Recycling & Trash Services for Businesses

All commercial properties are required to have garbage, recycling and organics service which is provided by the City of Culver City's Public Works Environmental Programs and Operations (EPO) Division.  Please review the Culver City SB 1383 Commercial Brochure(PDF, 1MB) for a summary of business requirements.

Sign in online to Culver City Connect with any questions, comments, suggestions or concerns here.

*Businesses are required to have containers and service of sufficient number, size and frequency for all trash, recycling and organic materials generated. Learn more about the State recycling requirements (AB 341) and State organics collection requirements (AB 1826, SB 1383).

CLICK ON THE TOPICS BELOW FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

ORGANICS

Organics 

Due to Senate Bill 1383, effective January 1, 2022 organics collection will be required for all businesses.  Call the Environmental Programs and Operations Division at (310) 253-6400 to get your organics program started. 

What goes in the ORGANICS container?

Food Scraps & Food Soiled Paper

  • Raw or cooked food scraps,
  • Meats, seafood636698349459000000.jpeg
  • Dairy products
  • Breads, grains, pastas
  • Fruit
  • Bones, shells
  • Pizza boxes
  • Napkins/paper towels
  • Paper-based to-go containers Veggies

Yard Trimmings

  • Brush
  • Flower cuttings
  • Flowers
  • Lawn clippings
  • Leaves
  • Shrubbery
  • Tree twigs (4 feet or less in length and 6 inches in diameter)
  • Weeds
  • Wood chips

Organics Brown Bin

 

Organics Brown Bin

Tips for Success: How to Make Organics Collection Work

Separate Organic Materials – No glass, plastic, metal or trash in organics container.

Color Coded Bins with Signage to help divert organics and recycling.JPGUse Color-Coded Bins with Signage – Part of any successful organics and recycling program is setting up proper internal collection containers. The City of Culver City City Hall uses color-coded bins to help staff separate their organics, recycling and trash. Bins at this site are blue for recycling, green for organics, and black for trash, with itemized pictures for each. For examples of different recycling and composting containers view the vendor list(PDF, 659KB)

Line containers with clear plastic bags, paper bags, BPI certified compostable bags (for organics containers only) or use no bag at all (for recycling container only).

Set Up 3-Bin Sort Stations in Central Locations – Bins are strategically placed throughout the office, so staff can discard their recycling, organics, and trash items. 

Train Employees Regularly – Monitor containers to ensure materials are included in the correct container. Common items that do not belong in the organics container are rubber gloves, conventional plastic bags. At City Hall there is zero waste team in each division that provide guidance and outreach to staff in their division if needed. 

zero waste awesome tag to show diverting materials correctly.JPGProvide Positive Feedback – When monitoring containers, there is also opportunity to monitor deskside recycling or organics containers. If you see staff separating items in the appropriate container then think about positive reinforcement. The City created oops and awesome tags for staff. Picture to the right shows staff with an awesome tag.

Work with Janitorial Services – It's important to contact janitorial services before starting an organics collection program. Their staff will be emptying the internal containers to the collection containers outside. It is important that their staff know which container is for organics, recycling and trash so the program is successful. 

RECYCLE

What goes in the BLUE recycle bin?

Empty Glass, Aluminum & Metal, Plastics (1-5), Beverage & Soup Boxes, Clean Paper & Cardboard.

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Break down and fold cardboard boxes to smaller than 3’ x 3’ and set them behind or against bin.

Have more questions about What Goes Where, ask Recycle Coach. 


TRASH

What goes in the BLACK trash bin?

Non-Recyclable & Non-Hazardous Materials: broken plates, broken glass, polystyrene, foam, plastic bags, diapers, pet poop, kitty litter, incandescent light bulbs, toothpaste tubes, broken pottery, disposable razors, disposable ice-packs.

Food and food-soiled paper should be placed in the organics container if available. 

showimage (2).jpeg

WHAT GOES WHERE TOOLS

Printable Posters

Click on the Posters below to download. 

What goes in your RECYCLE can posters and tips:

  • Which Recyclables Belong in Your Blue Cart
  • Plastic: Recycling Tip

636892306887400000.jpeg(PDF, 673KB) Plasticrecycle.jpg

What goes in your ORGANICS can and tips:

  • Food Waste and Organics 
  • Your Green Cart Can Just Got Greener

636892306394730000.jpeg(PDF, 66KB)636892316157700000.jpeg(PDF, 65KB)

  • Napkins, Tissues, Paper Towels are Not Recyclable

  • Wet/Greasy Paper and Cardboard

 compostposter.jpg(PDF, 337KB)   (PDF, 65KB) 

SB 1383 BUSINESS REGULATIONS

Feed People Not Landfills

Effective January 1, 2022 Senate Bill (SB) 1383 Short-lived climate pollutants law goes into effect. Please review the Culver City SB 1383 Commercial Brochure(PDF, 1MB) for a summary of business requirements.

