Skip to main content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Here’s how you know

Dot gov

Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.

HTTPS

Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock (LockA locked padlock) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

    • Environmental Topics
    • Air
    • Bed Bugs
    • Chemicals and Toxics
    • Climate Change
    • Emergency Response
    • Environmental Information by Location
    • Environmental Justice
    • Greener Living
    • Health
    • Land, Waste, and Cleanup
    • Lead
    • Mold
    • Pesticides
    • Radon
    • Science Topics
    • Water Topics
    • A-Z Topic Index
    • Laws & Regulations
    • By Business Sector
    • By Topic
    • Compliance
    • Enforcement
    • Guidance
    • Laws and Executive Orders
    • Regulations
    • Report a Violation
    • Environmental Violations
    • Fraud, Waste or Abuse
    • About EPA
    • Our Mission and What We Do
    • EPA Administrator
    • Headquarters Offices
    • Regional Offices
    • Labs and Research Centers
    • Planning, Budget, and Results
    • Organization Chart
    • EPA History
    • Staff Directory
Managing and Transforming Waste Streams – A Tool for Communities
Contact Us

Contracting Best Practices: Equal Services for Multi-Family Customers

  • Contracting Best Practices
  • Procurement Best Practices

Many communities do not adequately support waste reduction, recycling and composting for multi-family residences such as apartments, condominiums, and group homes. Contracts can require service providers to provide multi-family customers reuse, recycling and composting services at least equal to the services provided to single-family residents. Alternatively, a minimum volume per dwelling unit can be prescribed for each service to ensure adequate capacity in shared service environments.

Advantages

  • Increased diversion and equity: Providing equal services ensures a minimum level of recycling services are provided for both multi-family and single-family residents.
  • Consistent education and outreach: Providing the same services to single family and multi-family customers supports simple community-wide outreach.

Disadvantages

  • Collection system barriers: In many communities multi-family buildings are considered commercial accounts. Multi-family residents with over four units are often serviced by different collection vehicles that service businesses.
  • Low Diversion: Most multi-family recycling and composting programs have lower diversion rates and higher contamination rates than single-family programs.

  • Managing Waste Streams
  • About the Tool
    • How to Use the Tool
    • Terms & Definitions
    • Filter Descriptions and Qualitative Rankings
    • Map of Featured Cities and Counties
  • The Planning Tool
  • Featured Examples and Resources
    • Browse by Topic
    • Examples and Resources (#1-50)
    • Examples and Resources (#51-100)
  • Contract Language
    • Zero Waste Case Studies
    • Full Contracts and Agreements
    • Contracting Best Practices
      • Align Costs to Rates
      • Commercial Bins
      • Direct Materials to Markets
      • Disposal Payments
      • Education and Outreach
      • Incentives and Penalties
      • Increase Diversion
      • Innovations Clause
      • Market Organic Materials
      • Multi-Family Customers
      • Purchasing Preferences
      • Separate Compensation from Rates
      • Source Separation
    • Procurement Process Best Practices
    • Local Government Clauses
Contact Us to ask a question, provide feedback, or report a problem.
Last updated on May 11, 2023
United States Environmental Protection Agency

Discover.

  • Accessibility Statement
  • Budget & Performance
  • Contracting
  • EPA www Web Snapshot
  • Grants
  • No FEAR Act Data
  • Plain Writing
  • Privacy
  • Privacy and Security Notice

Connect.

  • Data.gov
  • Inspector General
  • Jobs
  • Newsroom
  • Open Government
  • Regulations.gov
  • Subscribe
  • USA.gov
  • White House

Ask.

  • Contact EPA
  • EPA Disclaimers
  • Hotlines
  • FOIA Requests
  • Frequent Questions

Follow.