Yes it includes private businesses, residential households and municipal projects. Typically it works through the waste hauler. Waste haulers must offer recycling services to their customers. Although businesses are not required to recycle by law, the cities strong;y encourage them to do so, and many cites provide strong incentives such as public rewards (Trophies, Certificates, etc.) The State of California imposes fines against any city fails to meet the mandated reduction rate – called the diversion rate. Diversion means how much solid waste is being diverted from landfills back into the economic mainstream. If you live in California you can read all about this program by going to your local library and asking if they have a copy of the Source Reduction and Recycling Element for the city your are interested in. If they don’t stock SRRE’s, then go directly to the city clerk, or the city’s environmental manager. The SRRE is public information and you can purchase a copy for the cost of copying. You are also allowed to bring your own copier should you wish to do so.

I hope this information is helpful.

Happy trails.

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What you say is true. But right now California cities are either recycling, reusing, or reducing over 50% of their municipal waste. That’s well documented by the California Integrated Waste Management Board, and those records are open to the public. That’s a lot of stuff that used to go to a landfill. So, my point is that people are already used to the increased cost. It’s similar to the hike in gas prices. You gotta pay it to live in the modern world.

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As you probably know, most municipalities now days must prepare and implement a solid waste reduce, reuse, and recycling plan, and part of that plan must address construction and demolition waste. Again, most municipalities require potential C&D contractors applying for a permit to first submit a C&D recycling plan. The objective is to keep C&D waste out of landfills, and return as much of them as possible back into the economic mainstream. While I agree that nothing effective will ever get done unless a few bucks exchange hands, I also believe there are creative ways to approach the drywall recycling problem. As one example, sub-contractors could be allowed in ahead of time to strip the structures of drywall before the actual demolition begins, and sell that material to bona fide reclaimers. Of course, this would increase the cost of drywall at the retail level, but in my opinion, the benefit is worth it. Reduce, reuse and recycle is the current strategy for a sustainable environment, so why exclude drywall?

Great post.

Happy trails.

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