The state rule: CALGreen's 65% target
California adopted the first statewide green building code in the country, known as CALGreen. It is Part 11 of Title 24, the California Building Standards Code. One of its mandatory measures covers construction waste: covered projects must recycle or salvage for reuse at least 65% of the nonhazardous construction and demolition debris they generate.
CALGreen applies to newly constructed residential and nonresidential buildings, and to many additions and alterations. The exact scope depends on the building type and on how your city or county applies the code through the permit. The code is updated on a regular cycle, so details shift over time.
CALGreen allows a few ways to show compliance. A project can submit a construction waste management plan and track diversion against it; it can use a waste management company that can document the diversion rate; or, for some projects, it can meet an alternative based on how little waste it produces per square foot. In practice, most homeowners and small contractors rely on a hauler that takes debris to a facility able to report what was recycled.
CalRecycle, the state's recycling department, supports the program and publishes guidance, while the building departments of cities and counties do the enforcing.
How cities add their own rules
CALGreen sets a floor. Many California cities and counties have adopted stricter or more detailed rules, and those are often what you deal with day to day. Common local additions include:
- Hauler permits or franchises. The City of Los Angeles expects construction and demolition debris to be hauled by permitted haulers and taken to certified processing facilities. San Francisco registers construction debris transporters and facilities. Oakland grants exclusive franchises for mixed debris collection.
- Diversion deposits. San Diego and San Jose have linked permits to deposits that are refunded once diversion is documented.
- Higher targets or wider scope. Some cities apply diversion rules to more project types than the state minimum, or set a higher percentage.
- Required plans. Many cities want a waste management plan submitted with the permit application.
Because these rules vary and change, check with your city or county building department for your project. The city pages on this site describe what we know about each, with the department to ask.
What this means for your dumpsters
Separate heavy recyclables. Clean concrete, asphalt, brick and dirt are dense and highly recyclable. They often account for most of a demolition project's weight, so they do most of the work toward 65%. Put them in their own small bin.
Keep clean wood and metal clean. Lumber and metal recycle well when they are not buried in mixed trash. On larger jobs, separate bins for each are worth it.
Know where mixed debris goes. A mixed load can still count if it goes to a facility that sorts and recycles it, and that facility can report its recovery rate. Ask the provider which facility it uses.
Collect the paperwork. Weight tickets or a diversion report are the evidence your building department wants. Ask about them before the first bin arrives, not after the last one leaves.
Handle hazardous materials separately. Asbestos-containing materials, lead-painted debris, treated wood, paint, solvents and universal waste have their own rules and never go into an ordinary roll-off.
Street placement permits
Recycling rules cover where the debris goes. Placement rules cover where the bin sits. A bin on private property usually needs no city permit, though HOAs may have their own rules. A bin on a street, sidewalk or alley generally needs a right-of-way or encroachment permit from the city's public works or street services department. Some cities only issue those permits to authorized haulers. Ask the provider who applies and whether the cost is in the quote.
A simple plan for a permitted job
- Read the permit conditions for waste management and recycling.
- Ask the building department what documentation it expects at final inspection.
- Plan bins by phase: heavy demolition debris, then light framing scrap, then finish waste.
- Choose a provider authorized to haul in your city that delivers to a recycling or sorting facility.
- Keep every weight ticket and any diversion report.
- Separate hazardous materials before demolition starts.
Beyond construction
California's waste laws reach further than building sites. Commercial recycling and organic-waste laws require many businesses and multifamily properties to arrange recycling and organics collection, and statewide organic-waste rules aim to keep green waste and food out of landfills. A clean green-waste bin from a yard project fits that system, which is one reason it is usually cheaper than a mixed load.
For bin types, see construction dumpster rental and concrete dumpsters. For street placement, see the dumpster permit guide.