California Code of Regulations
Title 14 - Natural Resources
Division 7 - Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery
Chapter 3 - Minimum Standards for Solid Waste Handling and Disposal
Article 5.9 - Construction and Demolition and Inert Debris Transfer/Processing Regulatory Requirements
Section 17381 - Definitions

Universal Citation: 14 CA Code of Regs 17381

Current through Register 2024 Notice Reg. No. 38, September 20, 2024

For the purposes of this Article, the following definitions shall apply. Additional definitions and related provisions that apply to this Article are found at California Code of Regulations (CCR), Title 14, Division 7, Chapter 3.0, Article 6.0, sections 17402 and 17402.5, and Article 4, section 17225 et seq.

(a) "Active Compost" as set forth in CCR, Title 14, Division 7, Chapter 3.1, Article 1, section 17852.

(b) "C&D" means Construction and Demolition debris.

(d) "Compostable Material" means any organic material that when accumulated may become active compost.

(e) "Construction and Demolition Debris", or "C&D Debris", is solid waste that is a portion of the waste stream defined as "construction and demolition wastes," as defined in Section 17225.15 of Article 4 of this Chapter, and means source separated or separated for reuse solid waste and recyclable materials, including commingled and separated materials, that result from construction work, that are not hazardous, as defined in CCR, Title 22, section 66261.3 et seq., and that contain no more than 1% putrescible wastes by volume calculated on a monthly basis and the putrescible wastes do not constitute a nuisance, as determined by the EA.

(1) C&D debris includes only the following items which meet the above criteria:

(A) components of the building or structure that is the subject of the construction work including, but not limited to, lumber and wood, gypsum wallboard, glass, metal, roofing material, tile, carpeting and floor coverings, window coverings, plastic pipe, concrete, fully cured asphalt, heating, ventilating, and air conditioning systems and their components, lighting fixtures, appliances, equipment, furnishings, and fixtures;

(B) tools and building materials consumed or partially consumed in the course of the construction work including material generated at construction trailers, such as blueprints, plans, and other similar wastes;

(C) cardboard and other packaging materials derived from materials installed in or applied to the building or structure or from tools and equipment used in the course of the construction work; and

(D) plant materials resulting from construction work when commingled with dirt, rock, inert debris or C&D debris.

(2) C&D debris expressly excludes, commingled office recyclables and, except as provided in subdivision 17381 (e) above, commingled commercial solid waste and commingled industrial solid waste as they are defined in Title 27, CCR section 20164.

(3) Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Article, C&D debris includes material, whether or not from construction work, that is generally similar to C&D debris and that is separated for reuse, that is not hazardous, that contains no putrescible wastes and that can be processed without generating any residual, provided that the material is generated by an activity that is similar to, or is directly or indirectly related to, construction work, including without limitation: manufacturing materials for use in construction work, such as wood products, clay or ceramic products, plumbing systems, electrical equipment, metal work and HVAC systems.

(f) "Construction and Demolition Wood Mulch" or "C&D Mulch" means source separated wood waste that is not compostable material (C&D mulch feedstock), including that portion of C&D debris that is lumber or wood, which has been mechanically reduced in size. C&D mulch feedstock does not include food material, animal material, biosolids, mixed solid waste, chromated copper arsenate (CCA) pressure treated wood, wood containing lead-based paint, or mixed C&D debris.

(g) "Construction Work" means construction, remodeling, repair, demolition or deconstruction of buildings, other structures, roads, parking lots, and similar paved or covered surfaces.

(h) "Emergency Construction and Demolition/Inert Debris Processing Operation" means a site that is established due to a proclamation of a state of emergency or local emergency as provided in CCR, Title 14, Division 7, Chapter 3.0, Article 3, sections 17210.1(j) and (k),

(i) "Fully Cured Asphalt" means that the material must be at ambient temperature, be substantially hardened and be inelastic.

(j) "Handling" means the receipt, collection, transportation, storage, transfer, or processing of solid waste and recyclable materials.

