SB 452: The California Beverage Container Recycling and Litter Reduction Act.
- Session Year: 2017-2018
- House: Senate
- Latest Version Date: 2018-09-06
(1)Existing law, the California Beverage Container Recycling and Litter Reduction Act, requires the Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery to annually designate convenience zones and requires that at least one certified recycling center that meets certain requirements be located within every convenience zone. Existing law authorizes the department to grant a convenience zone an exemption from certain redemption requirements, including certain dealer and recycling center redemption requirements, based on certain factors. Existing law limits the total number of exemptions that may be granted to 35% of the total number of convenience zones identified as having one or more of those factors applicable.
This bill, if there is a certified recycling center located within one mile of an unserved convenience zone, would require the department to grant that convenience zone an exemption from the redemption requirements and would increase the total number of exemptions that may be granted otherwise to 50% of the number identified as eligible. The bill would require the department to review exemptions every 5 years to determine if each exemption still meets the prescribed exemption criteria.
(2)The act requires dealers within a convenience zone where no recycling location has been established, or within a convenience zone that is unserved for 60 days and not exempt from convenience zone requirements, to submit an affidavit to the department stating that the dealer has met specified standards for redemption, including, among others, that the dealer is redeeming all empty beverage container types at all open cash registers or at one designated location on the dealers premises, during all hours that the dealer is open for business. If the dealer does not submit that affidavit, existing law requires the dealer to pay $100 per day to the department, for deposit in the California Beverage Container Recycling Fund, a continuously appropriated fund described in (3), until a recycling location is established or until the dealer meets the standards for redemption specified in the affidavit provision.
This bill would revise these convenience zone redemption duties and exempt from those duties dealers with gross annual sales of less than $2,000,000 and dealers that are not supermarkets and that have less than 5,000 square feet of interior retail space. The bill, until January 1, 2021, would also exempt certain other dealers from these requirements.
(3)The act establishes the California Beverage Container Recycling Fund and, except for administrative costs, continuously appropriates moneys in the fund to the department for specified purposes, including the amount necessary to pay handling fees to certain types of recyclers to provide an incentive for the redemption of empty beverage containers in convenience zones. The act also continuously appropriates from the fund $15,000,000 annually for payments for curbside programs and neighborhood dropoff programs and $10,500,000 annually for payments to cities and counties for beverage container recycling and litter cleanup activities. The act authorizes the department to withhold beverage container recycling and litter cleanup activities payments to any city, county, or city and county that has restricted or prohibited the siting of a supermarket site, as provided.
This bill would require the department to offer a handling fee payment from the fund to certain certified recyclers within unserved convenience zones. The bill would make an appropriation by changing the terms and conditions under which the department is authorized to make payments from a continuously appropriated fund. The bill, until July 1, 2021, would require the handling fee to be set at the rate in effect on July 1, 2015. The bill would authorize the department, until July 1, 2021, to annually expend $3,000,000 from the fund for specified supplemental handling fee payments to low-volume recycling centers. By authorizing the expenditure of a continuously appropriated fund for new purposes, this bill would make an appropriation. The bill would require the department to develop and submit to the Legislature recommended revisions to the handling fee provisions, as specified. The bill would authorize the department to withhold payments to curbside programs and neighborhood dropoff programs in any city, county, or city and county that has restricted or prohibited the siting of a certified recycling center, as provided. The bill would require the department, on or before July 1, 2019, to convene a public hearing, as specified, for purposes of discussing and receiving public testimony on the development of guidelines for evaluating the circumstances that might prompt the department to withhold beverage container recycling and litter cleanup activities payments to any city, county, or city and county that has restricted or prohibited the siting of a supermarket site.
(4)The act requires the department to pay a market development payment to a reclaimer, as defined, for empty plastic beverage containers that have been collected for recycling in the state, and that the reclaimer washes and processes into flake, pellet, sheet, or any other form that is then usable as input for the manufacture of new plastic products, as defined, by product manufacturers in the state. The act also requires the department to pay a market development payment to a product manufacturer, as defined, for plastic flake, pellet, sheet, or any other form of plastic purchased from a reclaimer and used by that product manufacturer to manufacture a plastic product in the state.
This bill would require the department to pay market development payments to a reclaimer that uses the services of a 3rd party to process the empty plastic beverage containers into a form usable for the manufacture of new plastic products and to a product manufacturer that uses the services of a 3rd party to process the plastic purchased from a reclaimer in manufacturing the plastic product. The bill would clarify that certain moneys are not available for market development payments to these additional product manufacturers. By changing the purposes for which continuously appropriated moneys may be expended, this bill would make an appropriation.
(5)Under the act, the department is required to calculate a processing fee for each beverage container with a specified scrap value, which is required to be paid by beverage manufacturers for each beverage container sold or transferred to a distributor or dealer. The department is required to calculate the processing fee in a specified manner, so that the actual processing fee generally equals 65% of the processing payment that the department is required to pay to processors if the scrap value of the container having a refund value pursuant to the act is less than the cost of recycling. The department is required to determine the statewide weighted average cost to recycle each beverage container type by conducting a survey, as specified. The department is required to establish a processing fee account in the continuously appropriated California Beverage Container Recycling Fund for each material type and to deposit processing fees and other amounts in the applicable account.
This bill would, for purposes of calculating processing payments, require the department, until January 1, 2021, to use the actual cost of recycling that was in effect on December 30, 2015, adjusted as specified. The bill would make an appropriation by changing the terms and conditions under which the department is authorized to make payments from a continuously appropriated fund. The bill would provide that the processing fees established by the department between the effective date of the bill and December 31, 2018, inclusive, shall not be higher than they would be absent these new provisions. The bill would require the department to suspend usage of surveys and calculations of recycling costs until at least January 1, 2020, and would authorize the department to redirect any contract funds for cost surveys and calculations to provide for a specified assessment and to utilize any contract funds available for the development of amendments to be recommended to the Legislature regarding specified provisions of the act.
(6)This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.(1)Existing law, the California Beverage Container Recycling and Litter Reduction Act, requires the Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery to annually designate convenience zones and requires that at least one certified recycling center that meets certain requirements be located within every convenience zone. Existing law authorizes the department to grant a convenience zone an exemption from certain redemption requirements, including certain dealer and recycling center redemption requirements, based on certain factors. Existing law limits the total number of exemptions that may be granted to 35% of the total number of convenience zones identified as having one or more of those factors applicable.
This bill, if there is a certified recycling center located within one mile of an unserved convenience zone, would require the department to grant that convenience zone an exemption from the redemption requirements and would increase the total number of exemptions that may be granted otherwise to 50% of the number identified as eligible. The bill would require the department to review exemptions every 5 years to determine if each exemption still meets the prescribed exemption criteria.
(2)The act requires dealers within a convenience zone where no recycling location has been established, or within a convenience zone that is unserved for 60 days and not exempt from convenience zone requirements, to submit an affidavit to the department stating that the dealer has met specified standards for redemption, including, among others, that the dealer is redeeming all empty beverage container types at all open cash registers or at one designated location on the dealers premises, during all hours that the dealer is open for business. If the dealer does not submit that affidavit, existing law requires the dealer to pay $100 per day to the department, for deposit in the California Beverage Container Recycling Fund, a continuously appropriated fund described in (3), until a recycling location is established or until the dealer meets the standards for redemption specified in the affidavit provision.
This bill would revise these convenience zone redemption duties and apply them only to exempt from those duties dealers with gross annual sales of less than $2,000,000 or more. and dealers that are not supermarkets and that have less than 5,000 square feet of interior retail space. The bill, until January 1, 2021, would also exempt certain other dealers from these requirements.
(3)The act establishes the California Beverage Container Recycling Fund and, except for administrative costs, continuously appropriates moneys in the fund to the department for specified purposes, including the amount necessary to pay handling fees to certain types of recyclers to provide an incentive for the redemption of empty beverage containers in convenience zones. The act also continuously appropriates from the fund $15,000,000 annually for payments for curbside programs and neighborhood dropoff programs and $10,500,000 annually for payments to cities and counties for beverage container recycling and litter cleanup activities. The act authorizes the department to withhold beverage container recycling and litter cleanup activities payments to any city, county, or city and county that has restricted or prohibited the siting of a supermarket site, as provided.
This bill would require the department to offer a handling fee payment from the fund to certain certified recyclers within unserved convenience zones. The bill would make an appropriation by changing the terms and conditions under which the department is authorized to make payments from a continuously appropriated fund. The bill, until July 1, 2021, would require the handling fee to be set at the rate in effect on July 1, 2015. The bill would authorize the department, until July 1, 2021, to annually expend $3,000,000 from the fund for specified supplemental handling fee payments to low-volume recycling centers. By authorizing the expenditure of a continuously appropriated fund for new purposes, this bill would make an appropriation. The bill would require the department to develop and submit to the Legislature recommended revisions to the handling fee provisions, as specified. The bill would require, instead of authorize, the department to withhold beverage container recycling and litter cleanup activities payments to any city, county, or city and county that has restricted or prohibited the siting of a supermarket site, as provided, and would authorize the department to withhold payments to curbside programs and neighborhood dropoff programs in any city, county, or city and county that has restricted or prohibited the siting of a certified recycling center, as provided. The bill would require the department, on or before July 1, 2019, to convene a public hearing, as specified, for purposes of discussing and receiving public testimony on the development of guidelines for evaluating the circumstances that might prompt the department to withhold beverage container recycling and litter cleanup activities payments to any city, county, or city and county that has restricted or prohibited the siting of a supermarket site.
(4)The act requires the department to pay a market development payment to a reclaimer, as defined, for empty plastic beverage containers that have been collected for recycling in the state, and that the reclaimer washes and processes into flake, pellet, sheet, or any other form that is then usable as input for the manufacture of new plastic products, as defined, by product manufacturers in the state. The act also requires the department to pay a market development payment to a product manufacturer, as defined, for plastic flake, pellet, sheet, or any other form of plastic purchased from a reclaimer and used by that product manufacturer to manufacture a plastic product in the state. The act makes these provisions inoperative on July 1, 2022.
This bill would delay the inoperative date of these provisions from July 1, 2022, to July 1, 2024. require the department to pay market development payments to a reclaimer that uses the services of a 3rd party to process the empty plastic beverage containers into a form usable for the manufacture of new plastic products and to a product manufacturer that uses the services of a 3rd party to process the plastic purchased from a reclaimer in manufacturing the plastic product. The bill would clarify that certain moneys are not available for market development payments to these additional product manufacturers. By changing the purposes for which continuously appropriated moneys may be expended, this bill would make an appropriation.
The act authorizes the department, for the 201920 fiscal year to the 202122 fiscal year, inclusive, to expend up to $10,000,000 each fiscal year from the fund for market development payments to reclaimers and product manufacturers.This bill would additionally authorize the department to expend up to $10,000,000 from the fund for those purposes for each of the 202223 and 202324 fiscal years, thereby making an appropriation.(5)Under the act, the department is required to calculate a processing fee for each beverage container with a specified scrap value, which is required to be paid by beverage manufacturers for each beverage container sold or transferred to a distributor or dealer. The department is required to calculate the processing fee in a specified manner, so that the actual processing fee generally equals 65% of the processing payment that the department is required to pay to processors if the scrap value of the container having a refund value pursuant to the act is less than the cost of recycling. The department is required to determine the statewide weighted average cost to recycle each beverage container type by conducting a survey, as specified. The department is required to establish a processing fee account in the continuously appropriated California Beverage Container Recycling Fund for each material type and to deposit processing fees and other amounts in the applicable account.
This bill would, for purposes of calculating processing payments, require the department, until January 1, 2021, to use the actual cost of recycling that was in effect on December 30, 2015, adjusted as specified. The bill would make an appropriation by changing the terms and conditions under which the department is authorized to make payments from a continuously appropriated fund. The bill would provide that the processing fees established by the department between the effective date of the bill and December 31, 2018, inclusive, shall not be higher than they would be absent these new provisions. The bill would require the department to suspend usage of surveys and calculations of recycling costs until at least January 1, 2020, and would authorize the department to redirect any contract funds for cost surveys and calculations to provide for a specified assessment and to utilize any contract funds available for the development of amendments to be recommended to the Legislature regarding specified provisions of the act.
(6)This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.(1)Existing law, the California Beverage Container Recycling and Litter Reduction Act, requires the Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery to annually designate convenience zones and requires that at least one certified recycling center that meets certain requirements be located within every convenience zone. Existing law authorizes the department to grant a convenience zone an exemption from certain redemption requirements, including certain dealer and recycling center redemption requirements, based on certain factors. Existing law limits the total number of exemptions that may be granted to 35% of the total number of convenience zones identified as having one or more of those factors applicable.
This bill, if there is a certified recycling center located within one mile of an unserved convenience zone, would require the department to grant that convenience zone an exemption from the redemption requirements and would increase the total number of exemptions that may be granted otherwise to 50% of the number identified as eligible. The bill would require the department to review exemptions every 5 years to determine if each exemption still meets the prescribed exemption criteria.
(2)The act requires dealers within a convenience zone where no recycling location has been established, or within a convenience zone that is unserved for 60 days and not exempt from convenience zone requirements, to submit an affidavit to the department stating that the dealer has met specified standards for redemption, including, among others, that the dealer is redeeming all empty beverage container types at all open cash registers or at one designated location on the dealers premises, during all hours that the dealer is open for business. If the dealer does not submit that affidavit, existing law requires the dealer to pay $100 per day to the department, for deposit in the California Beverage Container Recycling Fund, a continuously appropriated fund described in (3), until a recycling location is established or until the dealer meets the standards for redemption specified in the affidavit provision.
This bill would revise these convenience zone redemption duties and apply them only to dealers with gross annual sales of $2,000,000 or more. The bill, until January 1, 2021, would exempt certain dealers from these requirements.
(3)The act establishes the California Beverage Container Recycling Fund and, except for administrative costs, continuously appropriates moneys in the fund to the department for specified purposes, including the amount necessary to pay handling fees to certain types of recyclers to provide an incentive for the redemption of empty beverage containers in convenience zones. The act also continuously appropriates from the fund $15,000,000 annually for payments for curbside programs and neighborhood dropoff programs and $10,500,000 annually for payments to cities and counties for beverage container recycling and litter cleanup activities.
This bill would require the department to offer a handling fee payment from the fund to certain certified recyclers within unserved convenience zones. The bill would make an appropriation by changing the terms and conditions under which the department is authorized to make payments from a continuously appropriated fund. The bill, until July 1, 2021, would require the handling fee to be set at the rate in effect on July 1, 2015. The bill would authorize the department, until July 1, 2021, to annually expend $3,000,000 from the fund for specified supplemental handling fee payments to low-volume recycling centers. By authorizing the expenditure of a continuously appropriated fund for new purposes, this bill would make an appropriation. The bill would require the department to develop and submit to the Legislature recommended revisions to the handling fee provisions, as specified. The bill would require require, instead of authorize, the department to withhold payments for curbside programs and neighborhood dropoff programs and for beverage container recycling and litter cleanup activities in payments to any city, county, or city and county that has restricted or prohibited the siting of a supermarket site, as provided, and would authorize the department to withhold those payments to curbside programs and neighborhood dropoff programs in any city, county, or city and county that has restricted or prohibited the siting of a certified recycling center, as provided.
(4)The act requires the department to pay a market development payment to a reclaimer, as defined, for empty plastic beverage containers that have been collected for recycling in the state, and that the reclaimer washes and processes into flake, pellet, sheet, or any other form that is then usable as input for the manufacture of new plastic products, as defined, by product manufacturers in the state. The act also requires the department to pay a market development payment to a product manufacturer, as defined, for plastic flake, pellet, sheet, or any other form of plastic purchased from a reclaimer and used by that product manufacturer to manufacture a plastic product in the state. The act makes these provisions inoperative on July 1, 2022.
This bill would delay the inoperative date of these provisions from July 1, 2022, to July 1, 2024.
The act authorizes the department, for the 201920 fiscal year to the 202122 fiscal year, inclusive, to expend up to $10,000,000 each fiscal year from the fund for market development payments to reclaimers and product manufacturers.
This bill would additionally authorize the department to expend up to $10,000,000 from the fund for those purposes for each of the 202223 and 202324 fiscal years, thereby making an appropriation.
(5)Under the act, the department is required to calculate a processing fee for each beverage container with a specified scrap value, which is required to be paid by beverage manufacturers for each beverage container sold or transferred to a distributor or dealer. The department is required to calculate the processing fee in a specified manner, so that the actual processing fee generally equals 65% of the processing payment that the department is required to pay to processors if the scrap value of the container having a refund value pursuant to the act is less than the cost of recycling. The department is required to determine the statewide weighted average cost to recycle each beverage container type by conducting a survey, as specified. The department is required to establish a processing fee account in the continuously appropriated California Beverage Container Recycling Fund for each material type and to deposit processing fees and other amounts in the applicable account.
