How to Comply: Requirements for Businesses

For businesses located in Los Angeles County unincorporated communities, our waste hauler should have conducted a site visit and waste assessment making recommendations for improvement to your services. 

• If you did not receive a site visit, you may request one from your waste hauler or ask the County at 1 (888) Clean-LA (253-2652), to coordinate the visit. 
• You may also watch recorded community meetings on the Clean LA website specific to your waste hauler and service area.
• For businesses located in other city jurisdictions, please contact your waste hauler directly about your current waste service.  

Options to dispose of food waste and reduce odors are: 

• Line your container with readily available organic material such as newspaper, to absorb odor causing liquids.
• Clean your container frequently and keep your container in a dark and cool area.
• Additional ideas may be provided by your organic waste hauler for how to store your food scraps prior to placing them in the green cart or bin they provide.

Some tips to keep organic waste bin clean and reduce odors: 

• Drain excess liquid from your food scraps before disposing.
• Line your kitchen pail with organic material such as newspaper, brown yard waste, before discarding into your green organic waste bin to absorb odor causing liquids.
• Sprinkle baking soda on top of food scraps to eliminate odors.
• Frequent cleaning of your kitchen pail and organic waste bin.
• Additional ideas may be provided by your organic waste hauler for how to store your food scraps prior to placing them in the green cart or bin they provide.

Commercial food establishments that sell products meant for immediate consumption are required to provide bins to customers for collecting organic waste, recyclables, and trash.

• All three (3) bins must be accessible, visible, and marked with clear instructions on what items are acceptable and prohibited.
• Full-Service restaurants* do not need to provide labeled containers for customers but must provide them for employees to separate post-consumer waste.

Yes, businesses may self-haul their food waste to a permitted organic waste processing facility such as a composting site, back-haul organic waste to a central location for their waste hauler to collect, or compost organic waste on-site.

Residential customers already receive a default 3-cart service; thus, there is no need to decline the converted green waste cart that will be used for organic waste collection service.  There are 2 waivers that will be considered for businesses only, a De Minimis Waiver or a Physical Space Waiver.  The County may grant a De Minimus Waiver to a business that that can demonstrate either of the following:

a.  It generates more than two cubic yards of Solid Waste per week and less than 20 gallons per week that would need to be placed in an Organic Waste Container; or

b. It generates less than two cubic yards per week of Solid Waste and less than 10 gallons per week that would need to be placed in an Organic Waste Container.

A business may choose to self-haul or self-manage some or all of their organic waste so that they could qualify for a De Minimus Waiver and opt out of the organic waste collection service from their waste hauler.

The County may grant a Physical Space Waiver to a business if it can adequately demonstrate that the premises lack adequate space for multiple containers required by an Organic Waste Collection Service?