Basics

Alternative Daily Cover (ADC)

Introduction

Alternative daily cover (ADC) means cover material other than earthen material placed on the surface of the active face of a municipal solid waste landfill at the end of each operating day to control vectors, fires, odors, blowing litter, and scavenging. CalRecycle has eleven approved (11) ADC material types. Generally, these materials must be processed so that they do not allow gaps in the exposed landfill face. The use of ADC is not recorded as disposal. Public Resources Code (PRC) section 41781.3 establishes that ADC use is considered diversion through recycling.

• Definitions
• Board-Approved ADC Material Types
• Reporting Requirements for ADC Use
• Additional Information
• Legislation, Statutes, Regulations, and Advisories

Definitions

• “Jurisdiction” means a city, county, or a regional agency with the responsibility for meeting Integrated Waste Management Act requirements.
• “Active face" means the working surface of a landfill upon which solid wastes are deposited during the landfill operation, prior to the placement of cover material.
• “Vector” includes any insect or other arthropod, rodent, or other animal capable of transmitting the causative agents of human disease, or disrupting the normal enjoyment of life by adversely affecting the public health and well being as defined in Title 27, California Code of Regulations (27 CCR), Chapter 2, Article 2.

Board-Approved ADC Material Types

For detailed descriptions of Board approved ADC material types, see Title 27 California Code of Regulations (27 CCR), Chapter 3, Subchapter 4, Article 2, Section 20690(b). Other ADC materials may be approved by the Board on a case-by-case basis; see LEA Advisory #48. All types of ADC must be approved by the Enforcement Agency (EA) in writing prior to use. Site-specific demonstration projects are not required for the following 11 material types.

Waste-Derived Materials. Material types that are approved by the Board and can be reported as diversion:

• Ash and cement kiln dust
• Treated auto shredder waste
• Construction and demolition waste
• Compost
• Green material
• Contaminated sediment
• Sludge
• Shredded tires

Non-Waste-Derived Materials. Material types that are approved by the Board and cannot be reported as diversion:

• Foam products
• Geosynthetic fabric or panel products (blankets)
• Spray-applied cement

Reporting Requirements for ADC Use

• Permitted landfills must track daily the types, tonnages, and origin of ADC materials used.
• Permitted landfill operators report ADC information to counties and regional agencies.
• Counties and regional agencies report ADC usage, by landfill, quarterly to the Board.
• ADC tons are not counted as disposal for a jurisdiction or regional agency.
• Overuse of ADC waste-derived materials is considered disposal.

See Title 14, California Code of Regulations (14 CCR), Chapter 9, Article 9.2 for a detailed description of the Disposal Reporting System.

Additional Information

• A listing of jurisdiction disposal and ADC amounts by facility may be accessed on CalRecycle's Local Government Central Jurisdiction Disposal and ADC by Facility report.
• Policy item on ADC (MS Word, 1.3 MB) presented at March 2008 California Integrated Waste Management Board (CIWMB, now CalRecycle) meeting.
• 2009 White paper on ADC (PDF, 959 KB).

Legislation, Statutes, Regulations, and Advisories

Legislation
Chapter 978, Statutes of 1996 (Bustamante, AB 1647)

Statute
Public Resources Code (PRC) section 41781.3 et seq., ADC Use

Regulations
Title 14, California Code of Regulations (14 CCR), Chapter 9, Article 9.2, Disposal Reporting System.

Title 27 California Code of Regulations (27 CCR)

• Chapter 2, Article 2, Specific Definitions.
• Chapter 3, Subchapter 4, Article 2, ADC General Requirements and Description of ADC Material Types.

Local Enforcement Agency (LEA) Advisories

• LEA Advisory #48, Disposal Site Daily and Intermediate Cover Regulations.

• LEA Advisory #50, Waste Diversion Activities at Solid Waste Landfills and Closed and Closing Disposal Sites.

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