BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    Ó



                                                                    AB 2812


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          ASSEMBLY THIRD READING


          AB  
          2812 (Gordon)


          As Amended  May 27, 2016


          Majority vote


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          |Committee       |Votes|Ayes                  |Noes                |
          |                |     |                      |                    |
          |                |     |                      |                    |
          |                |     |                      |                    |
          |----------------+-----+----------------------+--------------------|
          |Natural         |9-0  |Williams, Jones,      |                    |
          |Resources       |     |                      |                    |
          |                |     |                      |                    |
          |                |     |Cristina Garcia,      |                    |
          |                |     |Gomez, Hadley,        |                    |
          |                |     |Harper, McCarty,      |                    |
          |                |     |                      |                    |
          |                |     |                      |                    |
          |                |     |Mark Stone, Wood      |                    |
          |                |     |                      |                    |
          |----------------+-----+----------------------+--------------------|
          |Appropriations  |20-0 |Gonzalez, Bigelow,    |                    |
          |                |     |Bloom, Bonilla,       |                    |
          |                |     |Bonta, Calderon,      |                    |
          |                |     |Chang, Daly, Eggman,  |                    |
          |                |     |Gallagher, Eduardo    |                    |
          |                |     |Garcia, Roger         |                    |
          |                |     |Hernández, Holden,    |                    |
          |                |     |Jones, Obernolte,     |                    |
          |                |     |Quirk, Santiago,      |                    |








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          |                |     |Wagner, Weber, Wood   |                    |
          |                |     |                      |                    |
          |                |     |                      |                    |
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          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).  Specifically,  
          this bill: 


          1)On or before July 1, 2017, requires CalRecycle to develop  
            guidelines for adequate receptacles and staffing for  
            collecting and recycling recyclable materials in state office  
            buildings. 


          2)Defines "recyclable materials" as including, but not limited  
            to, all paper, plastic, metal, and organic waste. 


          3)On and after July 1, 2018, requires state agencies and  
            facilities, for each office building of the state agency or  
            large state facility, to provide adequate receptacles,  
            signage, education, and staffing and arrange for recycling  
            services.  Exempts community colleges.  


          4)Requires state agencies and facilities to review the adequacy  
            and condition of receptacles for recyclable materials and  
            associated signage at least annually. 


          5)Requires state agencies to include a summary of the agency's  
            compliance with the bill's requirements in their annual report  
            to CalRecycle. 









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          EXISTING LAW, pursuant to the Integrated Waste Management Act:


          1)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. 
          2)Requires state agencies and large state facilities  
            (facilities), which include California state universities and  
            community colleges, prisons, Department of Transportation  
            facilities, and other facilities as determined by CalRecycle,  
            to divert at least 50% of their waste from landfill disposal.


          3)Requires state agencies to annually report to CalRecycle on  
            the implementation of the plan.  


          4)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.


          5)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.


          FISCAL EFFECT:  According to the Assembly Appropriations  
          Committee, this bill has the following state costs: 


          1)Increased administrative costs of approximately $145,000 per  
            year for two years for CalRecyle to gather information, adopt  
            requirements, conduct outreach and update the electronic  
            annual report to reflect new reporting requirements.  Ongoing  
            absorbable costs for monitoring.








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          2)Unknown, potentially significant state costs to provide  
            receptacles, staff, and establish a collection schedule at  
            each state agency and facility.


          3)Unknown, potentially significant reimbursable state costs to  
            reimburse local agencies and school districts if this bill is  
            determined to be a reimbursable state-mandate.


          COMMENTS:  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.  


          Recycling provides significant GHG reductions over landfilling.   
          The Air Resources Board's First 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  








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          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.  


          This bill is intended to ensure that state employees have  
          adequate opportunity to recycle their solid waste in the  
          workplace, which will enable the state will lead by example and  
          play a major role in contributing to the state's ambitious  
          diversion goals.  




          Analysis Prepared by:                                             
                          Elizabeth MacMillan / NAT. RES. / (916) 319-2092  
                                                                         
          FN: 0003316



















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