Minerva Definitions

Account Address: The service address provided for the account or customer in the service records imported, or the address provided when a manual account was created.

Account Name: The account or customer name provided in the service records imported, or the name provided when a manual account was created.

Account Number: The account or customer number provided in the service records imported.

Account Type: The account or customer type provided in the service records imported, or the type provided when a manual account was created. If the Account Type does not align with SLCP regulations, Minerva’s Generator Type can be edited to correct the discrepancy.

Activity: An SLCP waiver, MCR/MORe compliance item, communication, or note documented in Minerva.

Collection Systems:

3 Container Collection System: A Green, a Blue, and a Gray container as defined in §18984.1 of the SLCP regulations.

2 Container Collection System: A Green or Blue container and a Gray container as defined in §18984.2 of the SLCP regulations, with the Gray container taken to a High Diversion Organic Waste Processing Facility (§18982(a)(33)).

1 Container Collection System: A single unsegregated waste container taken to a High Diversion Organic Waste Processing Facility (§18982(a)(33)) as defined in §18984.3 of the SLCP regulations.

3+ Container Collection System: Green, Blue, and Gray containers, plus one or more additional containers for additionally source separated organic waste, for example a Brown container for food waste as defined in §18984.1(a)(6) of the SLCP regulations.

Other Collection System: Any container or combination of containers that does not comply with SLCP regulations.

Commercial Business: A firm, partnership, proprietorship, joint-stock company, corporation, or association, whether for-profit or nonprofit, strip mall, industrial facility, or a multifamily residential dwelling. A multifamily residential dwelling that consists of fewer than five units is not a Commercial Business. 

Compliance Matrix: Minerva’s SLCP, MORe, and MCR compliance dashboard for a Generator.

Containers:

Green: §18984.1(a)(1) “The green container shall be provided for the collection of organic waste.” A Green container is required and is to be used to divert from the landfill all generated Organic Waste that is not diverted via the Blue container.

Blue: §18984.1(a)(2) “The blue container shall be provided for the collection of non-organic recyclables only but may include the following types of organic wastes: paper products, printing and writing paper, wood and dry lumber and textiles.” A Blue container is required and is to be used to divert Non-organic Recyclables from the landfill. A Blue container may also be used to divert some Organic Waste Material Types from the landfill.

Gray: §18984.1(a)(3) “The gray container shall be for the collection of non-organic waste only.” In a 3 Container Collection System, the Gray container is required and is to be used for Non-organic Waste only.

Brown: §18984.1(a)(6)(A) “A brown container is limited to the collection of food waste.” In a 3+ Container Collection System, a Brown container may be provided in addition to the Green, Blue, and Gray containers and is to be used to additionally source separate Food Waste and divert it from the landfill. 

De Minimis Waiver: An Organic Waste waiver issued by the jurisdiction waiving a Commercial Business’s requirement to subscribe to a Green container because that Commercial Business disposes of less than the de minimis amount of Organic Waste in its Gray container.

A Commercial Business that generates 2 or more cubic yards of Total Solid Waste per week and disposes of less than 20 gallons of Organic Waste in its Gray container per week may be waived from its requirement to subscribe to a Green container.

A Commercial Business that generates less than 2 cubic yards of Total Solid Waste per week and disposes of less than 10 gallons of Organic Waste in its Gray container per week may be waived from its requirement to subscribe to a Green container. 

EAR: CalRecycle’s Electronic Annual Report.

Exemption: MORe (AB 1826) and MCR (AB 341) specific exemptions pertaining to the recycling of organics or recyclables respectively.

Food Waste: Food, including food-soiled paper, bones, eggshells, teabags, coffee grounds, napkins, and paper plates.

Generator: A location with one or more active Minerva Accounts.

Generator Address: The address of the location where one or more Minerva Accounts are located. For imported accounts, the Generator Address is initially inherited from the Account Address; however, the Generator Address can be edited in Minerva if the Account Address imported is inaccurate. Minerva will retain the edited Generator Address, and future imports will not change the Generator Address or the Minerva Accounts linked to the Generator.

Generator ID: The unique ID for a Generator.

Generator Type: The type of Generator for SLCP reporting. Commercial and Commercial Multifamily Generator Types equate to SLCP commercial generators. Residential and Residential Multifamily Generator Types equate to SLCP residential generators. For imported accounts, the Generator Type is initially inherited from the Account Type; however, the Generator Type can be edited in Minerva if the Account Type does not align with SLCP regulations. Future imports will not change the Generator Type.

Commercial: A Commercial Business as defined in §18982(a)(6) of the SLCP regulations. Commercial Generators are included in commercial compliance reporting.

