The District of Columbia requires recycling in all commercial establishments. These include office buildings, churches, retailers, warehouses, apartment buildings (with four or more units), cooperatives, condominiums, government buildings, bars and restaurants, non-profit organizations, schools, and universities.
Under DC law all commercial properties or establishments located in the District of Columbia must maintain an active commercial recycling program. A commercial recycling program includes separation of recyclables from other solid waste, ensuring an adequate number of containers for separated recyclables and hiring a licensed, registered recycling hauler to regularly pick up recyclables.
What You Need to Know about Commercial Recycling
The types of commercial properties that are required to recycle
By law, all commercial establishments must recycle, including:
- Office buildings
- Churches
- Retailers
- Warehouses
- Apartment buildings with four or more units
- Service companies
- Cooperatives condominiums
- Bars and restaurants
- Museums
- Associations
- Nonprofit organizations
- Public and private schools
- Colleges and universities
Items that the District requires commercial properties to recycle
Starting January 1, 2018, all District commercial properties are required to recycle the materials on this expanded recycling list. To help organizations transition to this new list, the District has developed a series of tools and resources, including: printable signs, fact sheets, and recorded webinars.
Enforcement actions that can be taken if a commercial property does not recycle
A commercial property can be fined for failing to comply with the recycling regulations. The fines range from $200 for a first offense to $1500 for the third violation of the same regulation within 60 days.
Reporting a commercial property that does not recycle
Call the Recycling Hotline at (202) 645-8245.