AB 1998 (Brownley) - Plastic Bag Ban
Summary. AB 1998 reduces plastic litter pollution and increases reusable bag use by banning plastic bags at grocery stores, pharmacies, convenience stores and similar stores.

Position and Status. Press Release: AB 1998 Fails Passage.  CAW Supports. The bill failed to pass off the Senate Floor, recieving a 14-21 vote Aug 31.  Previously, the bill was voted out of Senate Appropriations Committee with a 7-3 vote Aug 31, passed out of Senate Environmental Quality Committee on June 28 with a 5-2 vote, passed off the Assembly Floor on Jun 2 with a 42-27 vote, passed out of Assembly Appropriations Committee on May 28 with a 11-5 vote, passed out of assembly Natural Resources Committee on April 12 and was introduced Feb 18.

AB 737 (Chesbro) - Solid Waste Diversion
Summary. AB 737 would expand recycling to every multi-family dwelling and commercial business in California and direct the state come up with a plan to reach a 75% diversion rate.

Position and Status. CAW Supports. This bill passed the legislature and is now headed to the Governor. It previously passed the policy and fiscal committees in the Assembly and Senate.

SB 1052 (Oropeza) E-waste Reporting Requirement

Summary. Requires state agencies to adopt an electronic waste management plan and submit that plan to DTSC for approval.

Position and Status. CAW Supports. SB 1052 passed Senate Environmental Quality Committee but was held in Senate Appropriations.

SB 1454 (DeSaulnier) - Truthful Environmental Advertising in Plastics

Summary. SB 1454 expands the scope of current plastic end-of-life claim labeling requirements from bags and food packaging to all plastic products.  SB 1454 prevents consumer deception by tying end-of-life claims to pass/fail technical standards (called “ASTM standard specifications”) and explicitly prohibits inherently misleading and dishonest claims, like “biodegradable”.  Due to the exceptional harm caused by plastics litter, and the increase in littering associated with labeling a product as "biodegradable", end-of-life labeling of plastics warrants special attention.  "Biodegradable" is an inherently deceptive claim for plastic products as "biodegradable" denotes that a product will completely break down in a short time period.  Plastic products do not meet that threshold.  SB 1454 restricts the labeling of plastics as "biodegradable", regardless of plastic type, and allows only verifiable claims that do not deceive consumers.

Position and Status. CAW Supports. SB 1454 is awaiting action by Governor Schwarzenegger.  Previsouly, the bill passed off the Senate Floor Aug 25, passed off the Assembly floor Aug 23 with a 42-28 vote, passed out of Assembly Appropriations Committee on Aug 4 with an 11-5 vote, passed out of Judiciary Committee June 23 with a 7-3 vote, passed out of Assembly Natural Resources June 21 with a 6-0 vote, passed off the Senate Floor June 2 with a 26-8 vote, passed out of Sen APPR May 10 with a 7-1 vote, passed out of Sen EQ Apr 19 with a unanimous vote and was introduced Mar 25.

AB 2718 (Adams) Reducing Opportunities to Recycle
Summary. AB 2718 (Adams) would reduce opportunities to recycle by exempting supermarkets from current requirements to redeem beverage containers in-store if the supermarket is unserved by a recycling center.

Position and Status. CAW opposes. AB 2718 passed the house of origin and is now in the Senate. AB 2718 was introduced Feb 19.

AB 7 (Evans) - Bottle Bill Budget Fix

Governor Schwarzenegger Signs AB 7!

Summary. AB 7 will immediately restore roughly $15 million per month in core recyling funding under California's successful Bottle Bill. Funding was cut last July forcing the closure of hundreds of centers and the loss of several hundred 'green jobs'.  AB 7 will immediately restore funding and prevent millions in further cuts to recyclers, local governments, conservation corps and other core components of California's successful Bottle Bill.

Position and Status. CAW Supports.  Signed on March 8, AB 7 is an urgency measure and will take effect immediately. AB 7 was in the eighth extraordinary session of the legislature (AB"X8" 7).  Previously, AB 7 passed off the Assembly Floor Feb 25 with a 63-0 vote, passed out of Assembly Budget Committee on Feb 24 with a 24-0 vote, failed an Assembly floor vote February 22 48-1, passed off the Senate Floor February 18 with a 30-6 vote and was introduced February 12.

