2011-2012 Legislation
AB 34 (Williams) Compost Infrastructure Development - Support
Summary: AB 34 targets the most prevalent items in our waste stream by encouraging the development of compost facilities to recycle organic materials. Status: AB 34 was held in Assembly Appropriations Committee and is now dead.
AB 298 (Brownley) Single Use Bag Bill - Support
Summary: AB 298 prohibits stores from distributing single-use carryout bags. Certain types of bags may be made available for consumer purchase.
Status:
AB 341 (Chesbro) Jobs and Recycling - Support
Summary: Signed into law in 2013, AB 341 will create green jobs by expanding recycling to every multi-family dwelling and business and would charge CalRecycle with the responsibility for ensuring that the state is recycling at least 75% of the garbage that it generates by 2020. Status: Governor Brown Signed AB 341!
AB 408 (Wieckowski) Paint and Used Oil Recycling - Support
Summary: AB 408 provides regulatory reform to make paint and used oil recycling easier. Status: AB 408 was signed into law by the Governor.
AB 525 (Gordon) Tire Recycling - Support
Summary: AB 525 (Gordon) extends CalRecycle's successful Rubberized Asphalt Concrete tire recycling program. Status: AB 525 just passed both houses and was signed into law by Governor Brown on October 8, 2011.
AB 549 (Carter) Strengthening CA's Landmark E-waste Law - Support
Summary: AB 549 would close a loophole in current e-waste law and protect the state against frivolous lawsuit. Status: AB 549 is heading to the Senate Fiscal Committee.
AB 583 (Knight) Consolidate E-waste Program
Summary: consolidate the E-waste program by transferring DTSC powers to CalRecycle.
Status: Watch. This bill died in the Assembly Environmental Safety and Toxic Materials committee.
AB 812 (Ma) Recycled Concrete and Asphalt - Support
Summary: AB 812 would increase the allowable amount of recycled asphalt pavement used by CalTrans to 50%. Status: AB 812 is currently in the Senate Transportation and Housing committee.
AB 818 (Blumenfield) Renter's Right to Recycle Act - Support
Summary: AB 818, the Renter's Right to Recycle Act, provides a residential recycling opportunity for more than 7.1 million Californians residing in more than 2.4 million multifamily dwelling units. Status: AB 818 passed the legislature and was signed in to law by Governor Jerry Brown.
AB 837 (Nestande) Truth in Recycled Content Claims - Support
Summary: AB 837 creates truthful advertising for rigid plastic packaging containers through accurate recycled content reporting. Status: It passed the Senate on 8/20 and was concurred in the Assembly on 8/24. Chaptered into law on 9/25/12.
AB 921 (Allen) Compost Study Bill - Support
Summary: AB 921 directs the state to measure the significant agricultural water efficiency benefits of applying compost to croplands. Status: AB 921 was held in the Assembly Appropriations Committee on 5/27 and is now a dead bill.
AB 960 (Bonnie Lowenthal) E-waste Export - Support
Summary: AB 960 will help reduce the export of electronic waste overseas. Status: AB 960 was held in Senate Appropriations and is now a 2 year bill.
AB 1019 (Perez) Carpet Stewardship - Support
Summary: would reenact AB 2398, the Carpet Stewardship Bill passed last year.
Status: AB 1019 is still alive from last year.
AB 1149 (Gordon and Wieckowski) Recycled Plastic Market Development - Support
Summary: AB 1149 would extend a January 1, 2012 sunset for the Plastic Market Development program to continue investment in California’s plastics recycling and manufacturing infrastructure. It would also authorize CalRecycle to ‘reinvest’ up to 50% of savings from an anticipated drop in PET processing fee offsets back into Plastic Market Development Payments. Status: Governor Brown Signed AB 1149!
AB 1178 (Ma) Prohibition on Local Disposal Limits - Oppose
Summary: AB 1178 prohibits local governments from limiting disposal of imported waste. Status: AB 1178 is in Senate Environmental Quality Committee.
AB 1442 (Wieckowski) Pharmaceutical Waste Hauling - Support
Summary: AB 1442 allows an exemption for medical waste generators in transporting pharmaceutical waste. Status: AB 1442 passed the Senate on 8/21 and was concurred in Assembly on 8/28. It was chaptered into law on 9/28.
AB 1647 (Gordon) Tires - Support
Summary: Increases the enforcement of existing tire hauling and manifesting laws to prevent the illegal export of waste tires and creates a new incentive program to support California tire recylers. Status: Passed the legislature with bipartisan support and signed by Governor Jerry Brown!
AB 1834 (Brownley) Reusable Bag Definition - Support
Summary: AB 1834 would add a reusable bag definition to the Public Resources Code.
Status: AB 1834 was on the Senate inactive file at the end of the legislation session. It passed the Senate Environmental Quality committee on May 14 6-0. Prior to that it passed the Assembly Floor 48-25 on April 12 and passed 6-3 out of the Assembly Natural Resources Committee on March 26.
