BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    �



                                                                SB 518
                                                                       

                      SENATE COMMITTEE ON ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY
                        Senator S. Joseph Simitian, Chairman
                              2011-2012 Regular Session
                                           
           BILL NO:    SB 518
           AUTHOR:     Simitian
           AMENDED:    As Introduced
           FISCAL:     Yes               HEARING DATE:     March 21, 2011
           URGENCY:    No                CONSULTANT:       Caroll 
           Mortensen
            
           SUBJECT  :    BEVERAGE CONTAINER RECYCLING:  
                       REDEMPTION RATE 

            SUMMARY  :    
           
            Existing law  , under the California Beverage Container 
           Recycling and Litter Reduction Act (the Act):

            1) Requires the Department of Resources Recycling and 
              Recovery (DRRR) to establish reporting periods of six 
              months each for redemption rates and recycling rates for 
              specified types of beverage containers.  (Public Resources 
              Code �14551).


            2)Requires DRRR to determine the redemption rates and 
              recycling rates for those beverage containers for each 
              reporting period and to issue a report on those 
              determinations. 


            This bill  :  

           1) Deletes the provisions that require the establishment of 
              reporting periods and calculations for redemption rates for 
              beverage containers.  

           2) Deletes the definition of "redemption rate" and makes other 
              conforming changes. 












                                                                SB 518
                                                                 Page 2


            COMMENTS  :

             1) Purpose of Bill  .  According to the author this bill 
              removes obsolete calculation and reporting requirements.  

             2) Background  .  The requirement for calculating  both  
              recycling and redemption rates for aluminum, glass, 
              plastic, and other container materials has been in statute 
              for years.  Recycling rates measure containers subject to 
              the Act, and redemption rates have calculations that 
              include containers that are  not  subject to the Act.  The 
              redemption rate was used in the early years of the program 
              as a trigger for higher fees, but the trigger was removed 
              in 1999 in SB 332 (Sher).  The remaining recycling rate 
              calculation is adequate to determine the numbers and types 
              of containers returned for recycling.

            SOURCE  :        Senator Simitian  

           SUPPORT  :       None on file  

           OPPOSITION  :    None on file