Nov 1

Nov 1 Scuttlebutt

The new collection system at the Point Arena recycling drop-off has launched and appears to be meeting the hopes and expectations of city planners and the contract hauler. Users have adapted well to the simple separation of their recyclables into one of four clearly labeled bins. Readers should be reminded that the facility is open 7:00am to 4:00pm daily.

Meanwhile, the State of California has finally taken some serious action to move the state toward a more sustainable society. No one who thinks about it believes the status quo is sustainable. Many people don't care, but everybody knows.

A spate of new bills have been signed that should have a major impact on how consumer goods move from production line to waste stream.

Most important is SB54 which Washington-based Oceana calls “the strongest plastic source reduction policy in the nation” and “the first state law to mandate source reduction of all single-use plastic packaging and foodware, from detergent bottles and bubble wrap to cups and utensils. The law requires packaging producers and product makers to slash their single-use plastic packaging and foodware by at least 25 percent by 2032 and implement the first reuse and refill mandates in the nation”.

According to Ocean Conservancy, this requirement could prevent an estimated 23 million tons of plastic by 2032, or about 26 times the weight of the Golden Gate Bridge.

SB 54, authored by Senator Ben Allen, establishes a producer responsibility scheme to hold plastic industries accountable for the waste they produce. Producer responsibility is a concept that I have been bleating about for some time. Corporations that produce a product that damages the environment should bear some responsibility.

California is the fourth state to pass such a law, following Colorado, Maine and Oregon.

My favorite part of SB54 is the de facto ban on styrofoam that will surely come. Negotiations require compromise and regulators drafting the bill couldn't get industry to agree to a total ban, but the bill effectively bans styrofoam by creating increasing high recycling requirements that will never be met, thus the material is to be banned if and when this rate cannot be met.

Another nice move is AB1013 which will add wine and liquor bottles to the redemption program starting Jan. 1, 2024. It is about time. California has had a bottle bill for 30 years called the Beverage Container Recycling and Litter Reduction Act, yet those “beverages” have evaded the program. The industry has always claimed that there was not enough “price elasticity” with their products to withstand a ten cent price increase- as though someone preparing to spend $20 for a bottle of wine might balk because it will cost $20.10. I wonder if maybe it has more to do with the fact that some of the more environmentally inclined legislators are from wine counties.

Bill sponsor, Toni G. Atkins (D-San Diego), said. ". . . and when you consider that California generates more than one billion wine and liquor bottles every year, that shows what major progress this legislation is and what an impact it will have.”

The bill would require the department to create the Recycled Glass Processing Incentive Grant Program to provide grants to applicants who demonstrate the ability to expand glass cullet processing in the state. This is important because part of the problem with the circular economy is that there are bottlenecks in the system. While customers and, thus, manufacturers are demanding more recycled content in their products and haulers are desperately searching for markets for collected recyclables, there is a big gap in the middle of those who process the material. The state definitely needed to step in and fill a void the market could not. The bill would authorize the department to expend from the fund up to $4,000,000 annually for those grants.

The bill would also require the department to create the Increased Recycling of Empty Glass Beverage Containers Grant Program to assist in funding regional pilot programs furnishing bins for collection of empty glass beverage containers from bars and restaurants. The bill would authorize the department to expend from the fund up to $4,000,000 annually for those grants.

Further, the bill would require the department to create the Empty Glass Beverage Transportation Grant Program to facilitate the use of rail transportation of empty glass beverage containers to glass processing facilities within the state. The bill would authorize the department to expend from the fund up to $1,000,000 annually for those grants.

Californians Against Waste were notable supporters, while Consumer Watchdog, a nonprofit whose focus includes state bottle bill reform, called the amended bill “loaded with pork for major corporations that don’t need it” and said the money would be better spent on developing more redemption access. There is an obvious need for more redemption centers, but the state is also creating a grant program to increase the number of redemption centers.

SB1335 requires entities operating on state owned facilities to use food packaging materials from CalRecycle’s List of Approved Food Service Packaging. Items listed must be free of toxic chemicals and have certain recycled content.

SB1383 deals with organic waste. Organics like food scraps, yard trimmings, paper, and cardboard make up half of what Californians dump in landfills. Organic waste in landfills emit 20% of the states methane releases. It is believed that reducing so-called Short-Lived Climate Super Pollutants like organic waste will have the fastest impact on the climate crisis. The goal of SB1383 is to cut organic waste disposal 75% by 2025. It also proposes to send at least 20% of surplus, still fresh food to Californians in need by 2025.

AB661 concerns the fact that the state already requires state agencies and those contracting with the state to prioritize purchasing products with recycled content as long as it is equally effective and costs the same.

SB1335, in an effort to stimulate the purchase of recycled content, mandates purchasing agents may spend up to 10% more for recycled products.

AB669 adds Office of Environmental Justice and Tribal Relations within the department.

AB1035 is designed to advance technologies and material recycling techniques that allow for the use of recycled materials in streets and highways to the extent feasible and cost effective.

SB1075 The State Air Resources Board is required to prepare an evaluation relative to the deployment, development, and use of hydrogen. If produced using renewable energy hydrogen could be a major player in our energy future.