BILL ANALYSIS Ó
AB 900
Page A
Date of Hearing: April 13, 2011
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION
Julia Brownley, Chair
AB 900 (Swanson) - As Introduced: February 17, 2011
ÝNote: This bill is double referred to the Assembly Natural
Resources Committee and will be heard as it relates to issues
under its jurisdiction.]
SUBJECT : Public school campuses: recycling and composting bins
SUMMARY : Requires, on and after January 1, 2012, school
districts to maintain recycling and composting bins on the
campus of each public elementary and secondary school in the
state. Requires school districts to determine the number of
bins to be located on a campus based on the size of the pupil
population and the surface area of that campus.
EXISTING LAW :
1)Expresses the intent of the Legislature to accomplish all of
the following:
a) Every school district and schoolsite in this state will
be encouraged to implement source reduction, recycling, and
composting programs that would do all of the following:
i) Reduce waste and conserve resources.
ii) Provide pupils with a "hands-on" learning
experience.
iii) Minimize the expenditure of taxpayer and education
dollars on solid waste collection and disposal.
b) School districts and individual schoolsites will
cooperate with cities and counties in developing plans and
programs to meet and exceed the state's 50% waste reduction
and recycling mandate.
c) To the maximum extent feasible, school districts and
schools will utilize products and supplies made from
recycled materials.
2)Finds and declares that it is the policy of the state to
conserve and protect its resources, to increase the public's
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awareness of the value of recycling and the need to recycle,
and to improve environmental quality by the recycling of paper
products.
3)Establishes the paper recycling program and authorizes and
encourages school districts and California State University
and Colleges to establish and maintain a 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 wastepaper is generated or may
be collected.
4)Encourages local educational agencies to purchase recycled
paper if the supplier of recycled paper offers the paper at a
cost which does not exceed by more than 5% the lowest offer of
nonrecycled paper of comparable quality.
5)Under the California Integrated Waste Management Act of 1989,
requires the California Integrated Waste Management Board
(CIWMB) to do the following:
a) Develop models and school waste reduction tools that may
be used by schools to implement waste reduction programs.
b) Provide training and ongoing technical assistance to
schools in implementing waste reduction programs.
c) Evaluate implementation of school waste reduction and
recycling programs (Public Resources Code 42630 et seq.).
FISCAL EFFECT : Unknown
COMMENTS : According to the California Statewide Waste
Characterization Study (December, 1999), education, as an
industry, produces 763,917 tons of waste per year, comprised
predominantly of organic materials (food, leaves and grass) and
paper products. School waste reduction programs can have
economic, environmental and educational benefits.
Current law expresses the intent of the Legislature that schools
contribute to the efforts to assist local governmental entities
in reducing waste reduction and meeting recycling mandates.
Current law specifically encourages school districts to maintain
recycling programs and specifically, a paper recycling program
in all classrooms, administrative offices, and other school
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district property. School districts are also encouraged to
purchase recycled paper and eliminate the purchase of paper and
paper products that could be potential contaminants of the
district's recycling program. Pursuant to statutory
requirements, the California's Department of Resources Recycling
and Recovery (CalRecycle) (formerly the CIWMB) maintains on its
Web site information on school waste reduction and offers
resources and information on how school districts can initiate a
wide range of waste reduction and recycling efforts, including
environmentally friendly purchasing policies, paper reduction,
food disposal, textbook recycling, beverage container recycling,
and green school facilities.<1>
In 2003, the CIWMB, pursuant to the School Diversion and
Environmental Education Law<2>, conducted a survey of school
districts to assess their level of efforts in implementing waste
reduction programs. Forty-two percent of school districts
responded to the survey, representing 55% of all schools. The
survey found that "92% of districts appear to be participating
in some level of recycling programs. Of the districts that
reported participating in recycling activities, the most
commonly recycled materials include: aluminum cans, white
paper, and cardboard. Based upon survey results, implementation
of a formalized district-wide recycling program appears to
relate to school district size. A greater percentage of larger
school districts reported having the district coordinate
district-wide recycling activities as well as having a service
contract for collection of recyclables than reported by smaller
districts." The survey also indicated that 44% of school
districts had some type of composting program, with the most
common type of composting material being grass clippings,
landscape trimmings and garden trimmings.
This bill requires school districts to provide all elementary
and secondary schoolsites with recycling and composting bins.
The bill, however, does not specify the type(s) of recycling or
composting bins required to be placed on each schoolsite.
Recycling : Maintaining recycling programs entails more than
just obtaining bins. Depending on the type of recycling (paper,
---------------------------
<1> As part of the fiscal year 2009-10 budget, SB 63 (T.
Strickland), Chapter 21, Statutes of 2009, eliminated the CIWMB
and transferred its duties and responsibilities to the newly
recreated CalRecycle.
<2> SB 373 (Torlakson), Chapter 926, Statutes of 2001.
