Collection Area Franchise Agreements

The Board of Supervisors awarded three franchises for the collection of recyclable materials and solid waste on October 21, 2014 Board Agenda (Video). Franchised collection service was identified in the Neal Road Recycling and Waste Facility's Strategic Plan 2012 to 2020 (PDF) as part of a two-part plan to provide a sustainable source of revenue to ensure operations, environmental monitoring and development of landfill capacity, renewable energy projects and waste related program services.

In order for the County to have an effective program to manage waste and recycling programs and services, the County initiated a comprehensive study of services provided by the County's three waste and recycling collection companies (Study) that were operating under one-year renewable permits. The Study concluded that there was an opportunity for the County to require more accountability of the collection companies, more services to be provided, reduce the number of heavy collection trucks impacting roads and neighborhoods, and divert additional materials from the landfill in order to address the State's goal of 75% diversion.

A recommendation was presented to create three collection service areas in the unincorporated area of the County and to issue three franchises for waste and recycling services. The franchise service areas (one collection company per service area) were created based on the number of customers each collection company had at the time the franchise service study was completed. Waste Collection is subscription based and is not mandatory. Collection services available vary by geographical area and whether your property are located inside or outside a Recycling Zone. Visit the Find Waste Hauler Page to Search the map to find your hauler, see if your property is located in a recycling zones, and to see rates for your area.

Franchise Agreements

View the franchise agreements for each waste hauler:

Franchise Services

Franchised services include exclusive collection and processing of commercial and residential recyclable material, green waste and solid waste within three franchise service areas in the unincorporated areas of the county.

Recycling Zones

There are six Recycling Zones in the unincorporated area of the County. Recycling Zones were created based on the density of residential dwellings (homes per mile) and businesses that is similar to incorporated cities. Higher density equates to greater collection efficiency allowing for additional collection programs like recycling and yard waste collection to be provided at a low cost. The Study concluded that there was an opportunity for customers to receive additional recycling services in this area. As part of the franchise collection services, all residents located in Recycling Zones are provided waste, recycling, and yard waste collection included as the standard base service. Visit the Find Waste Hauler Page to search the map to see if your property is located in a recycling zone and to see your rates.

Areas Outside Recycling Zones

Collection companies are required to offer waste collection but they are not required to provide recycling or yard waste collection in areas outside a Recycling Zone. However, in many of these areas, the collection company may decide to offer one or more additional collection programs for an additional fee. Visit the Find Waste Hauler Page to search the map to see if your property is located in a recycling zone and to see your rates. Contact your local collection company for more information for services they provide in your area.

Waste & Recycling Collection Fees

Collection fees were based on the Study of fees that were charged by each of the three collection companies in a geographical area (quadrant) of the County. An average fee was calculated for each of the service levels (can/cart/bin size) and set as the initial fee. Your rate may or may not change based on your current collection fee as compared to the average for the fees charged. For the majority of customers it was determined that their collection fees would be reduced unless additional services were being provided. Four Pricing Quadrants were established to represent the four geographical areas that were studied to calculate the AVERAGE collection fee. Your collection fee is determined by which of the Pricing Quadrants that you are located in and the container size you select for waste collection.

If you reside in a Recycling Zone, each Recycling Zone has a different collection fee. As in the information presented above, the collection fee for each Recycling Zone was set as the average of the collection fees charged by the three collection companies providing service in each Recycling Zone.

Exceptions to Exclusive Franchise Services

Debris Box / Roll-Off Box Service

Specialized service such as placing debris box containers at sites for construction, demolition, clean-up, etc., are not part of the exclusive franchise services a collection company is granted in a service area. Customers utilizing this service can choose from any of the three County franchised collection companies:

Construction & Demolition Contractors

In addition to the Debris Box/Roll-Off Box service provided by the County's franchise waste collectors, customers needing more specialized service utilizing larger equipment, i.e., end dumps, can use non-franchised contractors for this service. Construction and demolition contractors must self-load their vehicles or may use "end dump" equipment to service other contractors in the removal of construction and demolition materials from a construction site.