This bill would, for purposes of calculating processing payments, require the department, until January 1, 2021, to use the actual cost of recycling that was in effect on December 30, 2015, adjusted as specified. The bill would make an appropriation by changing the terms and conditions under which the department is authorized to make payments from a continuously appropriated fund. The bill would provide that the processing fees established by the department between the effective date of the bill and December 31, 2018, inclusive, shall not be higher than they would be absent these new provisions. The bill would require the department to suspend usage of surveys and calculations of recycling costs until at least January 1, 2020, and would authorize the department to redirect any contract funds for cost surveys and calculations to provide for a specified assessment and to utilize any contract funds available for the development of amendments to be recommended to the Legislature regarding specified provisions of the act.
(6)The act, until January 1, 2020, authorizes up to 5 limited-term recycling pilot projects, subject to department approval, that are designed to improve redemption opportunities in unserved convenience zones. The act subjects each pilot project to certain requirements, including, among others, that the pilot project not establish a redemption location outside of a convenience zone. The act makes a pilot project recycler eligible to apply for handling fees if located within a convenience zone. A violation of the act is a crime.This bill would repeal the prohibition on a pilot project recycler establishing a redemption location outside of a convenience zone and would make related changes, including making a pilot project recycler eligible to apply for handling fees if located anywhere within a pilot project area. By authorizing the payment of handling fees from the fund for a new purpose, the bill would make an appropriation. The bill would also appropriate 50% of certain moneys paid into the fund by dealers in an approved pilot project area during the 24 months preceding the pilot project approval date to the department to disburse to the applicant jurisdiction, as specified. The bill would prohibit an applicant jurisdiction from using those appropriated moneys for any purpose other than assisting with the opening and continued operation of pilot project recyclers. Because a violation of this prohibition would be a crime, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program.(7)The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement.This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason.(8)(6)This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.
(1)Existing law, the California Beverage Container Recycling and Litter Reduction Act, requires the Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery to annually designate convenience zones and requires that at least one certified recycling center that meets certain requirements be located within every convenience zone. Existing law authorizes the department to grant a convenience zone an exemption from certain redemption requirements, including certain dealer and recycling center redemption requirements, based on certain factors. Existing law limits the total number of exemptions that may be granted to 35% of the total number of convenience zones identified as having one or more of those factors applicable.
This bill, if there is a certified recycling center located within one mile of an unserved convenience zone, would require the department to grant that convenience zone an exemption from the redemption requirements and would increase the total number of exemptions that may be granted otherwise to 50% of the number identified as eligible. The bill would require the department to review exemptions every 5 years to determine if each exemption still meets the prescribed exemption criteria.
(2)The act requires dealers within a convenience zone where no recycling location has been established, or within a convenience zone that is unserved for 60 days and not exempt from convenience zone requirements, to submit an affidavit to the department stating that the dealer has met specified standards for redemption, including, among others, that the dealer is redeeming all empty beverage container types at all open cash registers or at one designated location on the dealers premises, during all hours that the dealer is open for business. If the dealer does not submit that affidavit, existing law requires the dealer to pay $100 per day to the department, for deposit in the California Beverage Container Recycling Fund, a continuously appropriated fund described in (3), until a recycling location is established or until the dealer meets the standards for redemption specified in the affidavit provision.
This bill would revise these convenience zone redemption duties and apply them only to dealers with gross annual sales of $2,000,000 or more. The bill, until January 1, 2021, would exempt certain dealers from these requirements.
(3)The act establishes the California Beverage Container Recycling Fund and, except for administrative costs, continuously appropriates moneys in the fund to the department for specified purposes, including the amount necessary to pay handling fees to certain types of recyclers to provide an incentive for the redemption of empty beverage containers in convenience zones. The act also continuously appropriates moneys in the fund to the department for expenditure for various purposes relating to beverage container recycling that included, until January 1, 2018, up to $10,000,000 annually for market development payments for empty plastic beverage containers. The act also continuously appropriates from the fund $15,000,000 annually for payments for curbside programs and neighborhood dropoff programs and $10,500,000 annually for payments to cities and counties for beverage container recycling and litter cleanup activities.
This bill would require the department to offer a handling fee payment from the fund to certain certified recyclers within unserved convenience zones. The bill would make an appropriation by changing the terms and conditions under which the department is authorized to make payments from a continuously appropriated fund. The bill, until July 1, 2021, would require the handling fee to be set at the rate in effect on July 1, 2015. The bill would authorize the department, until July 1, 2021, to annually expend $3,000,000 from the fund for specified supplemental handling fee payments to low-volume recycling centers. By authorizing the expenditure of a continuously appropriated fund for new purposes, this bill would make an appropriation. The bill would require the department to develop and submit to the Legislature recommended revisions to the handling fee provisions, as specified. The bill would require the department to withhold payments for curbside programs and neighborhood dropoff programs and for beverage container recycling and litter cleanup activities in any city, county, or city and county that has restricted or prohibited the siting of a certified recycling center or a supermarket site, respectively, as provided. as provided, and would authorize the department to withhold those payments in any city, county, or city and county that has restricted or prohibited the siting of a certified recycling center, as provided.
The bill would require the department to pay a market development payment to a reclaimer, as defined, for empty plastic beverage containers that have been collected for recycling in the state, and that the reclaimer washes and processes into flake, pellet, sheet, or any other form that is then usable as input for the manufacture of new plastic products, as defined, by product manufacturers in the state. The bill would require the department to pay a market development payment to a product manufacturer, as defined, for plastic flake, pellet, sheet, or any other form of plastic purchased from a reclaimer and used by that product manufacturer to manufacture a plastic product in the state. The bill would authorize the department to set the amount of a market development payment, up to $150 per ton. The bill would make these provisions inoperative on January 1, 2024.The bill would authorize the department, for the 201819 fiscal year, to expend up to $15 million from the fund for market development payments to reclaimers and product manufacturers, and would authorize up to $5 million of that amount to be expended for market development payments to reclaimers and product manufacturers for program participation, as provided, that occurred during the period from January 1, 2018, to June 30, 2018, inclusive. The bill would authorize the department, for the 201920 fiscal year to the 202324 fiscal year, inclusive, to expend up to $10 million each fiscal year from the fund for market development payments to reclaimers and product manufacturers. Because the bill would authorize an additional purpose for which money in the fund may be spent, the bill would make an appropriation.(4)The act requires the department to pay a market development payment to a reclaimer, as defined, for empty plastic beverage containers that have been collected for recycling in the state, and that the reclaimer washes and processes into flake, pellet, sheet, or any other form that is then usable as input for the manufacture of new plastic products, as defined, by product manufacturers in the state. The act also requires the department to pay a market development payment to a product manufacturer, as defined, for plastic flake, pellet, sheet, or any other form of plastic purchased from a reclaimer and used by that product manufacturer to manufacture a plastic product in the state. The act makes these provisions inoperative on July 1, 2022.
This bill would delay the inoperative date of these provisions from July 1, 2022, to July 1, 2024.
The act authorizes the department, for the 201920 fiscal year to the 202122 fiscal year, inclusive, to expend up to $10,000,000 each fiscal year from the fund for market development payments to reclaimers and product manufacturers.
This bill would additionally authorize the department to expend up to $10,000,000 from the fund for those purposes for each of the 202223 and 202324 fiscal years, thereby making an appropriation.
(4)(5)Under the act, the department is required to calculate a processing fee for each beverage container with a specified scrap value, which is required to be paid by beverage manufacturers for each beverage container sold or transferred to a distributor or dealer. The department is required to calculate the processing fee in a specified manner, so that the actual processing fee generally equals 65% of the processing payment that the department is required to pay to processors if the scrap value of the container having a refund value pursuant to the act is less than the cost of recycling. The department is required to determine the statewide weighted average cost to recycle each beverage container type by conducting a survey, as specified. The department is required to establish a processing fee account in the continuously appropriated California Beverage Container Recycling Fund for each material type and to deposit processing fees and other amounts in the applicable account.
This bill would, for purposes of calculating processing payments, require the department, until January 1, 2021, to use the actual cost of recycling that was in effect on December 30, 2015, adjusted as specified. The bill would make an appropriation by changing the terms and conditions under which the department is authorized to make payments from a continuously appropriated fund. The bill would provide that the processing fees established by the department between the effective date of the bill and December 31, 2018, inclusive, shall not be higher than they would be absent these new provisions. The bill would require the department to suspend usage of surveys and calculations of recycling costs until at least January 1, 2020, and would authorize the department to redirect any contract funds for cost surveys and calculations to provide for a specified assessment and to utilize any contract funds available for the development of amendments to be recommended to the Legislature regarding specified provisions of the act.
(6)The act, until January 1, 2020, authorizes up to 5 limited-term recycling pilot projects, subject to department approval, that are designed to improve redemption opportunities in unserved convenience zones. The act subjects each pilot project to certain requirements, including, among others, that the pilot project not establish a redemption location outside of a convenience zone. The act makes a pilot project recycler eligible to apply for handling fees if located within a convenience zone. A violation of the act is a crime.
This bill would repeal the prohibition on a pilot project recycler establishing a redemption location outside of a convenience zone and would make related changes, including making a pilot project recycler eligible to apply for handling fees if located anywhere within a pilot project area. By authorizing the payment of handling fees from the fund for a new purpose, the bill would make an appropriation. The bill would also appropriate 50% of certain moneys paid into the fund by dealers in an approved pilot project area during the 24 months preceding the pilot project approval date to the department to disburse to the applicant jurisdiction, as specified. The bill would prohibit an applicant jurisdiction from using those appropriated moneys for any purpose other than assisting with the opening and continued operation of pilot project recyclers. Because a violation of this prohibition would be a crime, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program.
(7)The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement.
This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason.
(5)(8)This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.
(1)Existing law, the California Beverage Container Recycling and Litter Reduction Act, requires the Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery to annually designate convenience zones and requires that at least one certified recycling center that meets certain requirements be located within every convenience zone. Existing law authorizes the department to grant a convenience zone an exemption from certain redemption requirements, including certain dealer and recycling center redemption requirements, based on certain factors. Existing law limits the total number of exemptions that may be granted to 35% of the total number of convenience zones identified as having one or more of those factors applicable.
This bill, if there is a certified recycling center located within one mile of an unserved convenience zone, would require the department to grant that convenience zone an exemption from the redemption requirements and would increase the total number of exemptions that may be granted otherwise to 50% of the number identified as eligible. The bill would require the department to evaluate and recommend to the Legislature, on or before January 1, 2021, policies, incentives, and standards for ensuring the establishment and maintenance of a network of cost-effective direct redemption opportunities, as defined by the bill, in every community sufficient to support the recycling of not less than 80% of beverage containers sold in the state. The bill would require the department to review exemptions every 5 years to determine if each exemption still meets the prescribed exemption criteria.
(2)The act requires dealers within a convenience zone where no recycling location has been established, or within a convenience zone that is unserved for 60 days and not exempt from convenience zone requirements, to submit an affidavit to the department stating that the dealer has met specified standards for redemption, including, among others, that the dealer is redeeming all empty beverage container types at all open cash registers or at one designated location on the dealers premises, during all hours that the dealer is open for business. If the dealer does not submit that affidavit, existing law requires the dealer to pay $100 per day to the department, for deposit in the California Beverage Container Recycling Fund, a continuously appropriated fund described in (3), until a recycling location is established or until the dealer meets the standards for redemption specified in the affidavit provision.
This bill would revise these convenience zone redemption duties and apply them only to dealers with gross annual sales of $2,000,000 or more. The bill, until January 1, 2021, would exempt certain dealers from these requirements.
(3)The act establishes the California Beverage Container Recycling Fund and, except for administrative costs, continuously appropriates moneys in the fund to the department for specified purposes, including the amount necessary to pay handling fees to certain types of recyclers to provide an incentive for the redemption of empty beverage containers in convenience zones. The act also continuously appropriates moneys in the fund to the department for expenditure for various purposes relating to beverage container recycling that included, until January 1, 2018, up to $10,000,000 annually for market development payments for empty plastic beverage containers. The act also continuously appropriates from the fund $15,000,000 annually for payments for curbside programs and neighborhood dropoff programs and $10,500,000 annually for payments to cities and counties for beverage container recycling and litter cleanup activities.
This bill would require the department to offer a handling fee payment from the fund to certain certified recyclers within unserved convenience zones. The bill would make an appropriation by changing the terms and conditions under which the department is authorized to make payments from a continuously appropriated fund. The bill, until July 1, 2021, would require the handling fee to be set at the rate in effect on July 1, 2015. The bill would authorize the department, until July 1, 2021, to annually expend money $3,000,000 from the fund for specified supplemental handling fee payments to low-volume recycling centers, and would reinstate the authority to appropriate up to $10,000,000 annually for market development payments for empty plastic beverage containers until January 1, 2024. centers. By authorizing the expenditure of a continuously appropriated fund for new purposes, this bill would make an appropriation. The bill would require the department to develop and submit to the Legislature recommended revisions to the handling fee provisions, as specified. The bill would require the department to withhold payments for curbside programs and neighborhood dropoff programs and for beverage container recycling and litter cleanup activities in any city, county, or city and county that has restricted or prohibited the siting of a certified recycling center or a supermarket site, respectively, as provided.
The bill would require the department to pay a market development payment to a reclaimer, as defined, for empty plastic beverage containers that have been collected for recycling in the state, and that the reclaimer washes and processes into flake, pellet, sheet, or any other form that is then usable as input for the manufacture of new plastic products, as defined, by product manufacturers in the state. The bill would require the department to pay a market development payment to a product manufacturer, as defined, for plastic flake, pellet, sheet, or any other form of plastic purchased from a reclaimer and used by that product manufacturer to manufacture a plastic product in the state. The bill would authorize the department to set the amount of a market development payment, up to $150 per ton. The bill would make these provisions inoperative on January 1, 2024.
The bill would authorize the department, for the 201819 fiscal year, to expend up to $15 million from the fund for market development payments to reclaimers and product manufacturers, and would authorize up to $5 million of that amount to be expended for market development payments to reclaimers and product manufacturers for program participation, as provided, that occurred during the period from January 1, 2018, to June 30, 2018, inclusive. The bill would authorize the department, for the 201920 fiscal year to the 202324 fiscal year, inclusive, to expend up to $10 million each fiscal year from the fund for market development payments to reclaimers and product manufacturers. Because the bill would authorize an additional purpose for which money in the fund may be spent, the bill would make an appropriation.
(4)Under the act, the department is required to calculate a processing fee for each beverage container with a specified scrap value, which is required to be paid by beverage manufacturers for each beverage container sold or transferred to a distributor or dealer. The department is required to calculate the processing fee in a specified manner, so that the actual processing fee generally equals 65% of the processing payment that the department is required to pay to processors if the scrap value of the container having a refund value pursuant to the act is less than the cost of recycling. The department is required to determine the statewide weighted average cost to recycle each beverage container type by conducting a survey, as specified. The department is required to establish a processing fee account in the continuously appropriated California Beverage Container Recycling Fund for each material type and to deposit processing fees and other amounts in the applicable account.
This bill would, for purposes of calculating processing payments, require the department, until January 1, 2021, to use the actual cost of recycling that was in effect on December 30, 2015, adjusted as specified. The bill would make an appropriation by changing the terms and conditions under which the department is authorized to make payments from a continuously appropriated fund. The bill would provide that the processing fees established by the department between January 1, 2019, and December 31, 2019, the effective date of the bill and December 31, 2018, inclusive, shall not be higher than they would be absent these new provisions. The bill would require the department to suspend usage of surveys and calculations of recycling costs until at least January 1, 2020, and would authorize the department to redirect any contract funds for cost surveys and calculations to provide for a specified assessment and to utilize any contract funds available for the development of amendments to be recommended to the Legislature regarding specified provisions of the act.
(5)This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.
(1)Existing law, the California Beverage Container Recycling and Litter Reduction Act, requires the Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery to annually designate convenience zones and requires that at least one certified recycling center that meets certain requirements be located within every convenience zone. Existing law authorizes the department to grant a convenience zone an exemption from certain redemption requirements, including certain dealer and recycling center redemption requirements, based on certain factors. Existing law limits the total number of exemptions that may be granted to 35% of the total number of convenience zones identified as having one or more of those factors applicable.