Below is a list of general requirements:

  • Organics recycling is required for all California businesses
  • Tier 1 Commercial Food Generators are now required to establish food recovery programs (see below for more information).
  • Tier 1 Commercial Food Donors must arrange to recover the maximum amount of food that would otherwise go to landfills (see below for more information).
  • Both food recovery organizations and services that participate in SB 1383 must maintain records.

Tier 1 commercial food generators such as the following businesses:

  • Supermarket
  • Grocery store (10,000 sq.ft.)
  • Food service provider
  • Food distributor 
  • Wholesale food vendor 

will need to establish contracts or written agreements with food recovery organizations.

These Tier 1 Food Donors will have to keep records of the following information to demonstrate compliance:

  • Types of food recovered
  • Pounds of food recovered 
  • Frequency that the food is recovered

Food donors will need to track the amount they donate by weight and maintain up-to-date records. Records will be submitted to the City of Culver City on a quarterly basis. 

In 2024,Tier 2 businesses (below) will be required to follow SB 1383's food recovery requirements.

  • Restaurant (> 250 seats or 5,000 sq.ft.) 
  • Hotel with onsite food facility & > 200 rooms)
  • Health facility with onsite food facility & > 100 beds
  • Large events and venues
  • State agency with cafeteria (> 250 seats or 5,000 sq.ft.)
  • Local education agency with on-site food facility

Donations are Legally Protected

There are laws in place to protect businesses when donating food.

Common Items Donated 

  • Whole produce and baked goods
  • Prepackaged foods
  • Food prepared by a permitted food facility. 

Get Free Technical Assistance

Contact the Environmental Programs and Operations customer service at (310)253-6400 to assess your businesses collection service needs (trash, recycling and organics collection) or the placement of collection containers for optimum participation.   

Additional Resources

To learn more about SB 1383 regulations and timeline view CalRecycle's SB 1383 Model Food Recovery Agreement Presentation(PDF, 1MB).  

Outreach and Food Reduction Tips 

Save the Food: Provides planning, storage tips, and tools to reduce edible food waste. Includes
interactive storage guide, guest-imator, and tips for cooking with food scraps.

Further with Food: Users share their responses, initiatives, tools, and best practices geared to curb food
waste. 

Organizations in Los Angeles County 

Food DROP LA: Provides business resources including Food Donation Toolkit and Food Donation
Tracking Form. 

Los Angeles Food Policy Council: Food Waste Prevention & Rescue Working Group promotes strategies
for food waste prevention, food recovery and donation, and composting. Includes #FreetheFood Impact
Guide and Los Angeles Area Food Recovery Guide

Los Angeles County Food Redistribution Initiative: LA County Department of Public Health site
provides resources to the public about safe methods to prevent, donate, and recycle excess food. Includes
Guidance for Food Operators brochure, share table guide for schools, and additional resources. 

WASTE REDUCTION REGULATIONS

City Ban on Single-Use Plastics

Plastic straws, utensils, stirrer sticks, drink plugs, and other disposable plastic items are no longer allowed in Culver City.  

The City of Culver City adopted Chapter 5.07, Waste Reduction Regulations to protect the community's waterways and to promote reuse and waste reduction. The ordinance builds on the environmental benefit efforts mandated in chapter 11.18 Polystyrene Regulations, which bans polystyrene food service ware, retail foam coolers and foam polystyrene food service ware in Culver City. 

The City also has an Upon Request Policy" meaning "No food provider may provide cutlery to any person taking prepared food away from the food provider's premise unless food provider first ask person whether they want to receive and they respond that they do". 

Polystyrene products may be unidentified or be identified by a No. 6 with three chasing arrows that form a triangle. 

CERTIFIED SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS PROGRAM

Become a Certified Sustainable Business in Culver City! The City is now accepting registrations for the Sustainable Business Certification Program.

  • Registration is on a first come, first serve basis.
  • Eligible businesses will receive a FREE assessment.
  • Qualifying businesses will receive certification at no charge.

Contact Joe Susca, Senior Management Analyst in the Public Works Department at (310) 253-5636 or joe.susca@culvercity.org for additional information.