San Diego adopts C&D debris recycling ordinance

San Diego, CA– The San Diego City Council passed a Construction and Demolition Debris Diversion Deposit Ordinance (C&D Ordinance) on October 10, 2005 that is designed to extend the life of the Miramar Landfill and to help the city meet state recycling mandates.

The ordinance is expected to take effect in summer 2006.

“C&D debris comprises about one-third of the trash buried in the Miramar Landfill—or about 400,000 tons yearly. With the Miramar Landfill scheduled to close in only seven years the C&D recycling ordinance is extremely important to extend the life of the only city-run landfill in San Diego,” said Elmer L. Heap Jr., director of the city’s Environmental Services Department.

Much of the 400,000 tons of C&D material buried each year in the Miramar landfill is recyclable. This debris typically includes asphalt, concrete, brick, dirt, cabinets, doors, fixtures, windows, carpet and carpet padding, cardboard, drywall, landscape debris, unpainted wood and pallets, roofing materials, and scrap metal. Many private-sector facilities exist in the San Diego area to recycle these materials, if delivered separated from other waste.

In addition to facilities that accept already-sorted material, the City of San Diego is working with a contractor to build a mixed-waste transfer station at the Miramar Landfill, which will accept mixed loads of waste to be sorted and marketed at the facility. Additional mixed-waste facilities are pending.

The C&D Ordinance will require applicants for building and demolition permits to pay a deposit based on the type and square footage of their project. The C&D diversion deposit will be refunded in whole or in part after documentation is submitted to the city showing that recycling requirements are met. The ordinance will take effect 45 days after a mixed C&D recycling facility is certified as having achieved a 50 percent recycling rate. Refunds will be prorated for partial compliance. Full refunds will be made for projects that properly document the required diversion.

For customer convenience, the C&D diversion deposit will be paid along with permitting fees at the city’s Development Services Department.

Currently the City of San Diego diverts only 45 percent of its waste from the Miramar Landfill and has an extension to December 31, 2005 to meet the mandated diversion requirement.

For additional information, visit www.sandiego.gov/environmental-services/recycling/green.shtml.