(k) "Inert Debris" means solid waste and recyclable materials that are source separated or separated for reuse, do not contain hazardous waste (as defined in CCR, Title 22, section 66261.3 et. seq.) or soluble pollutants at concentrations in excess of applicable water quality objectives and do not contain significant quantities of decomposable waste. Inert debris may not contain more than 1% putrescible wastes by volume calculated on a monthly basis and the putrescible wastes shall not constitute a nuisance, as determined by the EA. Gravel, rock, soil, sand and similar materials, whether processed or not, that have never been used in connection with any structure, development, or other human purpose are not inert debris and may be commingled with inert debris.

(1) "Type A inert debris" includes but is not limited to concrete (including fiberglass or steel reinforcing bar embedded in the concrete), fully cured asphalt, glass, fiberglass, asphalt or fiberglass roofing shingles, brick, slag, ceramics, plaster, clay and clay products. Type A inert debris is waste that does not contain soluble pollutants at concentrations in excess of water quality objectives and has not been treated in order to reduce such pollutants. The board, upon consultation with the State Water Resources Control Board, will determine on a case by case basis whether materials not listed in this subdivision qualify as Type A inert debris.

(2) "Type B inert debris" is solid waste that is specifically determined to be inert by the applicable RWQCB, such as treated industrial wastes and de-watered bentonite-based drilling mud, but excluding Type A inert debris.

(l) "Inert Debris Engineered Fill Operation" means a disposal activity exceeding one year in duration in which fully cured asphalt, uncontaminated concrete (including steel reinforcing rods embedded in the concrete), brick, ceramics, clay and clay products, which may be mixed with rock and soil, are spread on land in lifts and compacted under controlled conditions to achieve a uniform and dense mass which is capable of supporting structural loading as necessary, and having other characteristics appropriate for an end use approved by all governmental agencies having jurisdiction (e.g., roads, building sites, or other improvements) where an engineered fill is required to facilitate productive use of the land. The engineered fill shall be constructed and compacted in accordance with all applicable laws and ordinances and shall be certified by a Civil Engineer, Certified Engineering Geologist, or similar professional licensed by the State of California.

(m) "Inert Debris Processing Facility" means a site that receives 1500 tons or more per operating day of any combination of Type A and Type B inert debris, or any amount of Type B inert debris, for storage, handling, transfer, or processing.

(n) "Inert Debris Type A Disposal Facility" means a site where only Type A inert debris is disposed to land. Inert debris Type A disposal facilities do not include inert debris engineered fill operations.

(o) "Inert Debris Type A Processing Operation" means a site that receives less than 1500 tons per operating day of only Type A inert debris for storage, handling, transfer, or processing.

(p) "Large Volume C&D Wood Debris Chipping and Grinding Facility" means a site that receives 500 tons per operating day or more of C&D mulch feedstock for purposes of processing it into C&D mulch.

(q) "Large Volume Construction and Demolition/Inert (CDI) Debris Processing Facility" means a site that receives 175 tons or more of any combination of C&D debris and Type A inert debris per operating day for the purposes of storage, handling, transfer, or processing.

(r) "Material Production Facility" means a facility that primarily handles raw materials to produce a new product that is a rock product operation (i.e., an "aggregate" operation), a hot mix asphalt plant, or a concrete, concrete product or a Portland cement product manufacturing facility.

(s) "Medium Volume C&D Wood Debris Chipping and Grinding Facility" means a site that receives at least 200 tons per operating day and less than 500 tons per operating day of C&D mulch feedstock for purposes of processing it into C&D mulch.

(t) "Medium Volume Construction and Demolition/Inert (CDI) Debris Processing Facility" means a site that receives at least 25 tons per operating day and less than 175 tons per operating day of any combination of C&D debris and Type A inert debris for the purposes of storage, handling, transfer, or processing.

(u) "Physical Contaminants" means human-made inert products contained within feedstocks, including, but not limited to, glass, metal, and plastic.

