California’s Legislature, through AB 827 (McCarty, 2019), amended two existing laws - the Mandatory Commercial Recycling law, PRC Section 42649-42649.7, commonly referred to as MCR, and the Mandatory Commercial Recycling Organics Recycling law, PRC Section 42649.8-42649.87, commonly referred to as MORe. 

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.

Effective July 1, 2020, businesses except full-service restaurants, must provide organics and recycling bins at front-of-house to collect recyclables and food scraps generated from products purchased onsite. These bins must be placed adjacent to trash bins and be visible, easily accessible, and clearly labeled.

Recycled items can include empty and dry cardboard, mixed paper, cans and bottles. Organic items can include food scraps such as prepared foods, meat, or dairy.

To learn more about the new law, go to: http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billTextClient.xhtml?bill_id=201920200AB827.