This bill, if there is a certified recycling center located within one mile of an unserved convenience zone, would require the department to grant that convenience zone an exemption from the redemption requirements and would increase the total number of exemptions that may be granted otherwise to 50% of the number identified as eligible. The bill would require the department to evaluate and recommend to the Legislature, on or before January 1, 2021, policies, incentives, and standards for ensuring the establishment and maintenance of a network of cost-effective direct redemption opportunities, as defined by the bill, in every community sufficient to support the recycling of not less than 80% of beverage containers sold in the state.
(2)The act requires dealers within a convenience zone where no recycling location has been established, or within a convenience zone that is unserved for 60 days and not exempt from convenience zone requirements, to submit an affidavit to the department stating that the dealer has met specified standards for redemption, including, among others, that the dealer is redeeming all empty beverage container types at all open cash registers or at one designated location on the dealers premises, during all hours that the dealer is open for business. If the dealer does not submit that affidavit, existing law requires the dealer to pay $100 per day to the department, for deposit in the California Beverage Container Recycling Fund, a continuously appropriated fund described in (3), until a recycling location is established or until the dealer meets the standards for redemption specified in the affidavit provision.
This bill would revise these convenience zone redemption duties and apply them only to dealers with gross annual sales of $2,000,000 or more. The bill, until January 1, 2021, would exempt certain dealers from these requirements.
(3)The act establishes the California Beverage Container Recycling Fund and, except for administrative costs, continuously appropriates moneys in the fund to the department for specified purposes, including the amount necessary to pay handling fees to certain types of recyclers to provide an incentive for the redemption of empty beverage containers in convenience zones. The act also continuously appropriates moneys in the fund to the department for expenditure for various purposes relating to beverage container recycling purposes that included, until January 1, 2018, up to $10,000,000 annually for market development payments for empty plastic beverage containers. The act also continuously appropriates from the fund $15,000,000 annually for payments for curbside programs and neighborhood dropoff programs and $10,500,000 annually for payments to cities and counties for beverage container recycling and litter cleanup activities.
This bill would require the department to offer a handling fee payment from the fund to certain certified recyclers within unserved convenience zones. The bill would make an appropriation by changing the terms and conditions under which the department is authorized to make payments from a continuously appropriated fund. The bill, until July 1, 2021, would require the handling fee to be set at the rate in effect on July 1, 2015. The bill would authorize the department, until July 1, 2021, to annually expend money from the fund for specified supplemental handling fee payments to low-volume recycling centers, and would reinstate the authority to appropriate up to $10,000,000 annually for market development payments for empty plastic beverage containers until January 1, 2024. By authorizing the expenditure of a continuously appropriated fund for new purposes, this bill would make an appropriation. The bill would require the department to withhold payments for curbside programs and neighborhood dropoff programs and for beverage container recycling and litter cleanup activities in any city, county, or city and county that has restricted or prohibited the siting of a certified recycling center or a supermarket site, respectively, as provided.
(4)Under the act, the department is required to calculate a processing fee for each beverage container with a specified scrap value, which is required to be paid by beverage manufacturers for each beverage container sold or transferred to a distributor or dealer. The department is required to calculate the processing fee in a specified manner, so that the actual processing fee generally equals 65% of the processing payment that the department is required to pay to processors if the scrap value of the container having a refund value pursuant to the act is less than the cost of recycling. The department is required to determine the statewide weighted average cost to recycle each beverage container type by conducting a survey, as specified. The department is required to establish a processing fee account in the continuously appropriated California Beverage Container Recycling Fund for each material type and to deposit processing fees and other amounts in the applicable account.
This bill would, for purposes of calculating processing payments, require the department, until January 1, 2021, to use the actual cost of recycling that was in effect on December 30, 2015, adjusted as specified. The bill would make an appropriation by changing the terms and conditions under which the department is authorized to make payments from a continuously appropriated fund. The bill would provide that the processing fees established by the department between the effective date of the bill and December 31, 2018, inclusive, January 1, 2019, and December 31, 2019, inclusive, shall not be higher than they would be absent these new provisions. The bill would require the department to suspend usage of surveys and calculations of recycling costs until at least January 1, 2020, and would authorize the department to redirect any contract funds for cost surveys and calculations to provide for a specified assessment and to utilize any contract funds available for the development of amendments to be recommended to the Legislature regarding specified provisions of the act.
(5)This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.(1)Existing law, the California Beverage Container Recycling and Litter Reduction Act, requires the Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery to annually designate convenience zones and requires that at least one certified recycling center that meets certain requirements be located within every convenience zone. Existing law authorizes the department to grant a convenience zone an exemption from certain redemption requirements, including certain dealer and recycling center redemption requirements, based on certain factors. Existing law limits the total number of exemptions that may be granted to 35% of the total number of convenience zones identified as having one or more of those factors applicable.
This bill, if there is a certified recycling center located within one mile of an unserved convenience zone, would require the department to grant that convenience zone an exemption from the redemption requirements and would increase the total number of exemptions that may be granted otherwise to 50% of the number identified as eligible. The bill would require the department to evaluate and recommend to the Legislature, on or before January 1, 2021, policies, incentives, and standards for ensuring the establishment and maintenance of a network of cost-effective direct redemption opportunities, as defined by the bill, in every community sufficient to support the recycling of not less than 80% of beverage containers sold in the state.
(2)The act requires dealers within a convenience zone where no recycling location has been established, or within a convenience zone that is unserved for 60 days and not exempt from convenience zone requirements, to submit an affidavit to the department stating that the dealer has met specified standards for redemption, including, among others, that the dealer is redeeming all empty beverage container types at all open cash registers or at one designated location on the dealers premises, during all hours that the dealer is open for business. If the dealer does not submit that affidavit, existing law requires the dealer to pay $100 per day to the department, for deposit in the California Beverage Container Recycling Fund, a continuously appropriated fund described in (3), until a recycling location is established or until the dealer meets the standards for redemption specified in the affidavit provision.
This bill would revise these convenience zone redemption duties and apply them only to dealers with gross annual sales of $2,000,000 or more. The bill, until January 1, 2021, would exempt certain dealers from these requirements.
(3)The act establishes the California Beverage Container Recycling Fund and, except for administrative costs, continuously appropriates moneys in the fund to the department for specified purposes, including the amount necessary to pay handling fees to certain types of recyclers to provide an incentive for the redemption of empty beverage containers in convenience zones. The act also continuously appropriates moneys in the fund to the department for expenditure for various purposes relating to beverage container recycling purposes that included, until January 1, 2018, up to $10,000,000 annually for market development payments for empty plastic beverage containers. The act also continuously appropriates from the fund $15,000,000 annually for payments for curbside programs and neighborhood dropoff programs and $10,500,000 annually for payments to cities and counties for beverage container recycling and litter cleanup activities.
This bill would require the department to offer a handling fee payment from the fund to certain certified recyclers within unserved convenience zones. The bill would make an appropriation by changing the terms and conditions under which the department is authorized to make payments from a continuously appropriated fund. The bill, until July 1, 2021, would require the handling fee to be set at the rate in effect on July 1, 2015. The bill would authorize the department, until July 1, 2021, to annually expend money from the fund for specified supplemental handling fee payments to low-volume recycling centers, and would reinstate the authority to appropriate up to $10,000,000 annually for market development payments for empty plastic beverage containers until January 1, 2024. By authorizing the expenditure of a continuously appropriated fund for new purposes, this bill would make an appropriation. The bill would require the department to withhold payments for curbside programs and neighborhood dropoff programs and for beverage container recycling and litter cleanup activities in any city, county, or city and county that has restricted or prohibited the siting of a certified recycling center or a supermarket site, respectively, as provided.
(4)Under the act, the department is required to calculate a processing fee for each beverage container with a specified scrap value, which is required to be paid by beverage manufacturers for each beverage container sold or transferred to a distributor or dealer. The department is required to calculate the processing fee in a specified manner, so that the actual processing fee generally equals 65% of the processing payment that the department is required to pay to processors if the scrap value of the container having a refund value pursuant to the act is less than the cost of recycling. The department is required to determine the statewide weighted average cost to recycle each beverage container type by conducting a survey, as specified. The department is required to establish a processing fee account in the continuously appropriated California Beverage Container Recycling Fund for each material type and to deposit processing fees and other amounts in the applicable account.
This bill would, for purposes of calculating processing payments, require the department, until January 1, 2021, to use the actual cost of recycling that was in effect on December 30, 2015, adjusted as specified. The bill would make an appropriation by changing the terms and conditions under which the department is authorized to make payments from a continuously appropriated fund. The bill would provide that the processing fees established by the department between the effective date of the bill and December 31, 2018, inclusive, shall not be higher than they would be absent these new provisions. The bill would require the department to suspend usage of surveys and calculations of recycling costs until at least January 1, 2020, and would authorize the department to redirect any contract funds for cost surveys and calculations to provide for a specified assessment and to utilize any contract funds available for the development of amendments to be recommended to the Legislature regarding specified provisions of the act.
(5)This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.
The California Emergency Services Act specifies those events constituting a state or local emergency for purposes of the act and provides for specified activities in preparation for, or response to, those events. Under that act, a state of emergency means a duly proclaimed existence of conditions of disaster or of extreme peril to the safety of persons and property within the state caused by, among other things, fire, storm, or riot.This bill would additionally include cyberattacks within those conditions constituting a state of emergency and a local emergency.The California Emergency Services Act specifies those events constituting a state or local emergency for purposes of the act and provides for specified activities in preparation for, or response to, those events. Under that act, a state of emergency means a duly proclaimed existence of conditions of disaster or of extreme peril to the safety of persons and property within the state caused by, among other things, fire, storm, or riot.
This bill would additionally include cyberattacks within those conditions constituting a state of emergency and a local emergency.
(a)Except as provided in subdivision (b), the director shall adopt, amend, or repeal all rules and regulations in accordance with Chapter 3.5 (commencing with Section 11340) of Part 1 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code.
(b)(1)The director shall adopt regulations, and may adopt emergency regulations, for the purposes of implementing Sections 14538, 14539, 14541, 14549.1, 14549.2, 14550, 14561, 14571.6, 14571.65, 14574, 14575, 14585, 14588.1, 14588.2, and 14591.
(2)Any emergency regulations, if adopted, shall be adopted in accordance with Chapter 3.5 (commencing with Section 11340) of Part 1 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code, and for the purposes of that chapter, including Section 11349.6 of the Government Code, the adoption of these regulations is an emergency and shall be considered by the Office of Administrative Law as necessary for the immediate preservation of the public peace, health and safety, and general welfare. Notwithstanding Chapter 3.5 (commencing with Section 11340) of Part 1 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code, including subdivision (e) of Section 11346.1 of the Government Code, any emergency regulations adopted pursuant to this section shall be filed with, but not be repealed by, the Office of Administrative Law and shall remain in effect until revised by the director.
SEC. 2.Section 14549.2 of the Public Resources Code is amended to read:14549.2.(a)For purposes of this section, the following definitions shall apply:
(1)Certified entity means a recycling center, processor, or dropoff or collection program certified pursuant to this division.
(2)Plastic product means a finished plastic product that requires no further thermoforming, shaping, or processing before being sold for its specified use. Plastic product does not include plastic flake, pellet, sheet, or any other form that is an output from a reclaimers processing of empty plastic beverage containers.
(3)Product manufacturer means a person who manufactures a plastic product in this state.
(4)Reclaimer means a certified entity that purchases empty plastic beverage containers that have been collected for recycling in the state, and that washes and processes, in the state, those empty plastic beverage containers into flake, pellet, sheet, or any other form that is then usable as input for the manufacture of new plastic products by product manufacturers in the state.
(b)In order to develop California markets for empty plastic beverage containers collected for recycling in the state, the department may, consistent with Section 14581 and subject to the availability of funds, pay a market development payment to a reclaimer for empty plastic beverage containers collected and managed pursuant to this section and to a product manufacturer for plastic flake, pellet, sheet, or any other form of plastic purchased from a reclaimer pursuant to this section.
(c)The department shall make a market development payment to a reclaimer or product manufacturer in accordance with this section only if the plastic beverage container is collected, washed, and processed into flake, pellet, sheet, or any other form, and is used in manufacturing, in the state, as follows:
(1)The department shall make a market development payment to a reclaimer for empty plastic beverage containers that are collected, washed, and processed as specified in paragraph (4) of subdivision(a), including to a reclaimer that uses the services of a third party to process the empty plastic beverage containers into a form usable for the manufacture of new plastic products.
(2)The department shall make a market development payment to a product manufacturer for plastic flake, pellet, sheet, or any other form of plastic purchased from a reclaimer and used by that product manufacturer to manufacture a plastic product in the state, including to a product manufacturer that uses the services of a third party to process the plastic purchased from a reclaimer in manufacturing the plastic product.
(3)The department shall determine the amount of the market development payment, which may be set at a different level for a reclaimer and a product manufacturer, but shall not exceed one hundred fifty dollars ($150) per ton. In setting the amount of the market development payment for both reclaimers and product manufacturers, the department shall consider all of the following:
(A)The minimum funding level needed to encourage in-state washing and processing of empty plastic beverage containers collected for recycling in this state.
(B)The minimum funding level needed to encourage in-state manufacturing that utilizes flake, pellet, sheet, or any other form processed from empty plastic beverage containers collected for recycling in this state.
(C)The total amount of funds projected to be available for plastic market development payments, and the desire to maintain the minimum funding level needed throughout the year.
(4)The department may make a market development payment to both a reclaimer and a product manufacturer for both the empty plastic beverage container and for the flake, pellet, sheet, or any other form processed by the reclaimer from that same empty plastic beverage container.
(d)This section shall become inoperative on July 1, 2022, and, as of January 1, 2023, is repealed.
SEC. 3.Section 14571.6 of the Public Resources Code is amended to read:14571.6.(a)Except as provided in Section 14572.3, in any convenience zone where no recycling location has been established that satisfies the requirements of Section 14571, and in any convenience zone that has exceeded the 60-day period for the establishment of a recycling center pursuant to Section 14571.7, all dealers within that zone shall, until a recycling location has been established in that zone, do one of the following:
(1)Submit to the department an affidavit form provided by the department stating that all of the following standards are being met by the dealer:
(A)The dealer redeems all empty beverage container types at a minimum of one designated location on the dealers premises, during all hours that the dealer is open for business. The dealer is not required to redeem more than 50 beverage containers of any one type per consumer per day.
(B)The dealer has posted signs that meet the size and location requirements specified in subdivision (b) of Section 14570, and that conform to paragraph (2) of that subdivision.
(C)The dealer is delivering, or having delivered, all empty beverage containers received from the public to a certified recycling center or processor for recycling.
(2)Pay to the department for deposit in the fund the sum of one hundred dollars ($100) per day until a recycling location is established or until the standards for redemption specified in paragraph (1) are met.
(b)This section shall not apply to a dealer that demonstrates to the department either of the following:
(1)The dealer has gross annual sales of less than two million dollars ($2,000,000).
(2)The dealer is not a supermarket and has less than 5,000 square feet of interior retail space.
SEC. 4.Section 14571.8 of the Public Resources Code is amended to read:14571.8.(a)A lease entered into by a dealer after January 1, 1987, shall not contain a leasehold restriction that prohibits or results in the prohibition of the establishment of a recycling location.
(b)Except as provided in subdivision (h), the director may grant an exemption from the requirements of Section 14571 for an individual convenience zone only after the department solicits public testimony on whether or not to provide an exemption from Section 14571. The solicitation process shall be designed by the department to ensure that operators of recycling centers, dealers, and members of the public in the jurisdiction affected by the proposed exemption are aware of the proposed exemption. After evaluation of the testimony and any field review conducted, the department shall base a decision to exempt a convenience zone pursuant to this subdivision on any combination of the following factors:
(1)The exemption will not significantly decrease the ability of consumers to conveniently return beverage containers for the refund value to a certified recycling center redeeming all material types.
(2)The nearest certified recycling center is within a reasonable distance of the convenience zone being considered from exemption.
(3)The convenience zone is in the area of a curbside program that meets the criteria specified in Section 14509.5.
(4)The requirements of Section 14571 cannot be met in a particular convenience zone due to local zoning or the dealers leasehold restrictions for leases in effect on January 1, 1987, and the local zoning or leasehold restrictions are not within the authority of the department and the dealer. However, any lease executed after January 1, 1987, shall meet the requirements specified in subdivision (a).
(5)The convenience zone has redeemed less than 60,000 containers per month for the prior 12 months.
(c)The department shall review each convenience zone in which a certified recycling center was not located on January 1, 1996, to determine the eligibility of the convenience zone under the exemption criteria specified in subdivision (b).
(d)The total number of exemptions granted under this section shall not exceed 50 percent of the total number of convenience zones identified as eligible pursuant to subdivisions (b) and (h).