AB 1933 (Gordon) Bottle Bill Enforcement - Sponsor
Summary: This bill is an enforcement bill to reduce fraud from recyclers attempting to import and redeem beverage containers in CA. This measure would lower the load limit a person can import beverage containers into the state before reporting to CalRecycle, and also requires documentation of the source and destination of the material. This bill also address handling fees for recyclers. Handling fee is a subsidy to Convenient zone recyclers (recycler operating at supermarket locations).CalRecycle reduced handling fee payment on July 1, 2012. However, the handling fee cost calculation used outdated cost data. Reducing the handling fee will hurt recyclers since recent cost prices have gone up for three primary materials (glass, HDPE, PET). Status: Passed the legislature with unanimous bipartisan support and signed into law by the Governor in September.
AB 2670 (Chesbro) and AB 1634 (Chesbro) Food Scrap and Yard Trimming Composting and Digestion - Support
Summary: AB 2670 and AB 1634 present a package of policies that will drive the recycling of yard trimming and food scraps, not only resulting in a reduction of pollution and greenhouse gases, but also creating jobs and supporting a burgeoning industry.
Status:
SB 419 (Simitian) Home-Generated Medical Sharps - Support
Summary: SB 419 requires medical sharps manufacturers to improve electronic access to their annual sharps disposal reports. Status: SB 419 passed the Senate on 4/25/11 and the Assembly on 8/30/12. It was vetoed by the Governor on 9/28/12.
SB 489 (Wolk) Net Energy Metering - Support
Summary: SB 489 will foster the development of anaerobic digesters and other small renewable energy projects by allowing them to be included in the state's Net Energy Metering program. Status: SB 489 was signed by the Governor!
SB 515 (Corbett) Household Battery Recycling Bill - Support
Summary: Product stewardship for household batteries. Status: SB 515 was held in the Senate Appropriations Committee and is now a dead bill. Previously, it passed out of Senate Environmental Quality Committee 4/4/2011 with a 5-2 vote.
SB 567 (DeSaulnier) Truthful Environmental Advertising in Plastics - Support
Summary: SB 567 expands the scope of current plastic end-of-life claim labeling requirements from bags and food packaging to all plastic products. Status: Governor Brown signed SB 567 on October 8, 2011!
SB 568 (Lowenthal) Polystyrene Food Containers - Support
Summary: SB 568 prohibits food vendors from dispensing cooked food in expanded polystyrene (eps) foam containers. Status: SB 568 failed to pass the Assembly floor on the last day of session.
SB 589 (Lowenthal) Fluorescent Light Recycling - Watch
Summary: SB 589 would establish a product stewardship program for mercury-containing lamps. Status: SB 589 is now a 2-year bill.
SB 833 (Vargas) Gregory Canyon Landfill - Support
Summary: SB 833 would have limited the building of landfills that are within a specific distance of a San Diego waterway or Native American sacred site. Specifically, this legislation would have applied to the proposed Gregory Canyon Landfill. Status: Governor Brown vetoed SB 833.
SB 915 (Calderon) Plastic Carryout Bags - Watch
Summary: SB 915 mandates reduced plastic bag use and establishes a schedule of required recycled content in plastic bags, including both post consumer content and post-industrial content. Status: It was pulled from Senate Environmental Quality Committee on 5/2 and is no longer active.
SB 1118 (Hancock) Mattress Recycling - Support
Summary: SB 1118 would help reduce illegal mattress dumping by requiring manufacturers to take back used mattresses at the end of life at no cost to the consumers. Manufacturers are responsible for developing, financing and implementing a convenient and cost effective program to collect and recycle used mattresses generated in this state. Status: SB 1118 passed the Assembly Floor with a resounding 48-31 vote. But the bill did not pass the Senate Floor when it came up for a "concurrence" vote before the constitutional midnight deadline to pass legislation, killing the bill.
SB 1159 (Calderon) Plastic Bag Recycling
Summary: SB 1159 would require supermarkets to distribute plastic bags that are labeled with a prominent recycling reminder. Status: CAW was watching this bill, which is now considered dead. It was in the Senate Environmental Quality committee and failed to pass the June 1 deadline.
SB 1219 (Wolk) Plastic Bag Recycling
Summary: SB 1219 proposes to extend the sunset of AB 2449 (Levine) which mandates plastic bag recycling at supermarkets. Status: Governor Brown signed the bill into law on 9/19/12. It passed the Assembly on August 21 42-30. It passed out of the Senate on May 3 with a 22-13 vote and out of the Senate Environmental Quality committee on 4/16 with a 5-1 vote.
SB 1329 (Simitian) Prescription Drug Collection and Distribution - Support
Summary: SB 1329 improves county programs for the collection and distribution of surplus pharmaceuticals by allowing additional health and care facilities to participate. Status: SB 1329 passed the Assembly on 8/23 and was concurred in the Senate on 8/30. It was chaptered on 9/28.