(v) "Processing" means controlled separation, recovery, volume reduction, or recycling of solid waste including, but not limited to, organized, manual, automated, or mechanical sorting; chipping, grinding, shredding or baling; the use of vehicles for spreading of waste for the purpose of recovery; and the use of conveyor belts, sorting lines or volume reduction equipment.

(w) "Putrescible Wastes" means solid wastes that are capable of being decomposed by micro-organisms with sufficient rapidity as to cause nuisances because of odors, vectors, gases or other offensive conditions, and include materials such as, but not limited to food wastes, offal and dead animals. The EA shall determine on a case-by-case basis whether or not a site is handling putrescible wastes.

(x) "Residual" means the solid waste destined for disposal, further transfer/processing as defined in section 17402(a)(30) or (31) of Article 6.0, or transformation which remains after processing has taken place and is calculated in percent as the weight of residual divided by the total incoming weight of materials. Notwithstanding, for purposes of this Article, "residual" excludes any inert debris that is destined for or disposed in an inert debris engineered fill operation. Further notwithstanding, for purposes of this Article, "further transfer/processing" does not include processing that occurs at a CDI recycling center or an inert debris recycling center, as described in Section 17381.1(a) of this Article, or at a recycling center as defined at Section 17402.5(d) of Article 6.0 of this Chapter.

(y) "Separated for Reuse" means materials, including commingled recyclables, that have been separated or kept separate from the solid waste stream for the purpose of additional sorting or processing those materials for recycling or reuse in order to return them to the economic mainstream in the form of raw material for new, reused, or reconstituted products which meet the quality standards necessary to be used in the marketplace, and includes materials that have been "source separated".

(z) "Site" means the area where the handling of solid waste and/or recyclable materials occurs at a recycling center, CDI debris processing operation or facility, inert debris processing operation or facility, or C&D wood debris chipping and grinding operation or facility.

(aa) "Site Restoration" means removing unprocessed or processed solid waste and recyclable material from the site to allow reuse of the property.

(bb) "Small Volume C&D Wood Debris Chipping and Grinding Operation" means a site that receives less than 200 tons per operating day of C&D mulch feedstock for purposes of processing it into C&D mulch.

(cc) "Small Volume Construction and Demolition/Inert (CDI) Debris Processing Operation" means a site that receives less than 25 tons of any combination of C&D debris and Type A inert debris per operating day for the purposes of storage, handling, transfer, or processing.

(dd) "Source Separated" means materials, including commingled recyclables, that have been separated or kept separate from the solid waste stream, at the point of generation, for the purpose of additional sorting or processing those materials for recycling or reuse in order to return them to the economic mainstream in the form of raw material for new, reused, or reconstituted products which meet the quality standards necessary to be used in the marketplace.

(ee) "Storage" means the holding or stockpiling of processed or unprocessed C&D debris, C&D mulch, inert debris or recyclable materials for a temporary period, at the end of which the material either is recycled or is transferred elsewhere. Storage of C&D debris, C&D mulch, inert debris or recyclable materials for periods exceeding the limits set in this Article is deemed to be disposal and shall be regulated as set forth in the Consolidated Regulations for Treatment, Storage, Processing or Disposal of Solid Waste (commencing at CCR, Title 27, Division 1, Subdivision 1, Chapter 1, Article 1, section 20005).

(ff) "Vector" includes any insect or other arthropod, rodent, or other animal capable of transmitting the causative agents of human disease.

1. New section filed 7-10-2003; operative 8-9-2003 (Register 2003, No. 28).

Note: Authority cited: Sections 40502, 43020 and 43021, Public Resources Code. Reference: Sections 40053, 43020 and 43021, Public Resources Code.

Disclaimer: These regulations may not be the most recent version. California may have more current or accurate information. We make no warranties or guarantees about the accuracy, completeness, or adequacy of the information contained on this site or the information linked to on the state site. Please check official sources.

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.