(e)The department may, on its own motion, or upon petition by any interested person, revoke a convenience zone exemption, including an exemption granted under subdivision (h), if either of the following occurs:
(1)The condition or conditions that caused the convenience zone to be exempt no longer exists, and the department determines that the criteria for an exemption specified in this section are not presently applicable to the convenience zone.
(2)The department determines that the convenience zone exemption was granted due to an administrative error.
(f)If an exemption is revoked and a recycling center is not certified and operational in the convenience zone, the department shall, within 10 days of the date of the decision to revoke, serve all dealers in the convenience zone with the notice specified in subdivision (a) of Section 14571.7.
(g)An exemption shall not be revoked when a recycling center becomes certified and operational within an exempt convenience zone unless either of the events specified in paragraphs (1) and (2) of subdivision (e) occurs.
(h)If there is a certified recycling center located within one mile of an unserved convenience zone, the department shall grant an exemption from the requirements of Section 14571 for that convenience zone.
(i)The department shall review exemptions granted pursuant to this section every five years to determine if each exemption still meets the exemption criteria of this section.
SEC. 5.Section 14572.3 is added to the Public Resources Code, to read:14572.3.(a)A dealer described in subdivision (c) and who is located in a convenience zone described in subdivision (b) shall be exempt from the dealer requirements of Section 14571.6 from the effective date of this section until December 31, 2020, inclusive.
(b)Subdivision (a) shall apply only to a dealer that is located in a convenience zone that meets one of the following:
(1)The convenience zone was served by, or exempted because of, a recycling center that closed between January 1, 2016, and May 31, 2016, inclusive, at the initiation of the recycler and not at the initiation of the dealer.
(2)The convenience zone was served by a recycling center that closed as a result of an action taken by the department on or after January 1, 2018.
(c)Subdivision (a) shall apply only to a dealer that meets one of the following conditions:
(1)The dealer demonstrates to the department that it has acted in full compliance with the requirements of Section 14571.6.
(2)The department approves the dealer for an exemption described in subdivision (a). The department may approve a dealer that was not in compliance with Section 14571.6 for an exemption only if the dealer pays the department any moneys owed by the dealer under Section 14571.6.
(d)The Legislature finds and declares that the purpose of this section is to temporarily suspend the obligations of dealers described in subdivision (c) to comply with the requirements of Section 14571.6 in order to focus attention and resources on the reestablishment of recycling centers in currently unserved convenience zones. Nothing in this section is intended to reduce the obligation of dealers and the department to site and maintain recycling centers.
(e)This section shall remain in effect only until January 1, 2021, and as of that date is repealed.
SEC. 6.Section 14575.2 is added to the Public Resources Code, to read:14575.2.(a)(1)Notwithstanding Section 14575, for purposes of calculating processing payments, the department shall use the actual costs of recycling that were in effect on December 30, 2015.
(2)Consistent with Section 14575, the department shall adjust the recycling costs described in paragraph (1) to reflect changes in the cost of living from December 30, 2015, as measured by the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the United States Department of Labor or a successor agency of the United States government as of the effective date of this section and at least once annually thereafter.
(3)Notwithstanding Section 2975 of Title 14 of the California Code of Regulations, for the period from the effective date of this section to December 31, 2020, inclusive, the reasonable financial return for recycling centers shall be calculated as follows:
(A)The reasonable financial return shall be equal to 11.5 percent of the actual costs of recycling that were in effect on December 30, 2015, except as specified in subparagraph (B).
(B)The reasonable financial return for recycling centers located in rural regions, as defined by subparagraph (A) of paragraph (2) of subdivision (b) of Section 14571, shall be equal to 16.6 percent of the actual costs of recycling that were in effect on December 30, 2015.
(b)Notwithstanding subdivisions (d) and (e) of Section 14575, for processing fees established by the department between the effective date of this section and December 31, 2018, inclusive, the department shall not impose a processing fee on a beverage manufacturer that is higher than the processing fee that would be imposed without this section.
(c)(1)Notwithstanding subdivision (c) of Section 14575, the department shall suspend usage of surveys and calculations of recycling costs until at least January 1, 2020.
(2)The department may redirect any contract funds already approved for cost surveys and calculations as of the effective date of this section into an updated contract to utilize data collected for the 2015 processing payment to provide the department with an assessment of variations in the average cost of recycling based on, at a minimum, each of the following:
(A)Recycling location monthly average volume.
(B)Recycling location geographic area.
(C)Recycling location distance to end-use market.
(3)The department may utilize any contract funds available as of the effective date of this section for the analysis and development of recommendations to the Legislature of amendments to subdivisions (b) and (c) of Section 14575 to satisfy the legislative intent expressed in subdivision (f) of Section 14501 to create and maintain a marketplace where it is profitable to establish sufficient recycling centers and locations to provide consumers with convenient recycling opportunities through the establishment of minimum refund values and processing fees and, through the proper application of these elements, to enhance the profitability of recycling centers, recycling locations, and other beverage container recycling programs.
(d)This section shall remain in effect only until January 1, 2021, and as of that date is repealed.
SEC. 7.Section 14581 of the Public Resources Code is amended to read:14581.(a)Subject to the availability of funds and in accordance with subdivision (b), the department shall expend the moneys set aside in the fund, pursuant to subdivision (c) of Section 14580, for the purposes of this section in the following manner:
(1)For each fiscal year, the department may expend the amount necessary to make the required handling fee payment pursuant to Section 14585.
(2)(A)Fifteen million dollars ($15,000,000) shall be expended annually for payments for curbside programs and neighborhood dropoff programs pursuant to Section 14549.6.
(B)The department may withhold payments to curbside programs and neighborhood dropoff programs in any city, county, or city and county that has prohibited the siting of a certified recycling center, caused a certified recycling center to close its business, or adopted a land use policy that restricts or prohibits the siting of a certified recycling center within its jurisdiction.
(3)(A)Ten million five hundred thousand dollars ($10,500,000) may be expended annually for payments of five thousand dollars ($5,000) to cities and ten thousand dollars ($10,000) for payments to counties for beverage container recycling and litter cleanup activities, or the department may calculate the payments to counties and cities on a per capita basis, and may pay whichever amount is greater, for those activities.
(B)Eligible activities for the use of these funds may include, but are not necessarily limited to, support for new or existing curbside programs, neighborhood dropoff programs, public education promoting beverage container recycling, litter prevention, and cleanup, cooperative regional efforts among two or more cities or counties, or both, or other beverage container recycling programs.
(C)These funds shall not be used for activities unrelated to beverage container recycling or litter reduction.
(D)To receive these funds, a city, county, or city and county shall fill out and return a funding request form to the department. The form shall specify the beverage container recycling or litter reduction activities for which the funds will be used.
(E)The department shall annually prepare and distribute a funding request form to each city, county, or city and county. The form shall specify the amount of beverage container recycling and litter cleanup funds for which the jurisdiction is eligible. The form shall not exceed one double-sided page in length, and may be submitted electronically. If a city, county, or city and county does not return the funding request form within 90 days of receipt of the form from the department, the city, county, or city and county is not eligible to receive the funds for that funding cycle.
(F)For the purposes of this paragraph, per capita population shall be based on the population of the incorporated area of a city or city and county and the unincorporated area of a county. The department may withhold payment to any city, county, or city and county that has prohibited the siting of a supermarket site, caused a supermarket site to close its business, or adopted a land use policy that restricts or prohibits the siting of a supermarket site within its jurisdiction.
(G)On or before July 1, 2019, the department shall convene a public hearing during one of the departments regularly scheduled monthly public meetings for purposes of discussing and receiving public testimony on the development of guidelines for evaluating the circumstances that might prompt the department to withhold payments pursuant to receiving (F). The department may communicate any guidelines that may result from this public process to appropriate program stakeholders.
(4)One million five hundred thousand dollars ($1,500,000) may be expended annually in the form of grants for beverage container recycling and litter reduction programs.
(5)(A)The department shall expend the amount necessary to pay the processing payment established pursuant to Section 14575. The department shall establish separate processing fee accounts in the fund for each beverage container material type for which a processing payment and processing fee are calculated pursuant to Section 14575, or for which a processing payment is calculated pursuant to Section 14575 and a voluntary artificial scrap value is calculated pursuant to Section 14575.1, into which account shall be deposited both of the following:
(i)All amounts paid as processing fees for each beverage container material type pursuant to Section 14575.
(ii)Funds equal to the difference between the amount in clause (i) and the amount of the processing payments established in subdivision (b) of Section 14575, and adjusted pursuant to paragraph (2) of subdivision (c) of, and subdivision (f) of, Section 14575, to reduce the processing fee to the level provided in subdivision (e) of Section 14575, or to reflect the agreement by a willing purchaser to pay a voluntary artificial scrap value pursuant to Section 14575.1.
(B)Notwithstanding Section 13340 of the Government Code, the moneys in each processing fee account are hereby continuously appropriated to the department for expenditure without regard to fiscal years, for purposes of making processing payments pursuant to Section 14575.
(6)Up to five million dollars ($5,000,000) may be annually expended by the department for the purposes of undertaking a statewide public education and information campaign aimed at promoting increased recycling of beverage containers.
(7)Up to ten million dollars ($10,000,000) may be expended annually by the department for quality incentive payments for empty glass beverage containers pursuant to Section 14549.1.
(8)(A)(i)For the 201819 fiscal year, the department may expend up to fifteen million dollars ($15,000,000) for market development payments to reclaimers and product manufacturers, pursuant to Section 14549.2.
(ii)Of the total amount authorized for expenditure by this subparagraph, up to five million dollars ($5,000,000) may be expended for market development payments to reclaimers for the activities described in paragraph (1) of subdivision (c) of Section 14549.2, and to product manufacturers for the activities described in paragraph (2) of subdivision (c) of Section 14549.2, as that section read on June 30, 2018, that occurred during the period from January 1, 2018, to June 30, 2018, inclusive.
(B)For the 201920 fiscal year to the 202122 fiscal year, inclusive, the department may expend up to ten million dollars ($10,000,000) each fiscal year for market development payments to reclaimers and product manufacturers, pursuant to Section 14549.2.
(C)For purposes of this paragraph, the definitions in subdivision (a) of Section 14549.2 apply.
(b)(1)If the department determines, pursuant to a review made pursuant to Section 14556, that there may be inadequate funds to pay the payments required by this division, the department shall immediately notify the appropriate policy and fiscal committees of the Legislature regarding the inadequacy.
(2)On or before 180 days, but not less than 80 days, after the notice is sent pursuant to paragraph (1), the department may reduce or eliminate expenditures, or both, from the funds as necessary, according to the procedure set forth in subdivision (c).
(c)If the department determines that there are insufficient funds to make the payments specified pursuant to this section and Section 14575, the department shall reduce all payments proportionally.
(d)Before making an expenditure pursuant to paragraph (6) of subdivision (a), the department shall convene an advisory committee consisting of representatives of the beverage industry, beverage container manufacturers, environmental organizations, the recycling industry, nonprofit organizations, and retailers to advise the department on the most cost-effective and efficient method of the expenditure of the funds for that education and information campaign.
SEC. 8.Section 14585 of the Public Resources Code is amended to read:14585.(a)The department shall adopt guidelines and methods for paying handling fees to supermarket sites, nonprofit convenience zone recyclers, or rural region recyclers to provide an incentive for the redemption of empty beverage containers in convenience zones. The guidelines shall include, but not be limited to, all of the following:
(1)Handling fees shall be paid on a monthly basis, in the form and manner adopted by the department. The department shall require that claims for the handling fee be filed with the department not later than the first day of the second month following the month for which the handling fee is claimed as a condition of receiving any handling fee.
(2)The department shall determine the number of eligible containers per site for which a handling fee will be paid in the following manner:
(A)Each eligible sites combined monthly volume of glass and plastic beverage containers shall be divided by the sites total monthly volume of all empty beverage container types.
(B)If the quotient determined pursuant to subparagraph (A) is equal to, or more than, 10 percent, the total monthly volume of the site shall be the maximum volume which is eligible for a handling fee for that month.
(C)If the quotient determined pursuant to subparagraph (A) is less than 10 percent, the department shall divide the volume of glass and plastic beverage containers by 10 percent. That quotient shall be the maximum volume that is eligible for a handling fee for that month.
(3)The department shall pay a handling fee per eligible container in the amount determined pursuant to subdivision (f).
(4)If the eligible volume in any given month would result in handling fee payments that exceed the allocation of funds for that month, as provided in subdivision (b), sites with higher eligible monthly volumes shall receive handling fees for their entire eligible monthly volume before sites with lower eligible monthly volumes receive any handling fees.
(5)(A)If a dealer where a supermarket site, nonprofit convenience zone recycler, or rural region recycler is located ceases operation for remodeling or for a change of ownership, the operator of that supermarket site, nonprofit convenience zone recycler, or rural region recycler shall be eligible to apply for handling fees for that site for a period of three months following the date of the closure of the dealer.
(B)Every supermarket site operator, nonprofit convenience zone recycler, or rural region recycler shall promptly notify the department of the closure of the dealer where the supermarket site, nonprofit convenience zone recycler, or rural region recycler is located.
(C)Notwithstanding subparagraph (A), any operator who fails to provide notification to the department pursuant to subparagraph (B) shall not be eligible to apply for handling fees.
(b)The department may allocate the amount authorized for expenditure for the payment of handling fees pursuant to paragraph (1) of subdivision (a) of Section 14581 on a monthly basis and may carry over any unexpended monthly allocation to a subsequent month or months. However, unexpended monthly allocations shall not be carried over to a subsequent fiscal year for the purpose of paying handling fees but may be carried over for any other purpose pursuant to Section 14581.
(c)(1)The department shall not make handling fee payments to more than one certified recycling center in a convenience zone. If a dealer is located in more than one convenience zone, the department shall offer a single handling fee payment to a supermarket site located at that dealer. This handling fee payment shall not be split between the affected zones. The department shall stop making handling fee payments if another recycling center certifies to operate within the convenience zone without receiving payments pursuant to this section, if the department monitors the performance of the other recycling center for 60 days and determines that the recycling center is in compliance with this division. Any recycling center that locates in a convenience zone, thereby causing a preexisting recycling center to become ineligible to receive handling fee payments, is ineligible to receive any handling fee payments in that convenience zone.
(2)The department shall offer a single handling fee payment to a rural region recycler located anywhere inside a convenience zone, if that convenience zone is not served by another certified recycling center and the rural region recycler does either of the following:
(A)Operates a minimum of 30 hours per week in one convenience zone.
(B)Serves two or more convenience zones, and meets all of the following criteria:
(i)Is the only certified recycler within each convenience zone.
(ii)Is open and operating at least eight hours per week in each convenience zone and is certified at each location.
(iii)Operates at least 30 hours per week in total for all convenience zones served.
(3)In a convenience zone that, as of the effective date of the measure that added this paragraph, has been continuously unserved by a certified recycling location for at least six months, the department shall offer a handling fee payment to a recycler located within the convenience zone that operates a minimum of 30 hours per week regardless of physical location within that convenience zone and that is certified and begins operating on or after the effective date of that measure.
(d)The department may require the operator of a supermarket site, or the operator of a rural region recycler, receiving handling fees to maintain records for each location where beverage containers are redeemed, and may require the supermarket site or rural region recycler to take any other action necessary for the department to determine that the supermarket site or rural region recycler does not receive an excessive handling fee.
(e)The department may determine and utilize a standard container per pound rate, for each material type, for the purpose of calculating volumes and making handling fee payments.
(f)(1)On or before January 1, 2008, and every two years thereafter, the department shall conduct a survey pursuant to this subdivision of a statistically significant sample of certified recycling centers that receive handling fee payments to determine the actual cost incurred for the redemption of empty beverage containers by those certified recycling centers. The department shall conduct these cost surveys in conjunction with the cost surveys performed by the department pursuant to subdivision (b) of Section 14575 to determine processing payments and processing fees. The department shall include, in determining the actual costs, only those allowable costs contained in the regulations adopted pursuant to this division that are used by the department to conduct cost surveys pursuant to subdivision (b) of Section 14575.
(2)Using the information obtained pursuant to paragraph (1), the department shall then determine the statewide weighted average cost incurred for the redemption of empty beverage containers, per empty beverage container, at recycling centers that receive handling fees.
(3)The department shall determine the amount of the handling fee to be paid for each empty beverage container by subtracting the amount of the statewide weighted average cost per container to redeem empty beverage containers by recycling centers that do not receive handling fees from the amount of the statewide weighted average cost per container determined pursuant to paragraph (2).