AB 2137 (Chesbro) Compost Labeling

Summary. AB 2137 would allow composters to continue the longstanding practice of providing certified lab analyses showing the nutrient contents of their product to their customers, pending the completion of CDFA’s evaluation of the proper regulatory standards for this material. 

Position and Status. CAW Supports. AB 2137 has passed the Assembly side and now will be heard in Senate Food and Agriculture Committee.

AB 1343 (Huffman) - Paint Recovery Act

Summary. This measure will require paint manufacturers to develop and implement a program to collect, transport, and process postconsumer paint to reduce the costs and environmental impacts of the disposal of postconsumer paint in this state.

Position and Status. CAW supports. This bill passed the legislature and is now headed to the Governor. It previously passed the policy and fiscal committees in the Assembly and Senate. This was a 2-year bill.

Take ACTION! Send a support letter for AB 1343

AB 2398 (John Perez) - Carpet Product Stewardship

Summary: Requires producers of carpet to participate in a product stewardship program, under a plan approved by CalRecycle. This bill now has the support of the recyclers, carpet manufacturers, local governments, and environmental groups.

Position and Status. CAW supports. This bill passed the legislature and is now headed to the Governor. It previously passed the policy and fiscal committees in the Assembly and Senate.   

Take ACTION! Send a support letter for AB 2398

AB 2139 (Chesbro) Product Stewardship Framework

Summary: Requires producers of covered products to participate in a product stewardship program, under a plan approved by CalRecycle. The Department will recommend a consumer product be included as a covered product, if the product has one or more of the following impacts:  1) it poses a significant threat to public health and safety when disposed; or 2) poses a threat of increased greenhouse gas emissions;  and or 3) imposes significant end-of-life management costs on state or local government.

Position and Status. CAW Supports. AB 2139 died on the Assembly floor 30-31 vote. Previously, it passed Assembly Environmental Safety & Toxic Materials Com 4/13 and Natural Resources Committee on 4/19. AB 2139 passed out of Asm Appropriations.

AB 2176 (Blumenfield) California Lighting Toxics Reduction and Recycling Bill

Summary. Product stewardship for mercury containing lamps and fee on lamps that don’t contain mercury, and are deemed less efficient.

Position and Status. CAW Supports. AB 2176 passed Assembly Environmental Safety & Toxic Materials Committee but was held in Assembly Appropriations Committee.   

Take ACTION! Send a support letter for AB 2176

SB 1100 (Corbett) Household Battery Recycling Bill

Summary. Product stewardship for household batteries

Position and Status. CAW Supports. SB 1100 was heard in the Asm Approps Committee and placed on suspense. Previously, it passed Senate Environmental Quality Committee, and Senate Appropriations. It passed Senate Floor 23-10.

Take ACTION! Send a support letter for SB 1100     

AB 2138 (Chesbro) Plastic Ocean Pollution Reduction, Recycling and Composting Act

Summary. Requires food providers to use only recyclable or compostable takeoutfood packaging and bags.

Position and Status. CAW Supports.  AB 2138 was held in Assembly Appropriations committee.  Previously, the bill passed Assembly Natural Resources Committee April 12 and was introduced February 18.

Description.

Single-use packaging is a primary source of urban litter and oceanic litter pollution, according to storm drain and beach cleanup studies.  Polystyrene, plastic bags and other non-recyclable packaging have a high propensity to be littered because they are light and aerodynamic and are consumed away from home.  Up to 80% of ocean pollution is litter from urban runoff, and non-recyclable single-use food packaging is a primary component of urban litter.  Single-use food packaging litter kills wildlife such as birds and endangered sea turtles that become entangled or mistake it for food.  More than 1 million sea birds, 100,000 marine mammals, and countless fish die from ingesting or becoming entangled in marine debris. The volume of nonrecycled single-use food packaging distributed annually in California is staggering: the fast food sector alone generates 4 million tons of waste annually in California and retailers are currently distributing almost 14 billion plastic bags annually.

SB 920 (Yee) - Phone Book Opt-Out

Summary. SB 920 will help reduce waste and consumer utility costs while conserving resources and protecting the environment by making it easier for consumers to opt-out of receiving unwanted directories.

