The California Department of Conservation today proposed new Processing Payments and Fees for 2009 that will likely result in revenue shortfalls in excess of $3 million/month starting in January.

The Department rejected a proposal by CAW and recyclers to base the 2009 payments on the most recent scrap value data.

The payments formula instead relies on the record high scrap values paid during the 12 month period ending September 30. Beginning in October, recyclers have experienced significant declines in scrap values. Those low prices are expected to continue through at least the first quarter of 2009.

The combination of processing payments and actual scrap values will fall short of recycling costs. The revenue shortfall for PET plastic could be as high as $3 million per month if average scrap values in the $130-140 range continue into the new year.

Both the urgency and opportunity for advancing our Waste Reduction and Recycling Agenda has never been greater. The threat of global climate change has placed a premium on policies with a track record of conserving energy and resources, reducing wasteful consumption, and utilizing recycled materials in manufacturing.

At the same time, our state and nation's economic climate has created an urgent need for a 'Green Jobs and Economic Development' initiative. Working with economic and environmental experts, Californians Against Waste has put forward a 10 Point Plan for Protecting our Environment while helping to Create Green Jobs.

Your generous support has enabled Californians Against Waste to lead a "recycling revolution" in California. Today, I'm asking for your continued support as we work with legislators to introduce major recycling proposals for consideration in the new State Legislature session.

We appreciate that this economy is tough-we've already experienced a 25% decline in contributions during this 4th quarter, and we've scaled back our expenses where we could. However, we must raise $35,000 in tax deductible contributions by the end of this month in order to maintain our current staffing and have the resources to put forward our legislative agenda.

What we've Accomplished:

Thanks to your help, Californians now recycles more than 15 billion beverage containers a year under the Bottle Bill that CAW guided to passage.

More than half of all single family residences in California now have convenient curbside pick-up of newspapers, bottles and cans to help them comply with the Solid Waste Recycling Act sponsored by CAW.  

California beverage container recycling rose to record levels in the fiscal year ending July 1, 2008. According to California's Department of Conservation, more than 15 billion containers were recycled.  

HDPE recycling gained the most, rising 22% over the course of the fiscal year to a rate of 79%. PET recycling rose 11 % to a rate of 57%, glass recycling rose 9% to a rate of 70%, and Aluminum recycling rose 7% to a rate of 80%. Recycling of beverage containers overall neared 70%. In total nearly one million tons of glass, plastic and aluminum are being recycled.

There are plenty of resources out there to help you live a more sustainable lifestyle. A new addition to his list is Gogreenonline, a new site that will use technology and community to shift habits towards cleaner, less wasteful behavior in everyday life. The site takes a pragmatic approach to sustainability issues and offers myriad tips like: how to start a compost heap (it's not as simple as you may think), or simple kitchen repairs to save water.