Waste Stream Profiles

Waste diversion requirements

By AB 939 California law, the California Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery (CalRecycle), requires the Agency, on behalf of the cities and the County of Sonoma, to calculate its diversion rate. The diversion rate is the percentage of total waste that a jurisdiction diverted from disposal at CalRecycle-permitted landfills and transformation facilities through reduction, reuse, recycling programs, and composting programs. Jurisdictions were required by law to achieve 50 percent diversion for the year 2000.

As of 2007, jurisdictions’ diversion rates were no longer calculated by CalRecycle to determine compliance with AB 939. Instead, a per capita disposal rate was used as a benchmark of program effectiveness.  The statutory change was instituted by SB 1016 (2008).

Sonoma County’s waste diversion rate by year

Note 1: Per Capita Disposal Rate — The average amount of waste disposed within a county per person for a given year. This benchmark simply divides the total waste generated within a jurisdiction by the population (or sometimes employment data) and number of days in the year. The switch from a diversion rate to a per capita disposal rate simplifies the reporting process between a jurisdiction and CalRecycle and assists in a more timely evaluation of waste diversion progress.