(4)The department shall adjust the statewide average cost determined pursuant to paragraph (2) for each beverage container annually to reflect changes in the cost of living, as measured by the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the United States Department of Labor or a successor agency of the United States government.
(5)The cost information collected pursuant to this section at recycling centers that receive handling fees shall not be used in the calculation of the processing payments determined pursuant to Section 14575.
(6)Notwithstanding paragraphs (2) and (3), for the period from the effective date of the measure that added this paragraph to July 1, 2021, inclusive, the handling fee shall be set at the rate in effect on July 1, 2015.
(g)The department may update the methodology and scrap values used for calculating the handling fee from the most recent cost survey if it finds that the handling fee resulting from the most recent cost survey does not accurately represent the actual cost incurred for the redemption of empty beverage containers by those certified recycling centers.
(h)Notwithstanding subdivision (f), the department shall suspend usage of surveys and calculations of recycling costs until at least January 1, 2020.
(i)(1)The department may expend up to three million dollars ($3,000,000) annually from the fund for supplemental handling fee payments to low-volume recycling centers and recyclers willing to open a recycling center in a convenience zone that has recently become unserved. The department shall allocate the amount authorized for these supplemental handling fee payments into 12 equal monthly allotments.
(2)Supplemental handling fee payments shall be distributed once per month in equal amounts to recycling centers that are eligible for handling fees pursuant to subdivision (a), subject to all of the following requirements:
(A)A recycling center receiving a handling fee pursuant to this subdivision shall have no more than 600,000 beverage containers eligible for handling fees per month.
(B)Priority shall be given to recycling centers with the lowest volumes of beverage containers that are located in rural regions.
(C)(i)Payments shall be distributed first to no more than 100 recycling centers with the lowest volumes of beverage containers that are located in rural regions, in order of lowest volume.
(ii)After payments are distributed pursuant to clause (i), payments shall be distributed to other recycling centers with the lowest volumes of beverage containers, in order of lowest volume.
(3)No more than 400 recycling centers shall receive supplemental handling fee payments pursuant to this subdivision.
(4)The department may make the supplemental handling fee payments authorized pursuant to this subdivision by augmenting handling fee payments received by recyclers pursuant to subdivision (f).
(5)This subdivision shall become inoperative on July 1, 2021.
(j)On or before January 1, 2021, the department shall develop and submit, in compliance with Section 9795 of the Government Code, recommendations to the Legislature for revisions to this section and the departments handling fee guidelines to ensure that handling fee calculations are adequate to maintain the states recycling center infrastructure.
SEC. 9.This act is an urgency statute necessary for the immediate preservation of the public peace, health, or safety within the meaning of Article IV of the California Constitution and shall go into immediate effect. The facts constituting the necessity are:
Because of the unprecedented closures of recycling centers statewide, reduced access to redemption locations for consumers, declining recycling rates, and higher costs associated for grocers and retailers, it is necessary for this act to take effect immediately.
(a)Except as provided in subdivision (b), the director shall adopt, amend, or repeal all rules and regulations in accordance with Chapter 3.5 (commencing with Section 11340) of Part 1 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code.
(b)(1)The director shall adopt regulations, and may adopt emergency regulations, for the purposes of implementing Sections 14538, 14539, 14541, 14549.1, 14549.2, 14550, 14561, 14571.6, 14571.65, 14574, 14575, 14585, 14588.1, 14588.2, and 14591.
(2)Any emergency regulations, if adopted, shall be adopted in accordance with Chapter 3.5 (commencing with Section 11340) of Part 1 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code, and for the purposes of that chapter, including Section 11349.6 of the Government Code, the adoption of these regulations is an emergency and shall be considered by the Office of Administrative Law as necessary for the immediate preservation of the public peace, health and safety, and general welfare. Notwithstanding Chapter 3.5 (commencing with Section 11340) of Part 1 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code, including subdivision (e) of Section 11346.1 of the Government Code, any emergency regulations adopted pursuant to this section shall be filed with, but not be repealed by, the Office of Administrative Law and shall remain in effect until revised by the director.
SEC. 2.Section 14549.2 of the Public Resources Code is amended to read:14549.2.(a)For purposes of this section, the following definitions shall apply:
(1)Certified entity means a recycling center, processor, or dropoff or collection program certified pursuant to this division.
(2)Plastic product means a finished plastic product that requires no further thermoforming, shaping, or processing before being sold for its specified use. Plastic product does not include plastic flake, pellet, sheet, or any other form that is an output from a reclaimers processing of empty plastic beverage containers.
(3)Product manufacturer means a person who manufactures a plastic product in this state.
(4)Reclaimer means a certified entity that purchases empty plastic beverage containers that have been collected for recycling in the state, and that washes and processes, in the state, those empty plastic beverage containers into flake, pellet, sheet, or any other form that is then usable as input for the manufacture of new plastic products by product manufacturers in the state.
(b)In order to develop California markets for empty plastic beverage containers collected for recycling in the state, the department may, consistent with Section 14581 and subject to the availability of funds, pay a market development payment to a reclaimer for empty plastic beverage containers collected and managed pursuant to this section and to a product manufacturer for plastic flake, pellet, sheet, or any other form of plastic purchased from a reclaimer pursuant to this section.
(c)The department shall make a market development payment to a reclaimer or product manufacturer in accordance with this section only if the plastic beverage container is collected, washed, and processed into flake, pellet, sheet, or any other form, and is used in manufacturing, in the state, as follows:
(1)The department shall make a market development payment to a reclaimer for empty plastic beverage containers that are collected, washed, and processed as specified in paragraph (4) of subdivision (a).(a), including to a reclaimer that uses the services of a third party to process the empty plastic beverage containers into a form usable for the manufacture of new plastic products.
(2)The department shall make a market development payment to a product manufacturer for plastic flake, pellet, sheet, or any other form of plastic purchased from a reclaimer and used by that product manufacturer to manufacture a plastic product in the state. state, including to a product manufacturer that uses the services of a third party to process the plastic purchased from a reclaimer in manufacturing the plastic product.
(3)The department shall determine the amount of the market development payment, which may be set at a different level for a reclaimer and a product manufacturer, but shall not exceed one hundred fifty dollars ($150) per ton. In setting the amount of the market development payment for both reclaimers and product manufacturers, the department shall consider all of the following:
(A)The minimum funding level needed to encourage in-state washing and processing of empty plastic beverage containers collected for recycling in this state.
(B)The minimum funding level needed to encourage in-state manufacturing that utilizes flake, pellet, sheet, or any other form processed from empty plastic beverage containers collected for recycling in this state.
(C)The total amount of funds projected to be available for plastic market development payments, and the desire to maintain the minimum funding level needed throughout the year.
(4)The department may make a market development payment to both a reclaimer and a product manufacturer for both the empty plastic beverage container and for the flake, pellet, sheet, or any other form processed by the reclaimer from that same empty plastic beverage container.
(d)This section shall become inoperative on July 1, 2024, 2022, and, as of January 1, 2025, 2023, is repealed.
SEC. 3.Section 14571.6 of the Public Resources Code is amended to read:14571.6.(a)Except as provided in Section 14572.3, in any convenience zone where no recycling location has been established that satisfies the requirements of Section 14571, and in any convenience zone that has exceeded the 60-day period for the establishment of a recycling center pursuant to Section 14571.7, all dealers within that zone shall, until a recycling location has been established in that zone, do one of the following:
(1)Submit to the department an affidavit form provided by the department stating that all of the following standards are being met by the dealer:
(A)The dealer redeems all empty beverage container types at a minimum of one designated location on the dealers premises, during all hours that the dealer is open for business. The dealer is not required to redeem more than 50 beverage containers of any one type per consumer per day.
(B)The dealer has posted signs that meet the size and location requirements specified in subdivision (b) of Section 14570, and that conform to paragraph (2) of that subdivision.
(C)The dealer is delivering, or having delivered, all empty beverage containers received from the public to a certified recycling center or processor for recycling.
(2)Pay to the department for deposit in the fund the sum of one hundred dollars ($100) per day until a recycling location is established or until the standards for redemption specified in paragraph (1) are met.
(b)This section shall not apply only to a dealer with gross annual sales of two million dollars ($2,000,000) or more. that demonstrates to the department either of the following:
(1)The dealer has gross annual sales of less than two million dollars ($2,000,000).
(2)The dealer is not a supermarket and has less than 5,000 square feet of interior retail space.
SEC. 4.Section 14571.8 of the Public Resources Code is amended to read:14571.8.(a)A lease entered into by a dealer after January 1, 1987, shall not contain a leasehold restriction that prohibits or results in the prohibition of the establishment of a recycling location.
(b)Except as provided in subdivision (h), the director may grant an exemption from the requirements of Section 14571 for an individual convenience zone only after the department solicits public testimony on whether or not to provide an exemption from Section 14571. The solicitation process shall be designed by the department to ensure that operators of recycling centers, dealers, and members of the public in the jurisdiction affected by the proposed exemption are aware of the proposed exemption. After evaluation of the testimony and any field review conducted, the department shall base a decision to exempt a convenience zone pursuant to this subdivision on any combination of the following factors:
(1)The exemption will not significantly decrease the ability of consumers to conveniently return beverage containers for the refund value to a certified recycling center redeeming all material types.
(2)The nearest certified recycling center is within a reasonable distance of the convenience zone being considered from exemption.
(3)The convenience zone is in the area of a curbside program that meets the criteria specified in Section 14509.5.
(4)The requirements of Section 14571 cannot be met in a particular convenience zone due to local zoning or the dealers leasehold restrictions for leases in effect on January 1, 1987, and the local zoning or leasehold restrictions are not within the authority of the department and the dealer. However, any lease executed after January 1, 1987, shall meet the requirements specified in subdivision (a).
(5)The convenience zone has redeemed less than 60,000 containers per month for the prior 12 months.
(c)The department shall review each convenience zone in which a certified recycling center was not located on January 1, 1996, to determine the eligibility of the convenience zone under the exemption criteria specified in subdivision (b).
(d)The total number of exemptions granted under this section shall not exceed 50 percent of the total number of convenience zones identified as eligible pursuant to subdivisions (b) and (h).
(e)The department may, on its own motion, or upon petition by any interested person, revoke a convenience zone exemption, including an exemption granted under subdivision (h), if either of the following occurs:
(1)The condition or conditions that caused the convenience zone to be exempt no longer exists, and the department determines that the criteria for an exemption specified in this section are not presently applicable to the convenience zone.
(2)The department determines that the convenience zone exemption was granted due to an administrative error.
(f)If an exemption is revoked and a recycling center is not certified and operational in the convenience zone, the department shall, within 10 days of the date of the decision to revoke, serve all dealers in the convenience zone with the notice specified in subdivision (a) of Section 14571.7.
(g)An exemption shall not be revoked when a recycling center becomes certified and operational within an exempt convenience zone unless either of the events specified in paragraphs (1) and (2) of subdivision (e) occurs.
(h)If there is a certified recycling center located within one mile of an unserved convenience zone, the department shall grant an exemption from the requirements of Section 14571 for that convenience zone.
(i)The department shall review exemptions granted pursuant to this section every five years to determine if each exemption still meets the exemption criteria of this section.
SEC. 5.Section 14572.3 is added to the Public Resources Code, to read:14572.3.(a)A dealer described in subdivision (c) and who is located in a convenience zone described in subdivision (b) shall be exempt from the dealer requirements of Section 14571.6 from the effective date of this section until December 31, 2020, inclusive.
(b)Subdivision (a) shall apply only to a dealer that is located in a convenience zone that meets one of the following:
(1)The convenience zone was served by, or exempted because of, a recycling center that closed between January 1, 2016, and May 31, 2016, inclusive, at the initiation of the recycler and not at the initiation of the dealer.
(2)The convenience zone was served by a recycling center that closed as a result of an action taken by the department on or after January 1, 2018.
(c)Subdivision (a) shall apply only to a dealer that meets one of the following conditions:
(1)The dealer demonstrates to the department that it has acted in full compliance with the requirements of Section 14571.6.
(2)The department approves the dealer for an exemption described in subdivision (a). The department may approve a dealer that was not in compliance with Section 14571.6 for an exemption only if the dealer pays the department any moneys owed by the dealer under Section 14571.6.
(d)The Legislature finds and declares that the purpose of this section is to temporarily suspend the obligations of dealers described in subdivision (c) to comply with the requirements of Section 14571.6 in order to focus attention and resources on the reestablishment of recycling centers in currently unserved convenience zones. Nothing in this section is intended to reduce the obligation of dealers and the department to site and maintain recycling centers.
(e)This section shall remain in effect only until January 1, 2021, and as of that date is repealed.
SEC. 6.Section 14575.2 is added to the Public Resources Code, to read:14575.2.(a)(1)Notwithstanding Section 14575, for purposes of calculating processing payments, the department shall use the actual costs of recycling that were in effect on December 30, 2015.
(2)Consistent with Section 14575, the department shall adjust the recycling costs described in paragraph (1) to reflect changes in the cost of living from December 30, 2015, as measured by the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the United States Department of Labor or a successor agency of the United States government as of the effective date of this section and at least once annually thereafter.
(3)Notwithstanding Section 2975 of Title 14 of the California Code of Regulations, for the period from the effective date of this section to December 31, 2020, inclusive, the reasonable financial return for recycling centers shall be calculated as follows:
(A)The reasonable financial return shall be equal to 11.5 percent of the actual costs of recycling that were in effect on December 30, 2015, except as specified in subparagraph (B).
(B)The reasonable financial return for recycling centers located in rural regions, as defined by subparagraph (A) of paragraph (2) of subdivision (b) of Section 14571, shall be equal to 16.6 percent of the actual costs of recycling that were in effect on December 30, 2015.
(b)Notwithstanding subdivisions (d) and (e) of Section 14575, for processing fees established by the department between the effective date of this section and December 31, 2018, inclusive, the department shall not impose a processing fee on a beverage manufacturer that is higher than the processing fee that would be imposed without this section.
(c)(1)Notwithstanding subdivision (c) of Section 14575, the department shall suspend usage of surveys and calculations of recycling costs until at least January 1, 2020.
(2)The department may redirect any contract funds already approved for cost surveys and calculations as of the effective date of this section into an updated contract to utilize data collected for the 2015 processing payment to provide the department with an assessment of variations in the average cost of recycling based on, at a minimum, each of the following:
(A)Recycling location monthly average volume.
(B)Recycling location geographic area.
(C)Recycling location distance to end-use market.
(3)The department may utilize any contract funds available as of the effective date of this section for the analysis and development of recommendations to the Legislature of amendments to subdivisions (b) and (c) of Section 14575 to satisfy the legislative intent expressed in subdivision (f) of Section 14501 to create and maintain a marketplace where it is profitable to establish sufficient recycling centers and locations to provide consumers with convenient recycling opportunities through the establishment of minimum refund values and processing fees and, through the proper application of these elements, to enhance the profitability of recycling centers, recycling locations, and other beverage container recycling programs.
(d)This section shall remain in effect only until January 1, 2021, and as of that date is repealed.
SEC. 7.Section 14581 of the Public Resources Code is amended to read:14581.(a)Subject to the availability of funds and in accordance with subdivision (b), the department shall expend the moneys set aside in the fund, pursuant to subdivision (c) of Section 14580, for the purposes of this section in the following manner:
(1)For each fiscal year, the department may expend the amount necessary to make the required handling fee payment pursuant to Section 14585.
(2)(A)Fifteen million dollars ($15,000,000) shall be expended annually for payments for curbside programs and neighborhood dropoff programs pursuant to Section 14549.6.
(B)The department may withhold payments to curbside programs and neighborhood dropoff programs in any city, county, or city and county that has prohibited the siting of a certified recycling center, caused a certified recycling center to close its business, or adopted a land use policy that restricts or prohibits the siting of a certified recycling center within its jurisdiction.
(3)(A)Ten million five hundred thousand dollars ($10,500,000) may be expended annually for payments of five thousand dollars ($5,000) to cities and ten thousand dollars ($10,000) for payments to counties for beverage container recycling and litter cleanup activities, or the department may calculate the payments to counties and cities on a per capita basis, and may pay whichever amount is greater, for those activities.
(B)Eligible activities for the use of these funds may include, but are not necessarily limited to, support for new or existing curbside programs, neighborhood dropoff programs, public education promoting beverage container recycling, litter prevention, and cleanup, cooperative regional efforts among two or more cities or counties, or both, or other beverage container recycling programs.
(C)These funds shall not be used for activities unrelated to beverage container recycling or litter reduction.
(D)To receive these funds, a city, county, or city and county shall fill out and return a funding request form to the department. The form shall specify the beverage container recycling or litter reduction activities for which the funds will be used.
