Effective September 1, 2003, the County of Santa Barbara implemented a mandatory recycling program for businesses in the unincorporated areas of Santa Barbara County. Under this program, materials currently accepted under the single-family residential recycling program (excluding green waste) were prohibited from being disposed in the trash.
For each level of trash service, a corresponding level of recycling service is provided. By actively participating in the program, businesses have the opportunity to decrease or maintain their existing trash costs. The more a business recycles, the more money that can potentially be saved.
Although the County of Santa Barbara has recycled 63 percent of its waste as of 2004, the Board of Supervisors would like even more waste recycled. Further, while the commercial/industrial sector generates approximately 55 percent of the County's total waste, less than 30 percent of it is recycled. As a business owner/manager, you can understand why the County must take steps to improve the recycling rate among businesses.
Through the County's Business Recycling Program, businesses can receive technical assistance to restructure their current trash service to include recycling service, in order to save money. Recycling also saves energy, reduces air and water pollution, and decreases the amount of waste going to our landfill.
Under this recycling program, businesses have three options to comply with the disposal ban: 1) contact their solid waste service provider (waste hauler) to determine the appropriate level of recycling service; 2) contact a recycler that does not charge for recycling service (typically collectors of paper and cardboard); or 3) self-haul their recyclables to a buyback/drop-off facility.
Initially, the County Public Works Department will mail a brochure to business owners that will describe the process for starting recycling service, specify the types of materials that can be recycled, identifiy the benefits of recycling, and list waste prevention tips.
Recycling service can be started easily by following these steps:
It is recommended that the existing trash service be maintained for four to six weeks in order to obtain an accurate gauge of how much the trash service can be reduced. After this initial period, the waste hauler should be contacted to request a reduction in the number or size of trash containers provided and/or in the frequency of service.
The available container sizes will depend on the waste hauler that you have and your level of need. Costs will vary based on location. Please see Recycling Service Providers for the address and phone number of the waste hauler in your area.
If you choose not to use a franchised waste hauler, you have the option of contacting a recycling company that collects materials to be recycled for free. Typically, they are companies that collect paper and cardboard. Finally, you have the option of self-hauling your recyclable materials to a drop-off/buyback facility.
To make recycling convenient, recyclable items can be commingled i.e. placed into one container. The following types of materials may be recycled at your business:
The following types of materials should not be placed in commingled recycling containers in Santa Barbara County:
* Take to your local hazardous waste collection facility to be recycled. Click on this link Hazardous Waste Collection Facilities for a listing of hazardous waste collection facilties in Santa Barbara County. Household batteries may also be dropped off at stores that sell electronics, camera stores, drugstores, office supply stores, and home improvement stores. Check the Directory of Materials for Reuse and Recycling in our Recycling Resource Guide for Santa Barbara County (click on link) for a listing of places that accept household batteries.
** Generally speaking, only hard plastics may be placed in your commingled recycling container. Plastic bags may be placed in receptacles located at major grocery stores for recycling. The following types of plastic bags (must be clean and dry) are accepted at major grocery stores to be recycled:
Many mail and packaging stores accept packing peanuts to be reused or recycled. Contact a local store to verify that clean packing peanuts will be accepted. Electronics should be taken to a facility that collects such items for recycling or dropped off during one-day collection events held periodically throughout the County. For a list of facilities that accept electronics, please click here: http://www.lessismore.org/Programs/electronics.html
For information on the City of Santa Barbara's recycling programs, please visit: http://www.santabarbaraca.gov/SolidWaste/index.htm.
Waste hauler drivers will conduct random checks of each business's trash containers during the grace period from September 1, 2003 through February 29, 2004. County staff will ride with the drivers or conduct separate checks. Periodic checks will also be conducted after the end of the grace period. If an estimated 25 percent of recyclables are determined to be in the trash, then the driver will notify the office, after documenting responses to the following questions:
The office staff will then call the business owner regarding his/her non-compliance, verify the service levels, remind the owner of the materials that can be recycled, and advise the owner that continued non-compliance will result in the imposition of a non-compliance fee.
During the grace period, the service providers (waste haulers) and County staff will work closely with business owners who are not recycling or whose contamination level is 25 percent or greater. Every effort will be made to address any difficulties an owner might be having regarding his/her recycling program. If, however, after several conversations and meetings, a business owner still is not recycling or has a contamination level of 25 percent or greater, then the County will contact the owner a final time to verify his/her understanding of the program and to inform the owner about the repercussions of not participating or fully complying.
If a business owner refuses to recycle or has unacceptably high levels of contamination in his/her recycling container, a non-compliance fee of 20 percent of the trash service rate will be imposed. The service provider's drivers and/or County staff will determine the level of contamination.
If a business owner wants to request a waiver or exemption from participating in the program, he/she must obtain and complete a form and provide documentation to the County that demonstrates that the requirements of the commercial recycling program would result in "undue or unreasonable hardship." After the County and the waste hauler conduct a site visit, the County will make a determination (Notice of Determination) on whether or not to grant the waiver or exemption.
For those business owners who self-haul their trash but are not recycling in any manner (i.e. not using their service provider, not using another recycler's free services, and not self-hauling their recyclables), they will be required to request a waiver or exemption, following the procedure outlined above.
A business owner who is denied a waiver or exemption may appeal by requesting an administrative review hearing within 10 working days of receiving the Notice of Determination. The Director of the Public Works Department (or his/her designee), who will serve as the hearing examiner, will hear the appeal between 20 and 45 days after receipt of the request. After the hearing, the hearing examiner shall uphold, overturn, or modify the initial determination of the County.
The County Public Works Department is committed to working very closely with owners to address any difficulties they may have to help ensure that their recycling programs are successful. In addition to providing individual business consultations and waste audits, we offer the following free resources to help businesses recycle:
We also offer stickers (7" x 8") that may be placed on recycling containers. The posters, magnets, and stickers may be obtained by contacting the County Public Works Department, Resource Recovery & Waste Management Division, at (805) 882-3600.
If you would like free assistance in establishing a recycling and waste reduction program or are interested in expanding your existing program, please contact your franchised waste hauler (see Recycling Service Providers) or the County Public Works Department, Resource Recovery and Waste Management Division, at (805) 882-3616.
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Last updated: October 20, 2008
