AB 1972 (Desaulnier) Truthful Environmental Advertising for Plastics
Summary. Ensures accurate environmental advertising of plastics by allowing only the use of terms that can be verified by an American Society for Testing Materials (ASTM) standard specification.

SB 1625 (Corbett) Updating California's Bottle and Can Recycling Law
Summary. SB 1625 aims to update California's Bottle and Can Recycling Law by, among other measures, expanding the program to include all plastic bottles.

AB 2071 (Karnette) Plastic Labelling Enforcement
Summary. Will give enforcement power to local governments to ensure accurate labelling of the compostablility of plastic products.

Position and Status. CAW Supports. AB 2071 will be heard in Sen. Judiciary committee June 24. Previously, AB 2071 was voted off the Assembly Floor May 19 with a 73-1 vote, passed out of Asm. Judiciary with a unanimous vote April 15 and passed out of Asm. Natural Resources with a unanimous vote April 7.

AB 2505 (Brownley) PVC Packaging Phase Out
Summary. The bill will prevent human and environmental exposure to toxins, as well as encourage the recycling of consumer packaging, by phasing out the use of toxic, nonrecyclable PVC packaging.

Position and Status. CAW Supports. AB 2505 is now in the Senate Appropriations committee in the suspense file, which will be opened in early August. Previously the bill passed out of Sen. E.Q. committee June 23 with a 5-2 vote, passed off the Assembly floor May 28 with a 42-33 vote, passed out of Assembly Appropriations committee May 22 with a 12-5 vote, and passed out of the Asm. Environmental Safety & Toxic Materials committee on April 15 with a 5-2 vote.

AB 2640 (Huffman) Compostable Organics Management
Summary. This bill is intended to promote the highest and best use of organic materials in California.

AB 2347 (Ruskin) Mercury Thermostats Collection
Summary. Would allow Californians to return their waste thermostats to any location that sells new thermostats. Companies that make new thermostats for sale in the state would pick up most of the costs for the recycling program.

Position and Status. CAW Supports. AB 2347 passed the full Assembly April 21 with a 47-28 vote and will next be heard in the Senate Environmental Quality Committee. Previously, the measure passed out of the Asm. Appropriations Committee with a vote of 12-5 and the Asm. Environmental Safety and Toxic Materials Committee April 1 with a 5-0 vote.

AB 2058 (Levine) Plastic Bag Reduction Benchmarks
Summary. Requires large groceries and pharmacies that distribute free plastic bags to meet phased plastic bag diversion and reduction benchmarks.

AB 218 (Saldaña) Toxic Electronics Phase Out
Summary. Phases out the use of specified hazardous materials in consumer electronics, consistent with the European Union's ROHs Directive.

AB 822 (Levine) Bringing the Opportunity to Recycle to Every Californian
Summary. Provides a residential recycling opportunity for more than 7.1 million Californians residing in more than 2.4 million multifamily dwelling units.

2007 Legislative Wrap-Up
The first year of the 2007-08 legislative session wrapped up in the early morning hours of September 12, and we can be very proud of the progress we have made in advancing waste reduction and recycling policy. Several priority bills made it out of both houses of the legislature and are now pending before Governor Schwarzenegger. Over the next 30 days our priority will be organizing support for all of the waste prevention and recycling legislation awaiting a Governor's signature, but we'll need your help.

AB 48 (Saldaña) Toxic Electronics Phase Out
AB 48 was vetoed by the Governor in October 2007. In 2008, language for this bill has been inserted to AB 218.

Summary. Phases out the use of specified hazardous materials in consumer electronics, consistent with European Union ROHs Directive.

AB 258 (Krekorian) Plastic Pellet Control
Summary. Sets up a task force to monitor and regulate the release of preproducution plastic pellets released into the marine environment.

Position and Status. CAW Supports. AB 258 was signed into law by Gov. Schwarzenegger on Oct. 14, 2007.

AB 484 (Nava) Recycled Aggregate Base
Summary. AB 484 prohibits the contractors of the Department of Transportation (Caltrans) from disposing concrete in landfills without submitting a report to state that explains why this material was disposed.

Position and Status. CAW Supports. AB 484 was vetoed by the Governor in October 2007 (read veto message). The bill passed the Senate with a 23-12 vote and the Assembly with a 46-28 vote.

AB 546 (Brownley) E-Waste Information
Summary. AB 546 requires retailers and manufacturers to provide information about where to properly dipose of covered electronic devices (CEDs) to customers at point of purchase. Information must include a link to the CIWMB website.

