Contamination Monitoring

 

Monitoring containers for contamination is an essential part of a jurisdiction’s collection service.

 

Keeping organic waste clean helps:

  • Ensure organic material can be processed and diverted from the landfill.
  • Develop markets for recycled products in California. 

If providing a 3-container or 2-container organic waste collection service, a jurisdiction must monitor contamination by

  • Route Reviews: Reviewing containers on commercial business and residential routes and/or
  • Waste Evaluation: Evaluating waste at specified solid waste facilities.

Contamination monitoring and resident and business education can help make cleaner organic waste streams. 

Blue curbside bin with contamination tag attached to it.

Route Reviews

If choosing route reviews, a jurisdiction must:

  • Randomly select containers
  • Ensure all collection routes are reviewed annually
  • Educate residents and businesses if there is contamination identified in their containers on the route reviews

For more information, see Best Management Practices for Implementing a Route Review Program.

Waste evaluation staff sorting through materials.

Waste Evaluations

If choosing to conduct waste evaluations, a jurisdiction must do them at least twice per year in two different seasons.

If the sampled weight of any container type has more than 25% contamination, the jurisdiction must either:

  • Educate all generators on the evaluated routes or
  • Perform a targeted route review on evaluated routes and educate generators with contamination.

Related Links

For more information contact: Short-Lived Climate Pollutants (SLCP), Organic Waste Methane Emissions Reductions, SLCP.organics@calrecycle.ca.gov