California Requires Recycling for Renters

By the Waste Age staff

A new California law requires owners of rental properties to provide recycling services for their tenants. The Renter's Right to Recycle Act (AB 818), authored by Assemblyman Bob Blumenfield and signed into law last week by Governor Jerry Brown, is an attempt to improve recycling rates for renters, which lag far behind single-family households.

According to the Los Angeles Times, 70 percent of California residents of single-family homes have access to curbside recycling. In contrast, fewer than 40 percent of the state's 7 million renters enjoy similar access, resulting in a paltry rental recycling rate of 15 percent.

Recycling service providers will work with landlords to determine whether their properties can accommodate recycling. Those that cannot will be exempted, with recyclers making that final determination.