A. The City Council is committed to protecting the public health, safety, welfare of the public, and the environment; and
B. In order to meet these goals, it is necessary that the City promote the reduction of solid waste and reduce the stream of solid waste going to landfills; and
C. Under California law, as embodied in the California Waste Management Act of 1989 (California Public Resources Code Sections 40000 et seq.), the City is required to prepare, adopt and implement source reduction and recycling plans to reach landfill diversion goals, and is required to make substantial reductions in the volume of waste materials going to landfills, or face fines up to ten thousand dollars ($10,000.00) per day; and
D. Waste from construction, demolition, and renovation of buildings represents a significant portion of the volume of waste presently coming from the City, and much of this waste is particularly suitable for recycling and reuse; and
E. The City’s commitment to the reduction of waste requires the establishment of programs for recycling and salvaging of construction and demolition (“C&D”) waste; and
F. The purpose of this Chapter is to reduce landfill waste by requiring an Applicant for every “Covered Project” to divert construction and demolition debris resulting from that project in compliance with State and local statutory goals and policies and to create a mechanism to secure compliance with the stated diversion requirements.