This is What Leadership Looks Like!

Thanks to the hundreds of supporters who contacted their legislators and the tireless efforts of our coalition partners, the legislature stood up to the state’s entrenched business interests by passing several landmark pieces of legislation in the past week. By making this a truly historic year for waste reduction legislation, California has proven, once again, that it can boldly blaze a trail for others to follow.

Here are our top priority bills that made it to the Governor’s desk:

  • SB 1383, by Senator Ricardo Lara, will drastically cut the emissions of Short Lived Climate Pollutants, such as methane, black carbon, and F-gases. In order to reduce methane emissions from the waste sector, the bill establishes an ambitious plan to reduce the landfilling of organic waste by 75%, laying the groundwork for local governments and garbage companies to roll out curbside composting statewide! The bill also includes a goal to recover 20% of the edible food that is wasted in the state. 
  • SB 778, by Senator Ben Allen, will reduce unnecessary oil changes by requiring shops to give their customers accurate information on how often they need an oil change for their specific car. This will put an end to the outdated and wasteful myth that oil changes are required every 3,000 miles, saving consumers money and time, and reducing oil pollution at its source. 
  • AB 2530, by Assembly Member Rich Gordon, requires manufacturers of plastic beverage containers to disclose to the state how much recycled content they use in their products, allowing consumers to make an informed decision about the carbon footprint of their purchases.
  • AB 1005, by Assembly Member Rich Gordon, extends California’s successful Plastic Market Development program which closes the loop on plastics recycling by supporting in-state manufacturing markets and the jobs that they provide.
  • AB 1419, by Assembly Member Susan Eggman, addresses an emerging barrier to the recycling of electronic waste by opening up new allowable recycling uses for the glass that comes from old CRT monitors and TVs.
  • AB 1613 invests funds generated from the sale of cap-and-trade allowances to reduce greenhouse gases. The funding includes $40 million to CalRecycle for organic waste processing infrastructure, food waste prevention, and recycled content manufacturing, as well as $7.5 million to establish a Healthy Soils program to support carbon sequestration through compost application and other strategies.

These policies will not only prevent the pollution that results from the extraction and disposal of raw materials, but will also pay dividends in the form of public health and economic growth.By expanding composting statewide, supporting the expansion of traditional recycling, building markets for recycled materials, and reducing unnecessary motor oil waste, the California legislature reaffirmed the state’s role as the leader on waste reduction policy.

This broad range of policies reflects the balance of bold vision and pragmatic follow-through that is necessary to build a sustainable recycling economy.

However, our work is not done yet. 

We need your help to convince Governor Brown to sign these landmark recycling and waste reduction bills into law! We only have until the September 30th deadline to get his signature on all of these bills, so please let the Governor know that you support these bills today.

Contact the Governor's office on another bill

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