BILL ANALYSIS �
AB 712
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Date of Hearing: April 25, 2011
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON NATURAL RESOURCES
Wesley Chesbro, Chair
AB 712 (Williams) - As Amended: March 31, 2011
SUBJECT : Recycling: beverage containers
SUMMARY : Prohibits the Department of Resources Recycling and
Recovery (CalRecycle) from providing Bottle Bill funds to a
city, county, or city and county that prevents the siting or
operation of a certified recycling center at a supermarket site.
EXISTING LAW , the Beverage Container Recycling and Litter
Reduction Act (Bottle Bill):
1)Establishes refund value and redemption payments for beverage
containers.
2)Requires a distributor to pay a redemption payment for every
beverage container sold or offered for sale in the state to
CalRecycle, which is required to deposit those amounts in the
California Beverage Container Recycling Fund (Fund). The
money in the Fund is continuously appropriated for the payment
of refund values and processing fees.
3)Specifies that every convenience zone must be served by at
least one certified recycling center, with specified operating
hours. If a zone is "unserved" by a certified recycling
center, existing law requires that the dealer (store) redeem
beverage containers from consumers.
4)Authorizes funding for specified purposes to increase beverage
container recycling, including payments to cities and
counties.
THIS BILL prohibits CalRecycle from making any Bottle Bill
payments, grants, or loans to a city, county, or city and county
that has adopted or is enforcing a land-use restriction that
prevents the siting or operation of a certified recycling center
at a supermarket site.
FISCAL EFFECT : Unknown
COMMENTS :
AB 712
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The Bottle Bill is designed to provide consumers with a
financial incentive for recycling and to make recycling
convenient to consumers so that the beverage container component
of the solid waste stream will decrease. The centerpiece of the
Bottle Bill is the California Redemption Value (CRV). Consumers
pay a deposit, the CRV, on each beverage container they
purchase. Retailers collect the CRV from consumers when they
buy beverages. The dealer retains a small percentage of the
deposit for administration and remits the remainder to the
distributor, who also retains a small portion for administration
before remitting the balance to the Department. When consumers
return their empty beverage containers to a recycler (or donate
them to a curbside or other program), the deposit is paid back
as a refund.
To provide convenient recycling opportunities to consumers,
certified recycling centers are located on the site of a
supermarket (dealer) and accept beverage containers for
recycling and remit the CRV refund to consumers. There must be
one certified recycling center in each convenience zone, which
is typically a half-mile radius circle around a dealer. In
order to assist these centers cover their operating costs, the
Bottle Bill allocates handling fees. If there is no certified
recycler in a convenience zone, the dealer is responsible for
taking back containers.
According to the author, there are eight cities that prohibit
manned recycling facilities: Newport Beach, Laguna Hills, Laguna
Niguel, Ladera Ranch, Manhattan Beach, Hermosa Beach, Tustin and
Vista. The California Grocers Association provided two specific
examples. The City of Tustin only allows bulk reverse vending
or reverse vending machines on retail/commercial lots. Tustin
does not allow a manned facility on a grocers' parking lot. The
City of Hermosa Beach only allows recycling facilities in its
heavy commercial zones. Hermosa Beach does not allow recycling
centers in retail/commercial, where all of its grocery stores
are located.
REGISTERED SUPPORT / OPPOSITION :
Support
California Grocers Association
California Retailers Association
AB 712
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Opposition
None on file
Analysis Prepared by : Lawrence Lingbloom / NAT. RES. / (916)
319-2092