Additional Exceptions to Exclusive Franchise Services

From Butte County Code, Chapter 31. Note: Anyone providing Franchise Services is required to obtain a License from the County. Only Franchisees will be issued Licenses by the County.

31-21 - License Exemptions
Anyone legally engaged in the following activities is not required to obtain a license under this chapter:

  1. Purchase of Recyclable Material. Collection of recyclable materials generated by residential or commercial premises that meet the following requirements: the recyclable materials (1) are source separated; (2) are further segregated by recyclable commodity by the generator; (3) are collected through a private arrangement with the generator; and (4) the generator receives a net payment for such recyclable materials. Recyclable materials that are not discarded and are sold for value by the owner thereof are not "solid waste" for purposes of this section, provided that such recyclable materials meet the requirements of this section. No one may directly or indirectly charge fees for providing solid waste management services, including collection, transportation and processing, with respect to commingled or source separated recyclable materials, with or without a license, except in conjunction with providing solid waste management services with respect to refuse by a franchised hauler. For purposes of this section, "fee" means any compensation, whether in cash, credit, discount, kind or other form of remuneration. The seller may not pay the buyer any consideration for collecting, processing, or transporting such recyclable materials or as a consulting fee for recycling services or as a "bin rental" or other consideration for real or personal property used in such collection, transportation, or processing. A discount or reduction in price for collection, disposal, and/or recycling services for any form of unsegregated or segregated solid waste is not a sale of recyclable materials for purposes of this section.
  2. Animal Food. Providing solid waste management services with respect to food waste for use as animal food without compensation;
  3. Self-haul of refuse from a non-mandatory service area outside of a recycling zone or after receiving a written self-haul waiver. Removing refuse that one generated, stored and collected oneself and self-hauling it to, and discarding it at, a solid waste management facility designated by the County (for example, disposal at the Neal Road Recycling & Waste Facility);
  4. Self-haul of solid waste other than refuse from a non-mandatory service area outside of a recycling zone or after receiving a written self-haul waiver. Removing solid waste (other than refuse) that one generated, stored and collected oneself and self-hauling it to a solid waste management facility legally authorized to accept that solid waste (such as yard waste and food waste delivered to an organics processing facility, or cans and bottles, to a redemption center);
  5. Rendering. Removing solid waste and transporting and delivering it to a rendering facility (for example, removing dead animals, bones, meat scraps or food processing residue for rendering); or
  6. Incidental Retailers/Contractors Haul. Providing incidental solid waste management services with respect to byproducts of one's primary business, for example, the following:
  1. Construction contractors or subcontractors (such as carpenters, masons, roofers, electricians and plumbers), hauling solid waste that they generate in the normal course of service provided;
  2. Construction and demolition contractors hauling construction and demolition debris from residential and commercial premises, when:
    1. The building or demolition/modification contractor owns and operates the equipment necessary to load and haul the construction and demolition debris generated to a lawful disposal site, or
    2. The construction and demolition debris generated is hauled by a fixed body vehicle or trailer known as an "end dump" having a capacity of thirty (30) cubic yards or more, and which vehicle or trailer must have a non-detachable debris container with an open top and cannot be capable of loading itself and the driver remains with the vehicle while it is being loaded, provided further that equivalent services or equipment are not available from the franchised hauler;
  3. Hired gardeners, hauling yard waste they generate;
  4. Street cleaners;
  5. Retailers hauling solid waste that they remove following delivery of comparable new merchandise (such as carpet, cabinets, mattresses, home appliances and furniture); or
  6. Material Removed as Incidental Part of Other Service Provided. Materials loaded and removed from a premise by a company as an incidental part of gardening, landscaping, weed abatement, tree trimming, cleaning, maintenance, or similar service offered by that company rather than as a waste hauling service. Materials are loaded by company employees directly into equipment owned and operated by that company.