Apr 29 - Legislative Committee to Consider 7 Priority Recycling Bills Today

Today is another busy day for recycling bills at the State Capitol.

Two of CAW’s highest priority bills are in Assembly Natural Resources today at 1:30 p.m.

These two bills would expand recycling of beverage containers, yard debris and food waste. This will significantly reduce the amount of material ending up in the landfill and the resulting GHG emissions. They will help create jobs and boost the economy, and help California reach its recycling goal of 75% by 2020.

• AB 1001 (Gordon) will expand California’s hugely successful Beverage Container Recycling Law (the Bottle Bill) by increasing the recycling of all beverage containers regardless of material type. It will close loopholes and inconsistencies, while increasing clarity and enforcement of current rules to support California businesses, jobs and recycling.

• AB 323 (Chesbro) requires businesses that generate a lot of food scraps or yard debris to sign up for recycling of this material. In addition, the bill will finally eliminate state policies that have become perverse incentives for landfilling organic waste that should be returned to the soil.

Also in ANR today: Two bills introduced by Assembly Member Susan Eggman that are consistent with CAW’s policy of supporting in-state recycling infrastructure. AB 1021 will provide sales tax exemption on equipment purchases for businesses that process or utilize recycled feedstock. AB 1023 will provide incentives for waste reduction, recycling, composting and recycled content manufacturing projects.

Over the past couple of weeks we’ve seen SB 405 (Padilla) plastic bags, SB 529 (Leno) fast food packaging, and SB 254 (Hancock and Correa) pass out of Senate EQ with 5-3, 5-3 and 6-0 votes, respectively. They are scheduled for hearings in Senate Appropriations today starting at 11 a.m.

Two other bills in ANR today are: AB 521 (Hueso and Stone), which is a producer responsibility measure that would address plastic marine pollution, and AB 1337 (Allen), which would preempt local ordinances on plastic bags, and prohibit local governments from passing new ordinances related to single-use plastic bags.

Two Assembly bills AB 513 (Frazier) Tires, and AB 1022 (Eggman) CRT glass, both passed out of Assembly Natural Resources with bipartisan support and are on their way to Assembly Appropriations.

You can watch any of these hearings online.

We’ll keep you posted on the progress of these bills.