Position and Status. CAW Supports. SB 920 died on the senate floor, with a 12-18 vote. It previously passed Senate Energy, Utilities and Communications Committee 4/20/10 and passed Senate Appropriations with 6-4 vote. Take ACTION! Send a support letter for SB 920

SB 402 (Wolk) Strengthening California's Bottle Bill
Update: SB 402 was vetoed by Governor Schwarzenegger on Oct 11. Read veto message and CAW response.

Summary. Balances the Bottle Bill Fund by ending program exemptions and decreasing the 10 cent CRV threshold to 20 ounces from 24 ounces, ending the exemption given to non-bottle-and-can beverage containers, and other measures.

Position and Status. CAW Supports.  SB 402 was vetoed by Governor Schwarzenegger on Oct 11.  Read veto message and CAW response. Previously, SB 402 received a 58-16 vote in the Assembly and a 22-14 vote in the Senate and a 8-0 vote in Assembly Natural Resources on Sep 11.

SB 546 (Lowenthal) - Used Motor Oil Recycling Act

UPDATE: SB 546 was signed by the Governor on October 11.

Summary. SB 546 increase the recycling incentive and also set a rerefining incentive for used motor oil. This bill will also streamline the process for recycling grants, and generally, bring program revenues and expenditures back into balance.

Position and Status. CAW Supports. SB 546 was signed by Governor Schwarzenegger on Oct 11.

AB 473 (Blumenfield) - Multifamily Recycling
Update: AB 473 was vetoed by Governor Schwarzenegger on Oct 11. Veto Message.

Summary. Provides a residential recycling opportunity for more than 7.1 million Californians residing in more than 2.4 million multifamily dwelling units.

Position and Status. CAW Supports. AB 473 was vetoed by Governor Schwarzenegger on Oct. 11.  AB 473 previously has passed both houses of the legislature, as well as the Assembly and Senate Policy and Fiscal Committees.

AB 222 (Adams) Bio-Refineries / Conversion Technologies
Summary. AB 222 (Adams) was amended on July 15th to no longer give diversion and RPS credit to waste-to-energy. technologies. Previous version of the bill would have allowed controversial and environmentally-unproven waste-to-energy technologies to count as “recycling” under the state’s landmark recycling law (even though they destroy resources) and to count as “renewable” under the state’s renewable energy law (even though they generate electricity from fossil sources and recyclable materials). The bill would have also eliminate existing environmental protections in statute that prohibit a solid waste conversion facility from emitting air and water pollution.

Position and Status. CAW is neutral on the bill as amended on 7/15/10, but had been storngly opposed to previous versions of the bill. AB 222 passed the Senate Environmental Quality Committee and now awaits a hearing on the Senate floor. It previously passed the Senate Energy, Utilities and Communications Committee, as well as the Assembly Policy and Fiscal Committees.

AB 1173 (Huffman) - Fluorescent Lamp Toxics Reduction and Recycling Act
Update: AB 1173 was vetoed by Governor Schwarzenegger on Oct 11. Read veto message.

Summary. Creates a free and convenient program for consumers to properly dispose of residential fluorescent lights (RFL).

Position and Status. CAW sponsors. AB 1173 was vetoed by Governor Schwarzenegger on Oct 11. Read veto message. passed through the Assembly and Senate. Now, to the Governor's Desk.

SB 723 (DeSaulnier) - E-waste Payment Adjustment
Summary. SB 723 would authorize the CIWMB to adjust E-waste Collector and Recycler payments annually, rather than every two years.

Position and Status. CAW Supports.  SB 723 is a 2-year bill and will not be eligible for a hearing until next year.

AB 903 (Chesbro) - Compostable Bags

Summary. AB 903 requires that compostable bags carry a unique label that will readily distinguish them from non-compostable bags.

Position and Status. CAW Supports.  AB 903 will be heard in Sen APPR Aug 27.

SB 803 (DeSaulnier) - Plastic Packaging
Summary. Directs CIWMB to reduce the volume of Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) packaging 50% beginning 2011.

Position and Status. CAW Supports.

AB 1329 (Brownley & Chesbro) - Delay of CIWMB Abolition
Summary. AB 1329 (Brownley and Chesbro) would delay the abolition of the California Integrated Waste Management Board for 1 year to allow more time to plan the details of this transition.

Position and Status. CAW Supports.