Position and Status. CAW Supports. AB 546 was vetoed by the Governor on Oct 14, 2007. Read veto message. Previously, the bill passed the full Senate September 4 on a 22-17 vote. and passed out of the full Assembly on May 31 on a 42-22 vote.

AB 548 (Levine) Bringing the Opportunity to Recycle to Every Californian
AB 548 was vetoed by Gov. Schwarzenegger in Oct. 2007. The language for this bill has been inserted into AB 822 for 2008.

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

AB 656 (Plescia) Alkaline Batteries
Summary. AB 656 requires a report to the Legislature regarding any environmental impacts caused by disposal of used alkaline batteries.

Position and Status.CAW opposes unless amended. AB 656 was never heard in policy committee (dead).  It was introduced February 21.

AB 712 (de León) $0.50 Tipping Fee Increase
Summary. AB 712 would have added a temporary surcharge of $0.50 per ton to landfill tipping fees to provide a much needed mechanism to prevent and control air pollution emissions from off-road vehicles used in the solid waste and recycling industries.

Position and Status. CAW Supports. AB 712 was held in the Senate Appropriations Committee in late August 2007.

AB 722 (Levine) Incandescent Light Bulb Ban
Summary. This measure would set energy efficiency standards by specified dates for general service incandescent lamps.

Position and Status. CAW Supports. AB 722 was moved to the inactive file on June 7. The bill previously passed out of the Assembly Appropriations Committee on a 11-5 vote.

AB 729 (Mullin) E-waste Recycling
Summary. Requires the CIWMB to adopt regulations for the proper and legal donation of covered electronic devices intended for reuse by a nonprofit organization.

Position and Status. CAW Supports. AB 729 was never heard in policy committee (dead). It was introduced February 22, 2007. 

AB 820 (Karnette) Polystyrene in State Facilities
Summary. Would have prohibited the use of foamed polystyrene food containers in state facilities.

Position and Status. CAW Supported. AB 820 was held in the Asm. Appropriations Committee in April 2007 after passing out of the Asm. Nat. Resources with a 5-3 vote.

AB 904 (Feuer) Plastic and Marine Debris Reduction
Summary. AB 904 aims to reduce a primary source of permanent litter and marine debris and increase the diversion of single-use takeout food packaging by requiring that takeout food packaging from fast-food restaurants be made only from recyclable or compostable materials.

AB 1109 (Huffman) Lighting Efficiency & Toxics Reduction Act
AB 1109 was signed by Governor Schwarzenegger in October 2007!

Summary. This bill, the most comprehensive of its kind in the nation, would require reductions in energy usage for lighting, encourage the use of more efficient lighting technologies, reduce hazardous waste in lighting and increase recycling opportunities.

AB 1150 (Lieu) Redefining Conversion Technology
Summary. AB 1150 bill would redefine "transformation" as the incineration of solid waste, or the processing of solid waste through a noncumbustion thermal, chemical, or biological process, as it pertains to source reduction and recycling in the California Integrated Waste Mamangement Act.

Position and Status. CAW opposed unless amended. SB 1150 is inactive as it was never heard in policy committee.

AB 1193 (Ruskin) Mercury-added Thermostats Collection
Summary. Requires manufacturers to create a collection and recycling program for out-of-service mercury-added thermostats.

Position and Status. CAW Supports. AB 1193 was held in the Appropriations Committee in May 2007, after passing out of the Asm. Committee on Environmental Safety & Toxic Materials on April 17 with a 5-2 vote.  In 2008, the bill was re-introduced as AB 2347.

AB 1195 (Torrico) Motor Oil Recycling
Summary. AB 1195 would restrict incentive payments to oil that is transported to a certified used oil recycling facility. This bill also sets the used oil incentive payments to a tiered system of no less than 4.5 cents per quart.

Position and Status. CAW Supports. AB 1195 has been amended and will next be heard in the Sen. Appropriations Committee. Previously, the bill passed out of the Senate Environmental Quality Committee July 10 with a 5-2 vote.

AB 1207 (Smyth) Biosolids
Summary. Requires CIWMB to develop biosolid regulations and voids any ordinance that prohibits any activity allowed by regulations.

Position and Status. CAW opposed unless amended. AB 1207 was never heard in policy committee.  Previously, AB 1207 was introduced February 23, 2007.