(E)The department shall annually prepare and distribute a funding request form to each city, county, or city and county. The form shall specify the amount of beverage container recycling and litter cleanup funds for which the jurisdiction is eligible. The form shall not exceed one double-sided page in length, and may be submitted electronically. If a city, county, or city and county does not return the funding request form within 90 days of receipt of the form from the department, the city, county, or city and county is not eligible to receive the funds for that funding cycle.
(F)For the purposes of this paragraph, per capita population shall be based on the population of the incorporated area of a city or city and county and the unincorporated area of a county. The department shall may withhold payment to any city, county, or city and county that has prohibited the siting of a supermarket site, caused a supermarket site to close its business, or adopted a land use policy that restricts or prohibits the siting of a supermarket site within its jurisdiction.
(G)On or before July 1, 2019, the department shall convene a public hearing during one of the departments regularly scheduled monthly public meetings for purposes of discussing and receiving public testimony on the development of guidelines for evaluating the circumstances that might prompt the department to withhold payments pursuant to receiving (F). The department may communicate any guidelines that may result from this public process to appropriate program stakeholders.
(4)One million five hundred thousand dollars ($1,500,000) may be expended annually in the form of grants for beverage container recycling and litter reduction programs.
(5)(A)The department shall expend the amount necessary to pay the processing payment established pursuant to Section 14575. The department shall establish separate processing fee accounts in the fund for each beverage container material type for which a processing payment and processing fee are calculated pursuant to Section 14575, or for which a processing payment is calculated pursuant to Section 14575 and a voluntary artificial scrap value is calculated pursuant to Section 14575.1, into which account shall be deposited both of the following:
(i)All amounts paid as processing fees for each beverage container material type pursuant to Section 14575.
(ii)Funds equal to the difference between the amount in clause (i) and the amount of the processing payments established in subdivision (b) of Section 14575, and adjusted pursuant to paragraph (2) of subdivision (c) of, and subdivision (f) of, Section 14575, to reduce the processing fee to the level provided in subdivision (e) of Section 14575, or to reflect the agreement by a willing purchaser to pay a voluntary artificial scrap value pursuant to Section 14575.1.
(B)Notwithstanding Section 13340 of the Government Code, the moneys in each processing fee account are hereby continuously appropriated to the department for expenditure without regard to fiscal years, for purposes of making processing payments pursuant to Section 14575.
(6)Up to five million dollars ($5,000,000) may be annually expended by the department for the purposes of undertaking a statewide public education and information campaign aimed at promoting increased recycling of beverage containers.
(7)Up to ten million dollars ($10,000,000) may be expended annually by the department for quality incentive payments for empty glass beverage containers pursuant to Section 14549.1.
(8)(A)(i)For the 201819 fiscal year, the department may expend up to fifteen million dollars ($15,000,000) for market development payments to reclaimers and product manufacturers, pursuant to Section 14549.2.
(ii)Of the total amount authorized for expenditure by this subparagraph, up to five million dollars ($5,000,000) may be expended for market development payments to reclaimers or product manufacturers for the activities described in paragraphs paragraph (1) and (2) of subdivision (c) of Section 14549.2 14549.2, and to product manufacturers for the activities described in paragraph (2) of subdivision (c) of Section 14549.2, as that section read on June 30, 2018, that occurred during the period from January 1, 2018, to June 30, 2018, inclusive.
(B)For the 201920 fiscal year to the 202324 202122 fiscal year, inclusive, the department may expend up to ten million dollars ($10,000,000) each fiscal year for market development payments to reclaimers and product manufacturers, pursuant to Section 14549.2.
(C)For purposes of this paragraph, the definitions in subdivision (a) of Section 14549.2 apply.
(b)(1)If the department determines, pursuant to a review made pursuant to Section 14556, that there may be inadequate funds to pay the payments required by this division, the department shall immediately notify the appropriate policy and fiscal committees of the Legislature regarding the inadequacy.
(2)On or before 180 days, but not less than 80 days, after the notice is sent pursuant to paragraph (1), the department may reduce or eliminate expenditures, or both, from the funds as necessary, according to the procedure set forth in subdivision (c).
(c)If the department determines that there are insufficient funds to make the payments specified pursuant to this section and Section 14575, the department shall reduce all payments proportionally.
(d)Before making an expenditure pursuant to paragraph (6) of subdivision (a), the department shall convene an advisory committee consisting of representatives of the beverage industry, beverage container manufacturers, environmental organizations, the recycling industry, nonprofit organizations, and retailers to advise the department on the most cost-effective and efficient method of the expenditure of the funds for that education and information campaign.
SEC. 8.Section 14585 of the Public Resources Code is amended to read:14585.(a)The department shall adopt guidelines and methods for paying handling fees to supermarket sites, nonprofit convenience zone recyclers, or rural region recyclers to provide an incentive for the redemption of empty beverage containers in convenience zones. The guidelines shall include, but not be limited to, all of the following:
(1)Handling fees shall be paid on a monthly basis, in the form and manner adopted by the department. The department shall require that claims for the handling fee be filed with the department not later than the first day of the second month following the month for which the handling fee is claimed as a condition of receiving any handling fee.
(2)The department shall determine the number of eligible containers per site for which a handling fee will be paid in the following manner:
(A)Each eligible sites combined monthly volume of glass and plastic beverage containers shall be divided by the sites total monthly volume of all empty beverage container types.
(B)If the quotient determined pursuant to subparagraph (A) is equal to, or more than, 10 percent, the total monthly volume of the site shall be the maximum volume which is eligible for a handling fee for that month.
(C)If the quotient determined pursuant to subparagraph (A) is less than 10 percent, the department shall divide the volume of glass and plastic beverage containers by 10 percent. That quotient shall be the maximum volume that is eligible for a handling fee for that month.
(3)The department shall pay a handling fee per eligible container in the amount determined pursuant to subdivision (f).
(4)If the eligible volume in any given month would result in handling fee payments that exceed the allocation of funds for that month, as provided in subdivision (b), sites with higher eligible monthly volumes shall receive handling fees for their entire eligible monthly volume before sites with lower eligible monthly volumes receive any handling fees.
(5)(A)If a dealer where a supermarket site, nonprofit convenience zone recycler, or rural region recycler is located ceases operation for remodeling or for a change of ownership, the operator of that supermarket site, nonprofit convenience zone recycler, or rural region recycler shall be eligible to apply for handling fees for that site for a period of three months following the date of the closure of the dealer.
(B)Every supermarket site operator, nonprofit convenience zone recycler, or rural region recycler shall promptly notify the department of the closure of the dealer where the supermarket site, nonprofit convenience zone recycler, or rural region recycler is located.
(C)Notwithstanding subparagraph (A), any operator who fails to provide notification to the department pursuant to subparagraph (B) shall not be eligible to apply for handling fees.
(b)The department may allocate the amount authorized for expenditure for the payment of handling fees pursuant to paragraph (1) of subdivision (a) of Section 14581 on a monthly basis and may carry over any unexpended monthly allocation to a subsequent month or months. However, unexpended monthly allocations shall not be carried over to a subsequent fiscal year for the purpose of paying handling fees but may be carried over for any other purpose pursuant to Section 14581.
(c)(1)The department shall not make handling fee payments to more than one certified recycling center in a convenience zone. If a dealer is located in more than one convenience zone, the department shall offer a single handling fee payment to a supermarket site located at that dealer. This handling fee payment shall not be split between the affected zones. The department shall stop making handling fee payments if another recycling center certifies to operate within the convenience zone without receiving payments pursuant to this section, if the department monitors the performance of the other recycling center for 60 days and determines that the recycling center is in compliance with this division. Any recycling center that locates in a convenience zone, thereby causing a preexisting recycling center to become ineligible to receive handling fee payments, is ineligible to receive any handling fee payments in that convenience zone.
(2)The department shall offer a single handling fee payment to a rural region recycler located anywhere inside a convenience zone, if that convenience zone is not served by another certified recycling center and the rural region recycler does either of the following:
(A)Operates a minimum of 30 hours per week in one convenience zone.
(B)Serves two or more convenience zones, and meets all of the following criteria:
(i)Is the only certified recycler within each convenience zone.
(ii)Is open and operating at least eight hours per week in each convenience zone and is certified at each location.
(iii)Operates at least 30 hours per week in total for all convenience zones served.
(3)In a convenience zone that, as of the effective date of the measure that added this paragraph, has been continuously unserved by a certified recycling location for at least six months, the department shall offer a handling fee payment to a recycler located within the convenience zone that operates a minimum of 30 hours per week regardless of physical location within that convenience zone and that is certified and begins operating on or after the effective date of that measure.
(d)The department may require the operator of a supermarket site, or the operator of a rural region recycler, receiving handling fees to maintain records for each location where beverage containers are redeemed, and may require the supermarket site or rural region recycler to take any other action necessary for the department to determine that the supermarket site or rural region recycler does not receive an excessive handling fee.
(e)The department may determine and utilize a standard container per pound rate, for each material type, for the purpose of calculating volumes and making handling fee payments.
(f)(1)On or before January 1, 2008, and every two years thereafter, the department shall conduct a survey pursuant to this subdivision of a statistically significant sample of certified recycling centers that receive handling fee payments to determine the actual cost incurred for the redemption of empty beverage containers by those certified recycling centers. The department shall conduct these cost surveys in conjunction with the cost surveys performed by the department pursuant to subdivision (b) of Section 14575 to determine processing payments and processing fees. The department shall include, in determining the actual costs, only those allowable costs contained in the regulations adopted pursuant to this division that are used by the department to conduct cost surveys pursuant to subdivision (b) of Section 14575.
(2)Using the information obtained pursuant to paragraph (1), the department shall then determine the statewide weighted average cost incurred for the redemption of empty beverage containers, per empty beverage container, at recycling centers that receive handling fees.
(3)The department shall determine the amount of the handling fee to be paid for each empty beverage container by subtracting the amount of the statewide weighted average cost per container to redeem empty beverage containers by recycling centers that do not receive handling fees from the amount of the statewide weighted average cost per container determined pursuant to paragraph (2).
(4)The department shall adjust the statewide average cost determined pursuant to paragraph (2) for each beverage container annually to reflect changes in the cost of living, as measured by the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the United States Department of Labor or a successor agency of the United States government.
(5)The cost information collected pursuant to this section at recycling centers that receive handling fees shall not be used in the calculation of the processing payments determined pursuant to Section 14575.
(6)Notwithstanding paragraphs (2) and (3), for the period from the effective date of the measure that added this paragraph to July 1, 2021, inclusive, the handling fee shall be set at the rate in effect on July 1, 2015.
(g)The department may update the methodology and scrap values used for calculating the handling fee from the most recent cost survey if it finds that the handling fee resulting from the most recent cost survey does not accurately represent the actual cost incurred for the redemption of empty beverage containers by those certified recycling centers.
(h)Notwithstanding subdivision (f), the department shall suspend usage of surveys and calculations of recycling costs until at least January 1, 2020.
(i)(1)The department may expend up to three million dollars ($3,000,000) annually from the fund for supplemental handling fee payments to low-volume recycling centers and recyclers willing to open a recycling center in a convenience zone that has recently become unserved. The department shall allocate the amount authorized for these supplemental handling fee payments into 12 equal monthly allotments.
(2)Supplemental handling fee payments shall be distributed once per month in equal amounts to recycling centers that are eligible for handling fees pursuant to subdivision (a), subject to all of the following requirements:
(A)A recycling center receiving a handling fee pursuant to this subdivision shall have no more than 600,000 beverage containers eligible for handling fees per month.
(B)Priority shall be given to recycling centers with the lowest volumes of beverage containers that are located in rural regions.
(C)(i)Payments shall be distributed first to no more than 100 recycling centers with the lowest volumes of beverage containers that are located in rural regions, in order of lowest volume.
(ii)After payments are distributed pursuant to clause (i), payments shall be distributed to other recycling centers with the lowest volumes of beverage containers, in order of lowest volume.
(3)No more than 400 recycling centers shall receive supplemental handling fee payments pursuant to this subdivision.
(4)The department may make the supplemental handling fee payments authorized pursuant to this subdivision by augmenting handling fee payments received by recyclers pursuant to subdivision (f).
(5)This subdivision shall become inoperative on July 1, 2021.
(j)On or before January 1, 2021, the department shall develop and submit, in compliance with Section 9795 of the Government Code, recommendations to the Legislature for revisions to this section and the departments handling fee guidelines to ensure that handling fee calculations are adequate to maintain the states recycling center infrastructure.
SEC. 9.This act is an urgency statute necessary for the immediate preservation of the public peace, health, or safety within the meaning of Article IV of the California Constitution and shall go into immediate effect. The facts constituting the necessity are:
Because of the unprecedented closures of recycling centers statewide, reduced access to redemption locations for consumers, declining recycling rates, and higher costs associated for grocers and retailers, it is necessary for this act to take effect immediately.
(a)Except as provided in subdivision (b), the director shall adopt, amend, or repeal all rules and regulations in accordance with Chapter 3.5 (commencing with Section 11340) of Part 1 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code.
(b)(1)The director shall adopt regulations, and may adopt emergency regulations, for the purposes of implementing Sections 14538, 14539, 14541, 14549.1, 14549.2, 14550, 14561, 14571.6, 14571.65, 14574, 14575, 14585, 14588.1, 14588.2, and 14591.
(2)Any emergency regulations, if adopted, shall be adopted in accordance with Chapter 3.5 (commencing with Section 11340) of Part 1 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code, and for the purposes of that chapter, including Section 11349.6 of the Government Code, the adoption of these regulations is an emergency and shall be considered by the Office of Administrative Law as necessary for the immediate preservation of the public peace, health and safety, and general welfare. Notwithstanding Chapter 3.5 (commencing with Section 11340) of Part 1 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code, including subdivision (e) of Section 11346.1 of the Government Code, any emergency regulations adopted pursuant to this section shall be filed with, but not be repealed by, the Office of Administrative Law and shall remain in effect until revised by the director.
SEC. 2.Section 14549.2 of the Public Resources Code is amended to read:14549.2.(a)For purposes of this section, the following definitions shall apply:
(1)Certified entity means a recycling center, processor, or dropoff or collection program certified pursuant to this division.
(2)Plastic product means a finished plastic product that requires no further thermoforming, shaping, or processing before being sold for its specified use. Plastic product does not include plastic flake, pellet, sheet, or any other form that is an output from a reclaimers processing of empty plastic beverage containers.
(3)Product manufacturer means a person who manufactures a plastic product in this state.
(4)Reclaimer means a certified entity that purchases empty plastic beverage containers that have been collected for recycling in the state, and that washes and processes, in the state, those empty plastic beverage containers into flake, pellet, sheet, or any other form that is then usable as input for the manufacture of new plastic products by product manufacturers in the state.
(b)In order to develop California markets for empty plastic beverage containers collected for recycling in the state, the department may, consistent with Section 14581 and subject to the availability of funds, pay a market development payment to a reclaimer for empty plastic beverage containers collected and managed pursuant to this section and to a product manufacturer for plastic flake, pellet, sheet, or any other form of plastic purchased from a reclaimer pursuant to this section.
(c)The department shall make a market development payment to a reclaimer or product manufacturer in accordance with this section only if the plastic beverage container is collected, washed, and processed into flake, pellet, sheet, or any other form, and is used in manufacturing, in the state, as follows:
(1)The department shall make a market development payment to a reclaimer for empty plastic beverage containers that are collected, washed, and processed as specified in paragraph (4) of subdivision (a).
(2)The department shall make a market development payment to a product manufacturer for plastic flake, pellet, sheet, or any other form of plastic purchased from a reclaimer and used by that product manufacturer to manufacture a plastic product in the state.
(3)The department shall determine the amount of the market development payment, which may be set at a different level for a reclaimer and a product manufacturer, but shall not exceed one hundred fifty dollars ($150) per ton. In setting the amount of the market development payment for both reclaimers and product manufacturers, the department shall consider all of the following:
(A)The minimum funding level needed to encourage in-state washing and processing of empty plastic beverage containers collected for recycling in this state.
(B)The minimum funding level needed to encourage in-state manufacturing that utilizes flake, pellet, sheet, or any other form processed from empty plastic beverage containers collected for recycling in this state.
(C)The total amount of funds projected to be available for plastic market development payments, and the desire to maintain the minimum funding level needed throughout the year.
(4)The department may make a market development payment to both a reclaimer and a product manufacturer for both the empty plastic beverage container and for the flake, pellet, sheet, or any other form processed by the reclaimer from that same empty plastic beverage container.
(d)This section shall become inoperative on July 1, 2024, and, as of January 1, 2025, is repealed.
