BILL ANALYSIS Ó
AB 1435
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Date of Hearing: May 13, 2015
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
Jimmy Gomez, Chair
AB
1435 (Alejo) - As Introduced February 27, 2015
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|Policy |Environmental Safety and Toxic |Vote:|7 - 0 |
|Committee: |Materials | | |
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Urgency: No State Mandated Local Program: NoReimbursable: No
SUMMARY:
This bill provides an exemption from the Toxics in Packaging
Prevention Act (TPPA) for glass beverage, food or drink
containers.
AB 1435
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FISCAL EFFECT:
Minor, absorbable costs.
COMMENTS:
Rationale. California enacted the TPPA, (AB 455 Chapter 679,
Statutes of 2003), prohibiting a manufacturer, an importer, an
agent, or a supplier from offering for sale in California a
package or packaging component that includes a regulated metal,
defined as lead, cadmium, mercury, or hexavalent chromium, if
that regulated metal has been intentionally introduced into the
package or packaging component during manufacturing or
distribution.
This law was enacted to reduce the toxicity in packaging,
without discouraging the use of recycled materials in packaging
production. The packaging of consumer products makes up a
significant portion of waste going to the nation's municipal
solid waste landfills. Packaging containing toxic substances,
especially heavy metals, can release those poisonous or
dangerous substances, contaminating the soil and groundwater
surrounding the landfill.
The TPPA provided special consideration for trace concentrations
of lead and other heavy metals resulting from the use of
recycled content. In the case of glass contamination, the
residual lead resulted from historic glass production techniques
and is no longer a problem.
AB 1435
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According to the author, glass containers do not belong in the
statute because studies show that glass is safe and does not
leach heavy metals. This bill exempts glass food, drink and
beverage containers from the California Toxics in Packaging Law.
Analysis Prepared by:Jennifer Galehouse / APPR. / (916)
319-2081