BILL ANALYSIS Ó
AB 2812
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Date of Hearing: April 18, 2016
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON NATURAL RESOURCES
Das Williams, Chair
AB 2812
(Gordon) - As Introduced February 19, 2016
SUBJECT: Solid waste: recycling: state agencies and large
state facilities
SUMMARY: Requires state agencies to provide and maintain
recycling receptacles in state buildings and large state
facilities based on standards adopted by the Department of
Resources Recycling and Recovery (CalRecycle).
EXISTING LAW, pursuant to the Integrated Waste Management Act:
1)Requires local agencies to divert, through source reduction,
recycling, and composting, 50% of solid waste disposed by
their jurisdictions.
2)Establishes a statewide diversion goal of 75% by 2020.
3)Requires state agencies to develop an integrated waste
management plan (plan) by 2000 to describe how the state
agency or facility would divert 50% of its waste from landfill
disposal by 2004.
4)Requires state agencies and large state facilities
(facilities), which includes California state universities and
community colleges, prisons, Department of Transportation
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facilities, and other facilities as determined by CalRecycle,
to divert at least 50% of their waste from landfill disposal.
5)Requires state agencies to annually report to CalRecycle on
the implementation of the plan.
6)Requires a commercial waste generator, including state
agencies, to arrange for recycling services and requires local
governments to implement commercial solid waste recycling
programs designed to divert solid waste from businesses.
7)Requires generators of specified amounts of organic waste
(i.e., food waste and yard waste), including state agencies,
to arrange for recycling services for that material.
THIS BILL:
1)On or before July 1, 2017, requires CalRecycle to adopt
requirements for adequate receptacles and staffing for
collecting and storing recyclable materials in state buildings
and facilities.
2)Defines "recyclable materials" as all paper, plastic, and
metal products accepted by the applicable city, county, or
local agency for recycling.
3)On or before July 1, 2018, requires state agencies and
facilities to provide receptacles for recyclable materials,
provide staffing, and establish a collection schedule for
recyclable materials.
4)Requires state agencies and facilities to review the adequacy
and condition of receptacles for recyclable materials and
associated signage at least annually.
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5)Requires state agencies to include a summary of the agency's
compliance with the bill's requirements in their annual report
to CalRecycle.
6)Declares that if the Commission on State Mandates determines
that this bill contains costs mandated by the state,
reimbursement shall be made to local agencies and school
districts.
FISCAL EFFECT: Unknown
COMMENTS:
1)Meeting the state's recycling goals. CalRecycle is tasked
with diverting at least 75% of solid waste statewide by 2020.
Recycling reduces disposal costs, creates jobs, reduces
greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and conserves resources.
According to CalRecycle, this represents the next phase of
waste management in California that makes current landfill
diversion programs equal partners with materials management
programs to achieve the highest and best use of all materials
in California. These goals cannot be met without motivation
and actions at multiple levels within the public and private
sectors. California's state agencies play an essential role
in meeting the state's waste reduction requirements.
In 2011, AB 341 (Chesbro), Chapter 476, Statutes of 2011
required businesses, including state agencies, that generate
four cubic yards or more of commercial solid waste per week to
arrange for recycling services.
2)Waste reduction and GHGs. Recycling provides significant GHG
reductions over landfilling. The Air Resources Board's First
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Update to the Climate Change Scoping Plan identifies waste
management as a key sector for GHG emissions reductions and
states, "Meeting the [state's] 75% recycling goal is the best
path forward to maximizing GHG emission reductions from the
Waste Management Sector and putting California on the path for
even greater GHG emission reductions in the future."
Composting and other organics processing technologies,
including anaerobic digestion, reduce GHGs by avoiding the
emissions that would be generated by the material's
decomposition in a landfill. Landfill gas is generated by the
decomposition of organic materials such as food, paper, wood,
and yard waste. Fifty percent of landfill gas is methane, a
GHG that is more than 80 times more efficient at trapping heat
than carbon dioxide. While most modern landfills have systems
in place to capture methane, significant amounts continue to
escape into the atmosphere. According to the Air Resources
Board, landfills generated 20% of the state's methane
emissions in 2013. Source reduction and recycling reduce GHG
emissions associated with the production and transportation of
products.
3)Author's statement:
In order to ensure the proper disposal of solid waste in
state buildings and to further California's policy goal of
a 75% state recycling rate, AB 2812 would require
CalRecycle to adopt requirements to ensure recycling
containers are made available to employees of the state?
This bill would also require that state agencies include a
summary of their compliance with the requirements specified
in this bill in their annual report of the progress made in
reducing solid waste.
By ensuring that state employees have adequate opportunity
to recycle their solid waste in the workplace, the state
will lead by example and play a major role in contributing
to the state's ambitious diversion goals.
REGISTERED SUPPORT / OPPOSITION:
AB 2812
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Support
Californians Against Waste
Rural Counties Representatives of California
Solid Waste Association of North America
Opposition
None on file
Analysis Prepared by:Elizabeth MacMillan / NAT. RES. / (916)
319-2092
AB 2812
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