AB 1237 (Hancock) Solid Waste Facilities
Summary. AB 1237 ammends current law by reversing the effect of "no action" by board on Solid Waste Facility permits and increases time to act from 60 to 90 days and requires CIWMB and Local Enforcement Agencies to conduct unannounced inspections.

Position and Status. CAW Supports. AB 1237 was never heard in policy committee (dead).

AB 1447 (Calderon) Appliance Recycling
Summary. Allows appliance service techs to remove refrigerants from major appliances; develops new requirements for non-certified appliance recyclers to transport, deliver or sell a discarded major appliance.

Position and Status. CAW is watching this bill. AB 1447 was signed into law by the Governor on Oct. 14, 2007.

AB 1473 (Feuer) Recycling Centers
Summary. Authorizes a solid waste local enforcement agency (LEA) to stay the issuance of a cease and desist order if a source-separated facility meets specified requirements.

Position and Status. Governor Schwarzenegger signed AB 1473 Oct. 12, 2007. View the release>> 

AB 1535 (Huffman) E-Waste Recycling Act Expansion
Summary. Expands the 2003 SB 20 E-waste Recycling ARF law to include Personal Computers.

AB 1610 (Núñez) Increase Waste Fee
Summary. AB 1610 has been amended and no longer deals with waste issues. It would have increased the tipping fee for waste from $1.40 to $2.00.

Position and Status. CAW does not have a position on this bill.

SB 529 (Migden) Formerly Plastic Container Recycling and Market Development
Summary. SB 529 has been amended and no longer deals with recycling. SB 529 originally proposed to update the state's existing Rigid Plastic Packaging Container (RPPC) recycling law in order to increase the utilization of California generated post consumer recycled plastic by creating an incentive and credit trading system.

Position and Status.CAW has no position on the current language of this bill.

SB 735 (Wiggins) Recycled Aggregate Base
Summary. SB 735 would require the CA Department of Transportation to track the use of recycled materials in its projects. This bill would also require that this information be reported annually, beginning in 2009.

Position and Status. CAW Supports. SB 735 was vetoed by the Governor (read the veto message). The bill passed the Senate with a 24-15 vote and the Assembly with a 43-28 vote.

SB 826 (Padilla) Solid Waste Facilities
Summary. Mitigates environmental justice impacts in disproportionately affected communities in which solid waste facilities are located.

Position and Status. SB 826 has been amended and is no longer related to waste.

SB 842 (Scott) Definition of Gasification
Summary. Deletes zero emission requirement in the definition of gasification.

Position and Status. CAW opposes unless amended. SB 842 was never heard in policy committee (dead).  It was introduced February 23, 2007.

SB 898 (Simitian) Solid Waste Clean-Up
Summary. Would have required the CIWMB to authorize several solutions to marine debris, including expending funds to abate illegal disposal sites, prevent waste going into storm drains, and assigning a plastics resin code to biodegradable plastics.

Position and Status. CAW Supported. SB 898 was gutted and amended by the Assembly Approprations Committee to carry a bill no longer germane to this issue on Aug 30, 2007.

SB 899 (Simitian) Derelict Fishing Gear
Summary. Aims to reduce the littering of and aid in the recovery of derelict fishing gear.

Position and Status. CAW Supports. SB 898 was introduced in its current form June 5 and will be heard in its first policy committee, Asm. Water Parks and Wild., June 24.

SB 966 (Simitian) Reducing Pharmaceuticals in Waste Stream
SB 966 was signed by Governor Schwarzenegger Oct. 12, 2007.

Summary. SB 966 would begin the process of establishing a state-wide solution for the growing problem of improper disposal of unused and expired pharmaceutical drugs by creating model disposal programs and requiring the California Integrated Waste Management Board to report back to the legislature on their potential state-wide implementation.

SB 1020 (Padilla) Solid Waste Diversion
Summary. Requires the California Integrated Waste Management Board to adopt policies, programs, and incentives to increase statewide waste diversion to 60% by 12/21/2012 and 75% by 2020.

SB 1021 (Padilla) Multifamily/Container Recycling Grants
SB 1021 was signed by Gov. Schwarzenegger in 2007!

Summary. Extends multifamily recycling grants to 2008 and increases funding from $5 million to $15 million.

CAW's Legislative Priorities

·Reducing Human & Environmental Exposure to Toxics by Reducing and Recycling Hazardous Products & Materials

·Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions thru Source Reduction and Recycling

·Reducing Water Pollution and Marine Debris by Reducing and Recycling Plastic Litter and Waste