The importance of solid waste and recycling operations to California’s residents compels ESJPA to maintain a dynamic legislative portfolio throughout the year. ESJPA’s advocacy has been key in such recent efforts as Senate Bill 54 (Allen, 2022), the state’s landmark single-use plastics legislation, as well as in securing robust funding through the state budget process for local jurisdictions to implement organics recycling regulations pursuant to Senate Bill 1383 (Lara, 2016). ESJPA continues to work with the California Legislature to ensure the best outcomes for rural county jurisdictions while maintaining our commitment to sustainably managed residential and commercial wastes.
Current List of ESJPA Solid Waste and Recycling Bills (Updated August 22, 2024):
Organic Waste
- AB 2311 (Bennett) CalRecycle Grants – Edible Food Recovery
Expands the scope of projects eligible for funding by CalRecycle to specifically include the recovery of edible food, transportation of edible food, purchase of related software, and expansion of existing edible food waste recovery operations. - AB 2346 (Lee) Organic Waste Procurement – RCRC Support
Authorizes jurisdictions to be credited for procurement of recovered organic waste products through agreements with direct service providers, mulch from tree trimming operations (up to 10% of procurement obligations), and investments made to expand capacity of compostable materials handling operations or community composting operations. - AB 2514 (Aguiar-Curry) Organic Waste
Clarifies the definition of “pyrolysis,” requires CalRecycle to include biomethane converted from diverted organic waste as a pathway for SB 1383 procurement, and requires CalRecycle to consider the life-cycle impacts and benefits of different projects when providing incentives for organic waste reduction. - AB 2902 (Wood) Organic Waste Regulations – RCRC Sponsor
Extends the existing rural exemption from SB 1383, seeks to maximize local benefits of edible food recovery programs, promote carbon farming efforts and utilization of organic waste for animal feed operations, provides flexibility in cart lid color requirements for bear bins, clarifies that compost and mulch give aways and rebate programs do not constitute a gift of public funds, expands CalRecycle’s grant program to include the purchase and distribution of bear bins, and changes CalRecycle’s AB 939 local review timeframe from once every other year to once every four years. - SB 972 (Min) Organic Waste – RCRC Support
Seeks to enhance CalRecycle’s local assistance program and require reports on SB 1383 implementation. - SB 1045 (Blakespear) Composting Facilities – RCRC Support
Will include land use and permitting changes for the siting and approval of compost facilities. - SB 1046 (Laird) Organic Waste Compost Facilities CEQA Program EIR – RCRC Support
Requires the state to develop a program environmental impact report under CEQA for small and medium sized compost facilities. - SB 1175 (Ochoa-Bogh) Organic Waste Low Population Waivers – RCRC Support
Requires CalRecycle to consider specified alternative maps and boundaries in determining whether to grant a low population waiver from SB 1383 collection requirements.
Recycling
- AB 863 (Aguiar-Curry) Carpet Recycling
Expands the scope of flooring for which a producer responsibility program must be established to include carpet padding. Will require industry to develop a needs assessment for resilient flooring. Increases penalties on violations of the carpet stewardship law. Makes a carpet stewardship organization that violates the law three times ineligible to act on behalf of manufacturers to administer a carpet stewardship plan. - SB 615 (Allen) Electric Vehicle Batteries
Establishes a framework for recovery, reuse, and recycling of electric vehicle traction batteries. - SB 707 (Newman) Textile Recovery Act – RCRC Support
Creates a Responsible Textile Recovery Act to require producers to establish a stewardship program for collection and recycling of apparel and textiles that are unsuitable for reuse by a consumer.
Hazardous Waste
- SB 1066 (Blakespear) Hazardous Waste: Marine Flares – RCRC Support
Requires producers of marine flares to join and implement a producer responsibility program to arrange for the collection, transportation, and management of expired marine flares. - SB 1143 (Allen) Paint Products: Stewardship Program – RCRC Support
Expands the scope of the paint stewardship program to include aerosol coating products, architectural paint, coating-related products, and nonindustrial coatings. - SB 1234 (Allen) Metal Shredding Facilities
Repeals and replaces the existing regulatory framework for metal shredding facilities. - SB 1280 (Laird) Reusable or Refillable Propane Cylinders – RCRC Support
Beginning January 1, 2028, will prohibit the sale of single-use propane cylinders and instead require all small propane cylinders sold in the state to be reusable or refillable. - DTSC Hazardous Waste Generation and Handling Fee Trailer Bill
o Modifies the exemptions to DTSC’s Generation and Handling fee, as follows:
– Narrows the scope of the “governmental exemption” to only apply to wastes removed by a governmental agency that were generated by another entity, and which was done to remove or remedy an imminent and substantial threat of release of a hazardous substance.
– Limits the “used oil” exemption to only “household do it yourself” generated used oil, not including used oil generated by a business. Maintains the limit to only certified used oil centers.
– Clarifies that all universal waste is exempt from the Generation and Handling Fee.
o Establishes a process for DTSC to review Generation and Handling Fee exemption claims and allows the Department of Tax and Fee Administration to impute fees due when it is dissatisfied with the claims made by a generator or the generator fails to file reports.