Commercial Multifamily: A commercial multifamily residential dwelling with 5 or more units, as defined in §18982(a)(6) of the SLCP regulations. Commercial Multifamily Generators are included in commercial compliance reporting.

Residential: A single-family residential dwelling. Residential Generators are included in residential compliance reporting.

Residential Multifamily: A multifamily residential dwelling with 4 or fewer units. Residential Multifamily Generators are included in residential compliance reporting.

Non-local Entity: An entity not subject to the control of the jurisdiction, as defined in §18982(a)(42) of the SLCP regulations. A Non-local Entity Generator is not included in SLCP compliance reporting.

Other: Any other Generator. Other Generators are not included in SLCP compliance reporting.

High Diversion Organic Waste Processing Facility: “A facility that is in compliance with the reporting requirements of Section 18815.5(d) and meets or exceeds an annual average mixed waste organic content recovery rate of 50 percent between January 1, 2022 and December 31, 2024, and 75 percent after January 1, 2025, as calculated pursuant to Section 18815.5(e) for organic waste received from the “Mixed waste organic collection stream” as defined in Section 17402(a)(11.5).”

Material Types: 

Non-organic Waste: Non-recyclable material to be disposed of in the landfill. 

Non-organic Recyclables: Recyclable non-organic material including glass, plastic, aluminum, and other metals to be diverted from the landfill.

Landscape and Pruning Waste: Recyclable organic material including leaves, plants, and their trimmings to be diverted from the landfill.

Green Material: Recyclable organic material including material generated from turf areas such as grass clippings to be diverted from the landfill.

Food and Food-soiled Paper: Recyclable organic material including bones, eggshells, teabags, coffee grounds, napkins, and paper plates to be diverted from the landfill.

Lumber: Recyclable organic material including dimensional, untreated, dried wood to be diverted from the landfill.

Wood: Recyclable organic material including tree branches, limbs, and trunks to be diverted from the landfill.

Organic Textiles and Carpets: Recyclable organic material including cotton, jute, linen, silk, and wool to be diverted from the landfill.

Manure: Recyclable organic material including dung, urine, and litter from horses, cows, pigs, and chickens to be diverted from the landfill.

Paper Products: Recyclable organic material including wood pulp products such as cardboard to be diverted from the landfill.

Printing and Writing Paper: Recyclable organic material including newsprint, tissue, and paper towels to be diverted from the landfill.

MCR (AB 341): Mandatory Commercial Recycling. Assembly Bill 341 is a California statewide mandate signed into law in 2011. The bill requires Commercial Businesses and commercial multifamily premises that generate 4 or more cubic yards of Total Solid Waste per week to recycle.

Minerva ID: The unique ID for a Minerva Account. For imported accounts it is unique to the combination of the jurisdiction, hauler, Account Number, and Account Address.

MORe (AB 1826): Mandatory Commercial Organics Recycling. Assembly Bill 1826 is a California statewide mandate signed into law in 2014. The bill requires Commercial Businesses and commercial multifamily premises that generate 2 or more cubic yards of Total Solid Waste per week to recycle organics.

Nickname: A manually added name given to a Generator in Minerva, commonly used when the Account Name imported is insufficient for the jurisdiction’s needs. 

Organic Waste: Solid wastes containing material originated from living organisms and their metabolic waste products, including, but not limited to, food, green material, landscape and pruning waste, organic textiles and carpets, lumber, wood, paper products, printing and writing paper, manure, biosolids, digestate, and sludges.

Origin: Identifies the source of a Minerva Account as either imported or manual.

Physical Space Waiver: An Organic Waste waiver issued by the jurisdiction waiving a Commercial Business’s requirement to subscribe to a Green container because that Commercial Business does not have the space for a Green container.

SLCP (SB 1383): Short-Lived Climate Pollutants. Senate Bill 1383 is a California statewide mandate signed into law in 2016. The bill mandates a much broader set of requirements than MORe or MCR, aimed at reducing the amount of organic waste disposed of in landfills.

Total Solid Waste: The total amount of Organic Waste, Non-organic Recyclables, and Non-organic Waste that may be disposed of, based on container size and service frequency.

Waiver: SLCP-specific waivers pertaining to the recycling of Organic Waste only.

Jurisdiction Waivers: De Minimis or Physical Space Waivers granted by a jurisdiction to a single Commercial Business, which waive that Commercial Business’s requirement to subscribe to a Green container. 

Department Waivers: Low Population or Elevation Waivers granted by CalRecycle to a jurisdiction, applicable to all generators in a census tract, which waive some or all SLCP requirements for all generators in the census tract.