AB 661 (Bennett) Recycled Product Standards for State Agencies

OVERVIEW

AB 661 would address the state’s recycling goals by requiring state agencies to observe updated recycled product standards when contracting with vendors.

THE ISSUE

In 1989, the Governor signed AB 4 (Eastin) which required state agencies to adhere to a set of purchasing practices that gave preferences to recycled content products. As a result, the State Agency Buy Recycled Campaign (SABRC) was created as a collaborative effort between CalRecycle and the Department of General Services which was meant to increase and track recycled content products used within state agencies.

SABRC operates with a few of the state’s environmental efforts in mind: decreasing solid waste disposal in the state’s landfill, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and helping strengthen recycling commodity markets.

In 2020, SABRC increased the required percentage of total purchasing dollars to 75% for recycled content purchases to achieve these goals. This means that agencies that purchase from the SABRC mandated categories must spend 75% of their purchasing dollars on products that are compliant with postconsumer recycled product requirements.

Currently, a few problems with SABRC prevent it from being as effective as it could be these issues include:

  • The program does not address all products that have recycling or greenhouse gas associations. Some products are left off the product list, such as carpet, lumber, and textiles.

  • SABRC’s minimum RCP standards are outdated, which inhibits the state from reaching its recycled content goals.

  • Entities are currently adhering to standards that do not positively influence the state’s air pollution because they are not aggressive enough.

SABRC lacks several clarifying and operational aspects as well. The program does not have an enforcement mechanism for noncompliance, mandatory purchasing training, or purchasing for products covered by stewardship programs, and the role of contractors and subcontractors remains unclear. The University of California is also not covered by SABRC requirements.

 

Position: Supported by Californians Against Waste
Contact: Alexa Chavez

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BILL SUMMARY:

AB 661 would address the state’s recycling goals by requiring state agencies to observe updated recycled product standards when contracting with vendors. Adhering to these standards will result in an increase recycled product purchases that would benefit the state’s recycled product market and help the state meet its recycling objectives. AB 661 also updates SABRC’s minimum RCP standards to fix outdated details and include more materials ready to join the requirements.

AB 661 amends SABRC to establish new, temporary recycled content standards in statute for materials purchased by the state and expands SABRC to services contracts. It also authorizes the Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery (CalRecycle) to adjust those standards administratively on a triennial basis.

This bill also requires state agency staff to attend trainings conducted jointly by CalRecycle and the Department of General Services and would require CalRecycle to report to Department of General Services agencies that fail to meet SABRC purchasing requirements. Finally, this bill requires state agencies to purchase recycled products that are of equal fitness and quality as nonrecycled products, regardless of cost.

Status: Signed by the Governor
Current language, analysis, and votes:  AB 661