Lifetime Citizen Portal Access — AI Briefings, Alerts & Unlimited Follows
San Francisco updates enforcement and onboarding under Chapter 14 for construction and demolition waste
Loading...
Summary
City staff reported rising compliance with Chapter 14: about 4,000 material reduction and recovery plans have been submitted, a transporter permit regime has grown and staff proposed provisional facility registrations, probationary enforcement and other code clarifications to ease onboarding and strengthen diversion outcomes.
San Francisco Environment Department staff on Monday reported progress implementing Environment Code Chapter 14, the city's construction and demolition (C&D) waste framework, and proposed several code and administrative changes to broaden participation and tighten compliance.
James Slattery, senior coordinator for the C&D waste team, told the Commission on the Environment that building activities account for roughly a quarter of the city's landfill tonnage and represent about half of the city's total solid-waste generation by a different baseline the department tracks. He said the program has evolved since 2006 to include a material "chain of custody" that authorizes San Francisco Environment to monitor waste generators, haulers and receiving facilities.
Kat Hanerham, assistant coordinator, said the department now processes roughly 4,000 material reduction and recovery plans (MRPs) and has expanded a transporter permit network serving more than 400 local businesses. She described an enforcement approach launched in February 2023 and updated in May 2024 that emphasizes notices, technical assistance and corrective actions; the department has issued more than 400 inspection reports since the rules took effect.
"Compliance with both our Green Halo system and transporter permit requirements has improved drastically through our enforcement program," Hanerham said.
Eric Pasawalk, who discussed facility registration and verification, said 14 facilities currently register to receive mixed debris from San Francisco projects and that third-party verification has been added to improve the reliability of reported recovery rates. Pasawalk described markets for recovered materials across the Bay Area and Central Valley and stressed that project-level source separation (drywall, wood, metal, ceiling tiles) remains central to hitting the state's 65% diversion benchmark.
Staff proposed targeted code updates to: create a provisional registration period to help new facilities join the network; introduce a probationary enforcement action so facilities can correct noncompliance without immediate suspension; allow compliant facilities to pursue third-party verification on a biennial rather than annual basis; clarify and tighten current transporter permit exemptions; and permit renewal of short-term temporary permits rather than forcing reapplication after seven days.
Commissioners asked about who ultimately bears responsibility for the 65% diversion rate. Pasawalk clarified that projects—not facilities alone—are required to meet the 65% requirement, and that source separation at the project level commonly achieves substantially higher recovery for separated streams.
The presentation stressed ongoing outreach to small businesses and the department's interest in focus groups and stakeholder engagement to reduce administrative burdens while maintaining fair enforcement.
The commission did not take action on Chapter 14 changes at the meeting; staff said they will continue to develop draft legislative language and administrative guidance.