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beverage containers, glass, plastic, aluminum, etc.), school
districts will have to arrange for collection of the recycled
materials with various types of collection agencies. A related
prior bill, SB 1321 (Correa), introduced in 2008, would have
required a school district, only to the extent that it does not
incur costs, to consult with a local Community Conservation
Corps or another recycler to provide and maintain a sufficient
number of beverage container recycling bins at each school site
and district office. The bill was held in the Assembly
Appropriations Committee suspense file. In order to help school
districts understand the intention of this bill, the author
should consider specifying the type or types of recycling
districts are required to maintain.
Composting : Composting is the process through which organic
materials such as leaves, grass and food scraps are decomposed
into soil-like material. There are a variety of composting
systems. According to the CalRecyle, food scraps composting is
different than other types of composting. "Food scraps can be
heavier and contain more putrescible material than yard
trimmings and must be handled appropriately. To avoid odor or
health and safety concerns, it should be collected and composted
in a timely and efficient manner. A frequent collection
schedule must be followed." It is also important to ensure that
nonacceptable food scraps such as meat waste, fish waste, and
dairy products are kept out of composting bins. These type of
food waste breakdown slowly and create an imbalance in the
otherwise nutrient-rich structure of other food and vegetation.
The challenges for schools in maintaining a composting program
include locating the space that is required to compost material
or locating service providers for regular collection. The city
of San Francisco has a mandatory composting law and provides
composting bins free to city residents. The garbage collection
company collects composting material on a weekly basis and
transfers the material to food scrap compost facilities to
convert into compost. According to the CalRecycle, only nine of
California's 58 counties have authorized facilities to accept
food scraps, although some of those companies may provide
service to neighboring counties. Food scrap composting can also
be incorporated into a school garden program; however, not all
schools have gardens, especially urban schools where land is
scarce. The following is an example of a successful composting
program utilizing school gardens:
In 2000, the CIWMB conducted a pilot food scrap diversion
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program and awarded up to $50,000 in grant funds to various
public entities. The Davis Joint Unified School District
received one of the grants and implemented food waste diversion
projects at three elementary schools. Two schools reduced their
total waste by 40%. The program combined composting and
vermicomposting (composting using worms) systems with the school
garden program to integrate composting with the education
program. The District has since entered into a local
partnership called DavisRISE (Recycling is Simply Elementary)
that includes the City of Davis, Davis Farmers Market,
environmental consulting groups, and others that support
recycling efforts in Davis schools. The District has maintained
and expanded the composting program to 10 of the 12 schools in
the Davis Joint Unified School District with the assistance of
DavisRISE. With funds saved from waste diversion efforts, the
District is able pay for DavisRISE coordinators to be placed at
every schoolsite to oversee the lunch-time waste diversion
efforts. The RISE coordinator or student volunteers would
collect the food scraps at lunch and deposit them in the compost
pile. The garden coordinator then tends to the pile, using
students to help add layers and turn the pile. Some schools
also utilize vermicomposting.
This example and programs at other schools indicate that having
coordinators to lead recycling efforts contributes to the
success of a program. It is not known how many districts have
recycling coordinators and whether those that do not will have
capacity to hire one.
While recycling is certainly important, CalRecycle also
emphasizes reducing and reusing as important components in waste
management efforts. This may include using reusable utensils
instead of plastic utensils, serving only the amount of food
students will consume, using recyclable products, and using both
sides of papers.
Committee amendments : Because composting may be a challenge for
schools that do not have school gardens or collection facilities
in their geographical areas, staff recommends requiring
districts to maintain composting only to the extent feasible.
The bill currently requires implementation on January 1, 2012,
the date the bill would take effect if it is signed into law
this year. Staff recommends moving the implementation date to
the beginning of the 2012-13 school year to provide districts
AB 900
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time for planning and implementation.
Arguments in Support . The author states, "By requiring
recycling and composting bins to be made available at each
public elementary and secondary school in the state, our state
will benefit from the reused materials and our planet's over
extended landfills will not be further compromised." This bill
is a result of a "There Ought to be A Law" contest held by
Assemblymember Swanson. This proposal came from a student from
Piedmont High School.
Prior Related Legislation . ACR 128 (Emmerson), Resolution
Chapter 48, Statutes of 2010, encourages school districts to
engage in recycling programs and to promote awareness of
available state resources for this purpose.
AB 747 (Emmerson), introduced in 2009, authorizes and encourages
school districts and California State University and Colleges to
establish and maintain a beverage container 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 is generated or may
be collected. The bill was held in the Senate Rules Committee.
SB 497 (Correa), held in the Senate Appropriations Committee
suspense file in 2009, requires school districts to maintain a
sufficient number of beverage container recycling bins at each
campus and public office of the district, but only to the extent
that the district incurs no costs.
SB 1321 (Correa), which was held in the Assembly Appropriations
Suspense file in 2008, requires a school district, only to the
extent that it does not incur costs, to consult with a local
Community Conservation Corps or another recycler to provide and
maintain a sufficient number of beverage container recycling
bins at each school site and district office.
REGISTERED SUPPORT / OPPOSITION :
Support
Californians Against Waste
Opposition
AB 900
Page G
None on file
Analysis Prepared by : Sophia Kwong Kim / ED. / (916) 319-2087