SEC. 3.Section 14571.6 of the Public Resources Code is amended to read:14571.6.(a)Except as provided in Section 14572.3, in any convenience zone where no recycling location has been established that satisfies the requirements of Section 14571, and in any convenience zone that has exceeded the 60-day period for the establishment of a recycling center pursuant to Section 14571.7, all dealers within that zone shall, until a recycling location has been established in that zone, do one of the following:
(1)Submit to the department an affidavit form provided by the department stating that all of the following standards are being met by the dealer:
(A)The dealer redeems all empty beverage container types at a minimum of one designated location on the dealers premises, during all hours that the dealer is open for business. The dealer is not required to redeem more than 50 beverage containers of any one type per consumer per day.
(B)The dealer has posted signs that meet the size and location requirements specified in subdivision (b) of Section 14570, and that conform to paragraph (2) of that subdivision.
(C)The dealer is delivering, or having delivered, all empty beverage containers received from the public to a certified recycling center or processor for recycling.
(2)Pay to the department for deposit in the fund the sum of one hundred dollars ($100) per day until a recycling location is established or until the standards for redemption specified in paragraph (1) are met.
(b)This section shall apply only to a dealer with gross annual sales of two million dollars ($2,000,000) or more.
SEC. 4.Section 14571.8 of the Public Resources Code is amended to read:14571.8.(a)A lease entered into by a dealer after January 1, 1987, shall not contain a leasehold restriction that prohibits or results in the prohibition of the establishment of a recycling location.
(b)Except as provided in subdivision (h), the director may grant an exemption from the requirements of Section 14571 for an individual convenience zone only after the department solicits public testimony on whether or not to provide an exemption from Section 14571. The solicitation process shall be designed by the department to ensure that operators of recycling centers, dealers, and members of the public in the jurisdiction affected by the proposed exemption are aware of the proposed exemption. After evaluation of the testimony and any field review conducted, the department shall base a decision to exempt a convenience zone pursuant to this subdivision on any combination of the following factors:
(1)The exemption will not significantly decrease the ability of consumers to conveniently return beverage containers for the refund value to a certified recycling center redeeming all material types.
(2)The nearest certified recycling center is within a reasonable distance of the convenience zone being considered from exemption.
(3)The convenience zone is in the area of a curbside program that meets the criteria specified in Section 14509.5.
(4)The requirements of Section 14571 cannot be met in a particular convenience zone due to local zoning or the dealers leasehold restrictions for leases in effect on January 1, 1987, and the local zoning or leasehold restrictions are not within the authority of the department and the dealer. However, any lease executed after January 1, 1987, shall meet the requirements specified in subdivision (a).
(5)The convenience zone has redeemed less than 60,000 containers per month for the prior 12 months.
(c)The department shall review each convenience zone in which a certified recycling center was not located on January 1, 1996, to determine the eligibility of the convenience zone under the exemption criteria specified in subdivision (b).
(d)The total number of exemptions granted under this section shall not exceed 50 percent of the total number of convenience zones identified as eligible pursuant to subdivisions (b) and (h).
(e)The department may, on its own motion, or upon petition by any interested person, revoke a convenience zone exemption, including an exemption granted under subdivision (h), if either of the following occurs:
(1)The condition or conditions that caused the convenience zone to be exempt no longer exists, and the department determines that the criteria for an exemption specified in this section are not presently applicable to the convenience zone.
(2)The department determines that the convenience zone exemption was granted due to an administrative error.
(f)If an exemption is revoked and a recycling center is not certified and operational in the convenience zone, the department shall, within 10 days of the date of the decision to revoke, serve all dealers in the convenience zone with the notice specified in subdivision (a) of Section 14571.7.
(g)An exemption shall not be revoked when a recycling center becomes certified and operational within an exempt convenience zone unless either of the events specified in paragraphs (1) and (2) of subdivision (e) occurs.
(h)If there is a certified recycling center located within one mile of an unserved convenience zone, the department shall grant an exemption from the requirements of Section 14571 for that convenience zone.
(i)The department shall review exemptions granted pursuant to this section every five years to determine if each exemption still meets the exemption criteria of this section.
SEC. 5.Section 14571.9 of the Public Resources Code is amended to read:14571.9.(a)(1)Until January 1, 2020, the department may approve up to five recycling pilot projects that meet the requirements of this section.(2)The pilot projects, which shall be submitted by applicant jurisdictions, shall be designed to improve redemption opportunities in unserved convenience zones or unserved areas outside of convenience zones. It is the intent of the Legislature to create new, convenient recycling opportunities to improve consumer redemption of eligible beverage containers and increase recycling rates in jurisdictions served by pilot projects.(3)Unless otherwise specified in or authorized by the department pursuant to this section, an operator of a pilot project shall be subject to all requirements imposed on recycling centers as specified in this division and any implementing regulations.(4)If a pilot project ends before January 1, 2020, the department may consider additional pilot project proposals, but not more than five pilot projects may operate at the same time.(b)(1)Notwithstanding Sections 14570, 14571, and 14571.6, a convenience zone that falls within the area of a pilot project approved by the department under this section shall be deemed served while the pilot project is operational.(2)(A)A dealer within the jurisdiction of a pilot project shall post a clear and conspicuous sign of at least 10 inches by 15 inches at each public entrance to the dealers place of business that specifies the name of the pilot project location nearest to the dealer, as provided by the department, the days and hours of operation of the pilot project location, and the toll-free telephone number established by the department pursuant to subparagraph (B). This information shall be kept accurate and up to date.(B)The department shall establish a toll-free number for the purpose of disseminating information regarding beverage container recycling opportunities.(3)If a pilot project ceases operation or the pilot projects certification has been revoked by the department, a dealer in the convenience zone served by the pilot project shall comply with Sections 14570, 14571, and 14571.6. The department shall inform all dealers within a convenience zone of any change in status of a pilot project serving that convenience zone within 10 days.(c)No later than 90 days after the effective date of this section, the department shall hold at least one public workshop with interested stakeholders to solicit feedback on the pilot project program described in this section, including feedback on the factors that may be considered in the approval of a pilot project.(d)The requirements for a pilot project shall include, but not be limited to, all of the following:(1)A pilot project shall serve one of the following:(A)At least three unserved convenience zones.(B)One or more convenience zones impacting a total of at least 30 dealers in unserved convenience zones.(C)A rural region.(2)A pilot project shall be in a jurisdiction that, as of the effective date of this section, meets at least one of the following conditions:(A)Had at least six unserved convenience zones.(B)Had 75 percent of the convenience zones in the jurisdiction unserved.(C)Is located in a rural region.(3)A convenience zone in the pilot project shall be served by only one pilot project recycler.(4)A pilot project shall be served only by a pilot project recycler that meets all of the following requirements:(A)The pilot project recycler shall be cumulatively open for a minimum of 30 hours per week.(B)The pilot project recycler shall be open a minimum of one day per week for at least eight hours.(C)The pilot project recycler shall be open at least five hours per week during periods other than from Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.(D)The pilot project recycler shall accept and pay the refund value for all eligible beverage container types.(E)The operator of the pilot project recycler shall notify the department in writing 10 days before any change of the location where redeemed empty beverage containers are stored.(F)The pilot project recycler shall only redeem eligible empty beverage container material purchased from consumers for recycling, and shall not accept material from any other certified or noncertified person or entity, including, but not limited to, recycling centers, dropoff or collection programs, curbside programs, and processors.(G)A pilot project operator shall keep separate transaction records for each location within the pilot project, and in the case of mobile collection programs, separate transaction records for each location served by the mobile unit.(5)A processor shall not issue an authorization to cancel pursuant to subdivision (b) of Section 2110 of Title 14 of the California Code of Regulations to a pilot project recycler.(6)Additional requirements as deemed necessary by the department.(e)A pilot project established pursuant to this section may provide stationary dropoff locations or mobile collection programs.(f)A jurisdiction that opts to be served by a pilot project shall submit its pilot project proposal to the department for approval. The proposal shall include all of the following elements:(1)A map of the pilot project area, including intended locations for pilot project recyclers.(2)A list of proposed operators of pilot project recyclers.(3)Contact information for the jurisdiction.(4)Planned dates of operation.(5)A description of how the pilot project will meet the requirements of this section.(6)Additional elements as determined by the department.(g)The department may issue probationary certificates of operation to pilot project recyclers participating in an approved pilot project. A certificate issued under this section shall be valid, and shall specify that the certificate is valid, for a period of not more than three years or until the end of the pilot project, whichever comes first. Notwithstanding certification requirements imposed by this division or implementing regulations, the following application review timelines shall apply to pilot projects:(1)The department shall notify each applicant and the appropriate pilot project contact within 30 calendar days of receipt of the proposal, or receipt of additional information if the proposal was initially deemed incomplete, that the proposal for certification is either complete and accepted for further review or incomplete and the reasons for incompleteness.(2)Upon determining that a proposal is complete, the department shall notify the applicant and appropriate pilot project contact in writing within 30 calendar days that the application is either approved with probationary status or denied and the reasons for denial.(h)In approving pilot projects, the department shall consider all of the following factors:(1)The number of unserved convenience zones that will be served by the pilot project.(2)The total number of hours per week the pilot project recycler will operate.(3)The total number of locations that will be served under the pilot project.(4)Whether the jurisdiction has actively prevented the siting or operation of a certified recycling center at a supermarket site.(5)The geographic distribution of jurisdictions proposing a pilot project.(6)Potential impacts to existing certified recycling centers.(7)Additional factors deemed relevant by the department.(i)(1)The department may revoke the approval of a pilot project or the associated probationary certification of a pilot project recycler participating in the pilot project, or both, at any time if the jurisdiction or operator of the pilot project recycler fails to meet the conditions outlined in the departments approval of the application or violates this division or a regulation adopted pursuant to this division, except as to violations of the division or regulations that are inconsistent with the operation of an approved pilot project. If the department revokes a probationary certification of a pilot project recycler, the department may require the jurisdiction or operator of the pilot project to take the steps necessary to ensure that the pilot project achieves its goals consistent with the approved pilot project application.(2)If the approval of a pilot project is revoked, the review process described in Section 14571.7 shall apply to each convenience zone that was a part of the pilot project.(j)A pilot project recycler that has been certified by the department on a probationary basis pursuant to an approved pilot project shall be eligible to apply for handling fees pursuant to Section 14585 and to receive from certified processors the amounts specified in subdivision (a) of Section 14573.5 for refund values, administrative costs, and processing payments. For purposes of handling fee eligibility, a pilot project recycler may be located anywhere within the approved map of the pilot project area submitted pursuant to paragraph (1) of subdivision (f).(k)(1)An amount equal to 50 percent of the payments made by dealers pursuant to paragraph (2) of subdivision (a) of Section 14571.6 in an approved pilot project area during the 24 months preceding the pilot project approval date is hereby appropriated from the fund to the department to disburse, no later than 30 days after the approval of a pilot project, to the applicant jurisdiction. These moneys shall be disbursed in addition to any refund values, administrative costs, or processing payments received in accordance with subdivision (a) of Section 14573.5.(2)An applicant jurisdiction shall not use the moneys it receives pursuant to paragraph (1) for any purpose other than assisting with the opening and continued operation of pilot project recyclers.(3)The department shall create and maintain individual accounts within the fund for each approved pilot project and shall include the balances of those accounts in the reports provided to the Legislature pursuant to Section 14556.(4)When this section is repealed, or if a pilot project ends before January 1, 2022, any remaining moneys in accounts created pursuant to paragraph (3) shall revert to the fund.(l)The department may adopt emergency regulations for the purpose of implementing this section. Emergency regulations, if adopted, shall be adopted in accordance with Chapter 3.5 (commencing with Section 11340) of Part 1 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code, and for the purposes of that chapter, including Section 11349.6 of the Government Code, the adoption of these regulations is an emergency and shall be considered by the Office of Administrative Law as necessary for the immediate preservation of the public peace, health and safety, and general welfare. Emergency regulations adopted pursuant to this section shall be filed with, but not be repealed by, the Office of Administrative Law and shall remain in effect until amended or repealed by the department or January 1, 2022, whichever comes first.(m)This section shall remain in effect only until January 1, 2022, and as of that date is repealed, unless a later enacted statute that is enacted before January 1, 2022, deletes or extends that date.SEC. 6.SEC. 5.Section 14572.3 is added to the Public Resources Code, to read:14572.3.(a)A dealer described in subdivision (c) and who is located in a convenience zone described in subdivision (b) shall be exempt from the dealer requirements of Section 14571.6 from the effective date of this section until December 31, 2020, inclusive.
(b)Subdivision (a) shall apply only to a dealer that is located in a convenience zone that meets one of the following:
(1)The convenience zone was served by, or exempted because of, a recycling center that closed between January 1, 2016, and May 31, 2016, inclusive, at the initiation of the recycler and not at the initiation of the dealer.
(2)The convenience zone was served by a recycling center that closed as a result of an action taken by the department on or after January 1, 2018.
(c)Subdivision (a) shall apply only to a dealer that meets one of the following conditions:
(1)The dealer demonstrates to the department that it has acted in full compliance with the requirements of Section 14571.6.
(2)The department approves the dealer for an exemption described in subdivision (a). The department may approve a dealer that was not in compliance with Section 14571.6 for an exemption only if the dealer pays the department any moneys owed by the dealer under Section 14571.6.
(d)The Legislature finds and declares that the purpose of this section is to temporarily suspend the obligations of dealers described in subdivision (c) to comply with the requirements of Section 14571.6 in order to focus attention and resources on the reestablishment of recycling centers in currently unserved convenience zones. Nothing in this section is intended to reduce the obligation of dealers and the department to site and maintain recycling centers.
(e)This section shall remain in effect only until January 1, 2021, and as of that date is repealed.
SEC. 7.SEC. 6.Section 14575.2 is added to the Public Resources Code, to read:14575.2.(a)(1)Notwithstanding Section 14575, for purposes of calculating processing payments, the department shall use the actual costs of recycling that were in effect on December 30, 2015.
(2)Consistent with Section 14575, the department shall adjust the recycling costs described in paragraph (1) to reflect changes in the cost of living from December 30, 2015, as measured by the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the United States Department of Labor or a successor agency of the United States government as of the effective date of this section and at least once annually thereafter.
(3)Notwithstanding Section 2975 of Title 14 of the California Code of Regulations, for the period from the effective date of this section to December 31, 2020, inclusive, the reasonable financial return for recycling centers shall be calculated as follows:
(A)The reasonable financial return shall be equal to 11.5 percent of the actual costs of recycling that were in effect on December 30, 2015, except as specified in subparagraph (B).
(B)The reasonable financial return for recycling centers located in rural regions, as defined by subparagraph (A) of paragraph (2) of subdivision (b) of Section 14571, shall be equal to 16.6 percent of the actual costs of recycling that were in effect on December 30, 2015.
(b)Notwithstanding subdivisions (d) and (e) of Section 14575, for processing fees established by the department between the effective date of this section and December 31, 2018, inclusive, the department shall not impose a processing fee on a beverage manufacturer that is higher than the processing fee that would be imposed without this section.
(c)(1)Notwithstanding subdivision (c) of Section 14575, the department shall suspend usage of surveys and calculations of recycling costs until at least January 1, 2020.
(2)The department may redirect any contract funds already approved for cost surveys and calculations as of the effective date of this section into an updated contract to utilize data collected for the 2015 processing payment to provide the department with an assessment of variations in the average cost of recycling based on, at a minimum, each of the following:
(A)Recycling location monthly average volume.
(B)Recycling location geographic area.
(C)Recycling location distance to end-use market.
(3)The department may utilize any contract funds available as of the effective date of this section for the analysis and development of recommendations to the Legislature of amendments to subdivisions (b) and (c) of Section 14575 to satisfy the legislative intent expressed in subdivision (f) of Section 14501 to create and maintain a marketplace where it is profitable to establish sufficient recycling centers and locations to provide consumers with convenient recycling opportunities through the establishment of minimum refund values and processing fees and, through the proper application of these elements, to enhance the profitability of recycling centers, recycling locations, and other beverage container recycling programs.
(d)This section shall remain in effect only until January 1, 2021, and as of that date is repealed.
SEC. 8.SEC. 7.Section 14581 of the Public Resources Code is amended to read:14581.(a)Subject to the availability of funds and in accordance with subdivision (b), the department shall expend the moneys set aside in the fund, pursuant to subdivision (c) of Section 14580, for the purposes of this section in the following manner:
(1)For each fiscal year, the department may expend the amount necessary to make the required handling fee payment pursuant to Section 14585.
(2)(A)Fifteen million dollars ($15,000,000) shall be expended annually for payments for curbside programs and neighborhood dropoff programs pursuant to Section 14549.6.
