRC §42652 et seq., effective Jan 1 2022) now requires ALL residents and businesses to subscribe to organics collection and to separate organic waste (food scraps + yard trimmings + food-soiled paper) from trash. Blue-lid recycling cart accepts: clean paper, cardboard (flattened), aluminum & steel cans, glass bottles & jars, rigid plastic containers #1-7 (CalRecycle guidance). Green-lid organics cart accepts: food scraps (fruit, vegetables, meat, bones, dairy, bread, coffee grounds, tea bags, food-soiled paper) plus yard trimmings (leaves, grass, prunings, small branches). Black-lid trash is for landfill-bound waste only. Carson satisfies SB 1383 outreach and education requirements through Waste Resources resident communications and the Carson Clean Environment Week events.
Failure to subscribe to recycling/organics service or contamination of the blue/green carts can trigger red-tag warnings from Waste Resources and, after escalation, administrative citations under CMC Art. 5 Ch. 2 enforced by Carson Code Enforcement. Under SB 1383, jurisdictions are required to apply progressive enforcement, with monetary penalties for non-compliance authorized starting Jan 1, 2024. Commercial generators subject to AB 341/AB 1826 can also be cited under PRC §42649 et seq.
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