Jan 11 - Legislature Moves to Reduce Motor Oil Waste and Increase Plastic Recycling

          Today, two CAW sponsored pieces of legislation, SB 778 and AB 1005, passed out of legislative policy committee.

          In the Senate Business, Professions and Economic Development Committee, members passed SB 778 by Senator Allen

          Motor oil technology has changed enormously over the last 30 years making the 3,000-mile oil change unnecessary in nearly all vehicles. The majority of automakers today call for oil changes at either 7,500 or 10,000 miles, and the interval can go as high as 15,000 miles in some cars.  And yet, a 2012 survey by CalRecycle indicated that almost 10 million Californians change their motor oil every 3,000 miles or less. SB 778, if enacted, would require that motor oil change shops follow the oil drain interval specified in the customer vehicle owner’s manual when recommending the date or mileage for the next oil change and that recommendations be reflected in the form of a window sticker or other means.

          In addition to saving consumers money by reducing the number of costly oil changes, SB 778 will reduce greenhouse gas emissions by reducing our consumption of petroleum and preventing still good engine oil from being dumped. 

          Over in the Assembly, the Committee on Natural Resources passed AB 1005, authored by Assemblymember Gordon. This measure will extend the already existing Plastic Market Development Program to 2022, without which the program will sunset at the end of the year.

          California’s Plastic Market Development Program has successfully increased processing and use of recycled plastic within the state and spurred private investment and jobs. Before this program was created, less than 2% of plastic beverage containers collected for recycling were processed and re-manufactured into new products within the state. The rest was exported. But thanks to the program, in-state processing and use of plastic has increased by more than 3,000% to almost 100,000 tons, helping to create a closed-loop recycling system and supporting local green job