BILL ANALYSIS
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|SENATE RULES COMMITTEE | ACR 128|
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THIRD READING
Bill No: ACR 128
Author: Emmerson (R)
Amended: 3/11/10 in Assembly
Vote: 21
ASSEMBLY FLOOR : 71-0, 4/8/10 - See last page for vote
SUBJECT : School districts: recycling programs
SOURCE : Author
DIGEST : This resolution encourages school districts to
engage in recycling programs and to promote awareness of
available state resources that schools may utilize to
establish and maintain recycling programs.
ANALYSIS :
Resolution Findings
1.Americans go through 25 billion plastic bottles every
year. Plastic bottles can take up to 1,000 years before
they begin to decompose in a landfill. It can take up to
500 years for an aluminum can to decompose in a landfill.
Each of us uses approximately one 100-foot-tall Douglas
fir tree in paper and wood products per year. Last year
Californians bought 21.9 billion carbonated and
noncarbonated drinks. Even though many Californians are
recycling, 5.8 billion of those containers were not
recycled. Recycling one aluminum can saves enough energy
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to burn a 100-watt light bulb for nearly four hours or
run a television for three hours.
2.California school districts dispose of large amounts of
waste, approximately 763,817 tons per year. This waste
represents a significant loss of natural resources and
school district funds, as well as a potential threat to
the students' and staffs' health and the environment. To
be responsible stewards of environmental quality, school
districts should review processes and operations, and
even curriculum choices. They should evaluate the
economic, educational, and environmental benefits of
implementing an effective waste reduction program.
3.The Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery
(CalRecycle) is required to provide assistance to school
districts in establishing and implementing source
reduction and recycling programs. This assistance
includes a survey of school districts on their level of
program implementation, development of a model waste
reduction program, training and ongoing technical and
informational assistance, and information on programs for
other states and institutions.
4.School districts are encouraged to establish and maintain
a paper recycling program in all classrooms,
administrative offices, and other areas owned or leased
by the school district and are also encouraged to
purchase recycled paper, paper with the highest
percentage of postconsumer waste, to revise procurement
specifications, to eliminate discrimination against
recycled paper, and to give preference to the purchase of
recycled paper.
5.Incorporating waste reduction as part of the school
district's overall way of doing business can provide a
number of important benefits, including reduced disposal
costs, improved worker safety, reduced long-term
liability, increased efficiency of school operations, and
decreased associated purchasing costs. School district
waste reduction programs also foster student achievement
by transforming the school environment into a laboratory
for learning and providing numerous opportunities for
investigation through environmentally based education.
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6.The California Integrated Waste Management Act of 1989
requires that all California cities and counties reduce
solid waste generation by 50 percent. School districts
can play a critical role in a city's or county's ability
to realize this goal. As a result, a school district's
host city or county is a natural partner in the
evaluation of the existing waste management
infrastructure and the development of a comprehensive
districtwide waste reduction program. The CalRecycle
Internet Web site provides information, tools, and other
resources to support these partnerships and to facilitate
the implementation of successful school district waste
reduction programs.
7.Large or small, a beverage container recycling program
can help a school earn money, help the environment, and
cut waste hauling costs simultaneously. The beverage
containers that we recycle are kept out of the landfills
and can be made into new products. Establishing and
operating a beverage container recycling program requires
the cooperation and participation of many different
people. To facilitate this, schools are encouraged to
establish a committee of representatives that will be
involved in the program and who will determine the goals
and type of program that will be used.
Related Legislation
AB 747 (Emmerson), 2009-10 Session, authorizes and
encourages school districts, the University of California,
California State University and California Community
Colleges to establish and maintain a beverage container
recycling and paper recycling program in all classrooms,
administrative offices, and other areas owned or leased by
the school district or college campus where a significant
quantity of beverage containers and paper is generated or
may be collected. (In Senate Rules Committee)
FISCAL EFFECT : Fiscal Com.: No
ASSEMBLY FLOOR :
AYES: Adams, Ammiano, Anderson, Arambula, Beall, Bill
Berryhill, Tom Berryhill, Blakeslee, Block, Blumenfield,
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Bradford, Brownley, Buchanan, Caballero, Charles
Calderon, Carter, Chesbro, Conway, Cook, Coto, Davis, De
La Torre, De Leon, DeVore, Emmerson, Eng, Evans, Feuer,
Fletcher, Fong, Fuentes, Fuller, Furutani, Gaines,
Galgiani, Garrick, Hagman, Hall, Hayashi, Hernandez,
Hill, Huffman, Jeffries, Jones, Knight, Lieu, Bonnie
Lowenthal, Mendoza, Miller, Monning, Nava, Nestande,
Niello, Nielsen, Norby, Portantino, Ruskin, Salas,
Saldana, Silva, Skinner, Smyth, Solorio, Audra
Strickland, Swanson, Torlakson, Torres, Torrico, Tran,
Villines, Yamada
NO VOTE RECORDED: Bass, Gilmore, Harkey, Huber, Logue, Ma,
V. Manuel Perez, John A. Perez, Vacancy
CPM:cm 6/10/10 Senate Floor Analyses
SUPPORT/OPPOSITION: NONE RECEIVED
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