SB 531 (DeSaulnier) - Carryout Bags

Summary. SB 531 adds details to pre-existing plastic bag manufacturer obligations regarding recycling education.

Position and Status. SB 531 will next be heard in Asm NR. Previously, the bill passed out of Sen APPR May 18 with a 8-3 vote and out of Sen EQ April 27 with a 5-2 vote.

AB 1141 (Calderon) - Carryout Bags
Summary. AB 1141 would have required manufacturers of plastic bags to pay a $0.001 per-bag fee, but would have denied the proceeds of this fee to cities that have banned any single-use bag and also would have required cities that have banned single-use bags to provide alternative single-use bags at no cost.

Position and Status. CAW opposed.  AB 1141 was held in Asm NR April 20.

SB 55 (Corbett) - Container Recycling
Summary. Addresses Bottle Bill funding.

Position and Status. CAW Supports. Portions of SB 55 were amended into SB 402.  The bill passed out of Asm NR Jul 6 with a 9-0 vote, off the Senate Floor May 28 with a 29-4 vote and out of Sen EQ April 20 with a 5-2 vote.

SB 25 (Padilla) - Solid Waste Diversion
Summary. Requires the California Integrated Waste Management Board to adopt policies, programs, and incentives to increase statewide waste diversion to 75%.

Position and Status. CAW supports. SB 25 is a 2-year bill and will not be eligible for a hearing until next year. It passed the Senate floor, but was not heard in the Assembly Natural Resources Committee before the legislative deadline. Previously, the bill passed the Senate Appropriations Committee and the Senate Environmental Quality Committee.

AB 1358 (Hill) Polystyrene Food Packaging Ban
Summary. Bans the use of expanded polystyrene food packaging.

Position and Status. CAW Supports. AB 1358 is a two-year bill and will be inactive until next year.  Previously, the bill passed out of Asm APPR May 28 with a 9-5 vote and out of Asm NR April 27 with a 6-3 vote.

AB 68 (Brownley) - Offsetting the Costs of Single-Use Bag Litter
Summary. Requires that consumers pay a $0.25 fee for single-use bags distributed at large grocery stores, pharmacies and convenience stores.

Position and Status. CAW Supports. AB 68 was converted into a two-year bill in Asm APPR, delaying action on the bill to 2010. Previously, the bill passed out of Asm NR April 13 with a 6-3 vote.

AB 87 (Davis) - Offsetting the Costs of Single-Use Bag Litter
Summary. Requires that consumers pay a $0.25 fee for single-use bags distributed at large grocery stores, pharmacies and convenience stores.

Position and Status. CAW Supports. AB 87 was converted into a two-year bill in Asm APPR, delaying action on the bill to 2010. Previously, the bill passed out of Asm NR April 13 with a 6-3 vote.

AB 925 (Saldaña) - Bottle Caps
Summary. Requires bottle caps be attached to the container and be recyclable.

Position and Status. Support. AB 925 will be heard on the Senate Floor.  Previously, the bill passed out of Sen EQ July 6 with a 4-2 vote, off the Assembly Floor May 4 with a 42-34 vote, and passed out of Asm NR April 20 with a 6-3 vote.

AB 283 (Chesbro) - Extended Producer Responsibility
Summary. Would implement an Extended Producer Responsibility program in California that would require manufacturers increase the recyclability, and recycling, of their products, as well as reduce toxicity.

Position and Status. CAW Supports. AB 283 was held under submission in ASM Appropriations.

SB 44 (Denham) Abolish the California Integrated Waste Management Board
Summary. SB 44 would abolish the California Integrated Waste Management Board.

Position and Status. CAW opposes.

SB 22 (Simitian) - Recommend Procedures for Review and ID of Toxics in Chemicals

Summary. Would authorize the Department of Toxic Substances Control to recommend procedures for expediting the review and identification of hazard traits, including pending and proposed actions by other states, the federal government, and other nations to limit hazardous materials in products.

Position and Status.

AB 147 (Saldaña) - Consumer Electronics Toxics Reporting Requirement

Summary. Authorizes DTSC to request documentation from electronics manufacturers about the amount of hazardous materials contained in the consumer electronics they offer for sale in the State.

Position and Status. CAW Sponsored. AB 147 has passed both houses of the legislature but was vetoed by the Governor. Read the VETO message.