(B)The department may withhold payments to curbside programs and neighborhood dropoff programs in any city, county, or city and county that has prohibited the siting of a certified recycling center, caused a certified recycling center to close its business, or adopted a land use policy that restricts or prohibits the siting of a certified recycling center within its jurisdiction.
(3)(A)Ten million five hundred thousand dollars ($10,500,000) may be expended annually for payments of five thousand dollars ($5,000) to cities and ten thousand dollars ($10,000) for payments to counties for beverage container recycling and litter cleanup activities, or the department may calculate the payments to counties and cities on a per capita basis, and may pay whichever amount is greater, for those activities.
(B)Eligible activities for the use of these funds may include, but are not necessarily limited to, support for new or existing curbside programs, neighborhood dropoff programs, public education promoting beverage container recycling, litter prevention, and cleanup, cooperative regional efforts among two or more cities or counties, or both, or other beverage container recycling programs.
(C)These funds shall not be used for activities unrelated to beverage container recycling or litter reduction.
(D)To receive these funds, a city, county, or city and county shall fill out and return a funding request form to the department. The form shall specify the beverage container recycling or litter reduction activities for which the funds will be used.
(E)The department shall annually prepare and distribute a funding request form to each city, county, or city and county. The form shall specify the amount of beverage container recycling and litter cleanup funds for which the jurisdiction is eligible. The form shall not exceed one double-sided page in length, and may be submitted electronically. If a city, county, or city and county does not return the funding request form within 90 days of receipt of the form from the department, the city, county, or city and county is not eligible to receive the funds for that funding cycle.
(F)For the purposes of this paragraph, per capita population shall be based on the population of the incorporated area of a city or city and county and the unincorporated area of a county. The department shall withhold payment to any city, county, or city and county that has prohibited the siting of a supermarket site, caused a supermarket site to close its business, or adopted a land use policy that restricts or prohibits the siting of a supermarket site within its jurisdiction.
(4)One million five hundred thousand dollars ($1,500,000) may be expended annually in the form of grants for beverage container recycling and litter reduction programs.
(5)(A)The department shall expend the amount necessary to pay the processing payment established pursuant to Section 14575. The department shall establish separate processing fee accounts in the fund for each beverage container material type for which a processing payment and processing fee are calculated pursuant to Section 14575, or for which a processing payment is calculated pursuant to Section 14575 and a voluntary artificial scrap value is calculated pursuant to Section 14575.1, into which account shall be deposited both of the following:
(i)All amounts paid as processing fees for each beverage container material type pursuant to Section 14575.
(ii)Funds equal to the difference between the amount in clause (i) and the amount of the processing payments established in subdivision (b) of Section 14575, and adjusted pursuant to paragraph (2) of subdivision (c) of, and subdivision (f) of, Section 14575, to reduce the processing fee to the level provided in subdivision (e) of Section 14575, or to reflect the agreement by a willing purchaser to pay a voluntary artificial scrap value pursuant to Section 14575.1.
(B)Notwithstanding Section 13340 of the Government Code, the moneys in each processing fee account are hereby continuously appropriated to the department for expenditure without regard to fiscal years, for purposes of making processing payments pursuant to Section 14575.
(6)Up to five million dollars ($5,000,000) may be annually expended by the department for the purposes of undertaking a statewide public education and information campaign aimed at promoting increased recycling of beverage containers.
(7)Up to ten million dollars ($10,000,000) may be expended annually by the department for quality incentive payments for empty glass beverage containers pursuant to Section 14549.1.
(8)(A)(i)For the 201819 fiscal year, the department may expend up to fifteen million dollars ($15,000,000) for market development payments to reclaimers and product manufacturers, pursuant to Section 14549.2.
(ii)Of the total amount authorized for expenditure by this subparagraph, up to five million dollars ($5,000,000) may be expended for market development payments to reclaimers or product manufacturers for the activities described in paragraphs (1) and (2) of subdivision (c) of Section 14549.2 that occurred during the period from January 1, 2018, to June 30, 2018, inclusive.
(B)For the 201920 fiscal year to the 202324 fiscal year, inclusive, the department may expend up to ten million dollars ($10,000,000) each fiscal year for market development payments to reclaimers and product manufacturers, pursuant to Section 14549.2.
(C)For purposes of this paragraph, the definitions in subdivision (a) of Section 14549.2 apply.
(b)(1)If the department determines, pursuant to a review made pursuant to Section 14556, that there may be inadequate funds to pay the payments required by this division, the department shall immediately notify the appropriate policy and fiscal committees of the Legislature regarding the inadequacy.
(2)On or before 180 days, but not less than 80 days, after the notice is sent pursuant to paragraph (1), the department may reduce or eliminate expenditures, or both, from the funds as necessary, according to the procedure set forth in subdivision (c).
(c)If the department determines that there are insufficient funds to make the payments specified pursuant to this section and Section 14575, the department shall reduce all payments proportionally.
(d)Before making an expenditure pursuant to paragraph (6) of subdivision (a), the department shall convene an advisory committee consisting of representatives of the beverage industry, beverage container manufacturers, environmental organizations, the recycling industry, nonprofit organizations, and retailers to advise the department on the most cost-effective and efficient method of the expenditure of the funds for that education and information campaign.
SEC. 9.SEC. 8.Section 14585 of the Public Resources Code is amended to read:14585.(a)The department shall adopt guidelines and methods for paying handling fees to supermarket sites, nonprofit convenience zone recyclers, or rural region recyclers to provide an incentive for the redemption of empty beverage containers in convenience zones. The guidelines shall include, but not be limited to, all of the following:
(1)Handling fees shall be paid on a monthly basis, in the form and manner adopted by the department. The department shall require that claims for the handling fee be filed with the department not later than the first day of the second month following the month for which the handling fee is claimed as a condition of receiving any handling fee.
(2)The department shall determine the number of eligible containers per site for which a handling fee will be paid in the following manner:
(A)Each eligible sites combined monthly volume of glass and plastic beverage containers shall be divided by the sites total monthly volume of all empty beverage container types.
(B)If the quotient determined pursuant to subparagraph (A) is equal to, or more than, 10 percent, the total monthly volume of the site shall be the maximum volume which is eligible for a handling fee for that month.
(C)If the quotient determined pursuant to subparagraph (A) is less than 10 percent, the department shall divide the volume of glass and plastic beverage containers by 10 percent. That quotient shall be the maximum volume that is eligible for a handling fee for that month.
(3)The department shall pay a handling fee per eligible container in the amount determined pursuant to subdivision (f).
(4)If the eligible volume in any given month would result in handling fee payments that exceed the allocation of funds for that month, as provided in subdivision (b), sites with higher eligible monthly volumes shall receive handling fees for their entire eligible monthly volume before sites with lower eligible monthly volumes receive any handling fees.
(5)(A)If a dealer where a supermarket site, nonprofit convenience zone recycler, or rural region recycler is located ceases operation for remodeling or for a change of ownership, the operator of that supermarket site, nonprofit convenience zone recycler, or rural region recycler shall be eligible to apply for handling fees for that site for a period of three months following the date of the closure of the dealer.
(B)Every supermarket site operator, nonprofit convenience zone recycler, or rural region recycler shall promptly notify the department of the closure of the dealer where the supermarket site, nonprofit convenience zone recycler, or rural region recycler is located.
(C)Notwithstanding subparagraph (A), any operator who fails to provide notification to the department pursuant to subparagraph (B) shall not be eligible to apply for handling fees.
(b)The department may allocate the amount authorized for expenditure for the payment of handling fees pursuant to paragraph (1) of subdivision (a) of Section 14581 on a monthly basis and may carry over any unexpended monthly allocation to a subsequent month or months. However, unexpended monthly allocations shall not be carried over to a subsequent fiscal year for the purpose of paying handling fees but may be carried over for any other purpose pursuant to Section 14581.
(c)(1)The department shall not make handling fee payments to more than one certified recycling center in a convenience zone. If a dealer is located in more than one convenience zone, the department shall offer a single handling fee payment to a supermarket site located at that dealer. This handling fee payment shall not be split between the affected zones. The department shall stop making handling fee payments if another recycling center certifies to operate within the convenience zone without receiving payments pursuant to this section, if the department monitors the performance of the other recycling center for 60 days and determines that the recycling center is in compliance with this division. Any recycling center that locates in a convenience zone, thereby causing a preexisting recycling center to become ineligible to receive handling fee payments, is ineligible to receive any handling fee payments in that convenience zone.
(2)The department shall offer a single handling fee payment to a rural region recycler located anywhere inside a convenience zone, if that convenience zone is not served by another certified recycling center and the rural region recycler does either of the following:
(A)Operates a minimum of 30 hours per week in one convenience zone.
(B)Serves two or more convenience zones, and meets all of the following criteria:
(i)Is the only certified recycler within each convenience zone.
(ii)Is open and operating at least eight hours per week in each convenience zone and is certified at each location.
(iii)Operates at least 30 hours per week in total for all convenience zones served.
(3)In a convenience zone that, as of the effective date of the measure that added this paragraph, has been continuously unserved by a certified recycling location for at least six months, the department shall offer a handling fee payment to a recycler located within the convenience zone that operates a minimum of 30 hours per week regardless of physical location within that convenience zone and that is certified and begins operating on or after the effective date of that measure.
(d)The department may require the operator of a supermarket site, or the operator of a rural region recycler, receiving handling fees to maintain records for each location where beverage containers are redeemed, and may require the supermarket site or rural region recycler to take any other action necessary for the department to determine that the supermarket site or rural region recycler does not receive an excessive handling fee.
(e)The department may determine and utilize a standard container per pound rate, for each material type, for the purpose of calculating volumes and making handling fee payments.
(f)(1)On or before January 1, 2008, and every two years thereafter, the department shall conduct a survey pursuant to this subdivision of a statistically significant sample of certified recycling centers that receive handling fee payments to determine the actual cost incurred for the redemption of empty beverage containers by those certified recycling centers. The department shall conduct these cost surveys in conjunction with the cost surveys performed by the department pursuant to subdivision (b) of Section 14575 to determine processing payments and processing fees. The department shall include, in determining the actual costs, only those allowable costs contained in the regulations adopted pursuant to this division that are used by the department to conduct cost surveys pursuant to subdivision (b) of Section 14575.
(2)Using the information obtained pursuant to paragraph (1), the department shall then determine the statewide weighted average cost incurred for the redemption of empty beverage containers, per empty beverage container, at recycling centers that receive handling fees.
(3)The department shall determine the amount of the handling fee to be paid for each empty beverage container by subtracting the amount of the statewide weighted average cost per container to redeem empty beverage containers by recycling centers that do not receive handling fees from the amount of the statewide weighted average cost per container determined pursuant to paragraph (2).
(4)The department shall adjust the statewide average cost determined pursuant to paragraph (2) for each beverage container annually to reflect changes in the cost of living, as measured by the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the United States Department of Labor or a successor agency of the United States government.
(5)The cost information collected pursuant to this section at recycling centers that receive handling fees shall not be used in the calculation of the processing payments determined pursuant to Section 14575.
(6)Notwithstanding paragraphs (2) and (3), for the period from the effective date of the measure that added this paragraph to July 1, 2021, inclusive, the handling fee shall be set at the rate in effect on July 1, 2015.
(g)The department may update the methodology and scrap values used for calculating the handling fee from the most recent cost survey if it finds that the handling fee resulting from the most recent cost survey does not accurately represent the actual cost incurred for the redemption of empty beverage containers by those certified recycling centers.
(h)Notwithstanding subdivision (f), the department shall suspend usage of surveys and calculations of recycling costs until at least January 1, 2020.
(i)(1)The department may expend up to three million dollars ($3,000,000) annually from the fund for supplemental handling fee payments to low-volume recycling centers and recyclers willing to open a recycling center in a convenience zone that has recently become unserved. The department shall allocate the amount authorized for these supplemental handling fee payments into 12 equal monthly allotments.
(2)Supplemental handling fee payments shall be distributed once per month in equal amounts to recycling centers that are eligible for handling fees pursuant to subdivision (a), subject to all of the following requirements:
(A)A recycling center receiving a handling fee pursuant to this subdivision shall have no more than 600,000 beverage containers eligible for handling fees per month.
(B)Priority shall be given to recycling centers with the lowest volumes of beverage containers that are located in rural regions.
(C)(i)Payments shall be distributed first to no more than 100 recycling centers with the lowest volumes of beverage containers that are located in rural regions, in order of lowest volume.
(ii)After payments are distributed pursuant to clause (i), payments shall be distributed to other recycling centers with the lowest volumes of beverage containers, in order of lowest volume.
(3)No more than 400 recycling centers shall receive supplemental handling fee payments pursuant to this subdivision.
(4)The department may make the supplemental handling fee payments authorized pursuant to this subdivision by augmenting handling fee payments received by recyclers pursuant to subdivision (f).
(5)This subdivision shall become inoperative on July 1, 2021.
(j)On or before January 1, 2021, the department shall develop and submit, in compliance with Section 9795 of the Government Code, recommendations to the Legislature for revisions to this section and the departments handling fee guidelines to ensure that handling fee calculations are adequate to maintain the states recycling center infrastructure.
SEC. 10.No reimbursement is required by this act pursuant to Section 6 of Article XIIIB of the California Constitution because the only costs that may be incurred by a local agency or school district will be incurred because this act creates a new crime or infraction, eliminates a crime or infraction, or changes the penalty for a crime or infraction, within the meaning of Section 17556 of the Government Code, or changes the definition of a crime within the meaning of Section 6 of Article XIIIB of the California Constitution.SEC. 11.SEC. 9.This act is an urgency statute necessary for the immediate preservation of the public peace, health, or safety within the meaning of Article IV of the California Constitution and shall go into immediate effect. The facts constituting the necessity are:
Because of the unprecedented closures of recycling centers statewide, reduced access to redemption locations for consumers, declining recycling rates, and higher costs associated for grocers and retailers, it is necessary for this act to take effect immediately.
(a)Except as provided in subdivision (b), the director shall adopt, amend, or repeal all rules and regulations in accordance with Chapter 3.5 (commencing with Section 11340) of Part 1 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code.
(b)(1)The director shall adopt regulations, and may adopt emergency regulations, for the purposes of implementing Sections 14538, 14539, 14541, 14549.1, 14549.2, 14550, 14561, 14571.6, 14571.65, 14574, 14575, 14585, 14588.1, 14588.2, and 14591.
(2)Any emergency regulations, if adopted, shall be adopted in accordance with Chapter 3.5 (commencing with Section 11340) of Part 1 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code, and for the purposes of that chapter, including Section 11349.6 of the Government Code, the adoption of these regulations is an emergency and shall be considered by the Office of Administrative Law as necessary for the immediate preservation of the public peace, health and safety, and general welfare. Notwithstanding Chapter 3.5 (commencing with Section 11340) of Part 1 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code, including subdivision (e) of Section 11346.1 of the Government Code, any emergency regulations adopted pursuant to this section shall be filed with, but not be repealed by, the Office of Administrative Law and shall remain in effect until revised by the director.
SEC. 2.Section 14549.2 is added to the Public Resources Code, to read:14549.2.(a)For purposes of this section, the following definitions shall apply:(1)Certified entity means a recycling center, processor, or dropoff or collection program certified pursuant to this division.(2)Plastic product means a finished plastic product that requires no further thermoforming, shaping, or processing before being sold for its specified use. Plastic product does not include plastic flake, pellet, sheet, or any other form that is an output from a reclaimers processing of empty plastic beverage containers.(3)Product manufacturer means a person who manufactures a plastic product in this state.(4)Reclaimer means a certified entity that purchases empty plastic beverage containers that have been collected for recycling in the state, and that washes and processes, in the state, those empty plastic beverage containers into flake, pellet, sheet, or any other form that is then usable as input for the manufacture of new plastic products by product manufacturers in the state.(b)In order to develop California markets for empty plastic beverage containers collected for recycling in the state, the department may, consistent with Section 14581 and subject to the availability of funds, pay a market development payment to a reclaimer or product manufacturer for empty plastic beverage containers collected and managed pursuant to this section and to a product manufacturer for plastic flake, pellet, sheet, or any other form of plastic purchased from a reclaimer pursuant to this section.(c)The department shall make a market development payment to a reclaimer or product manufacturer in accordance with this section, only if the plastic beverage container is collected, washed, and processed into flake, pellet, sheet, or any other form, and is used in manufacturing, in the state, as follows:(1)The department shall make a market development payment to a reclaimer for empty plastic beverage containers that are collected, washed, and processed as specified in paragraph (4) of subdivision (a).(2)The department shall make a market development payment to a product manufacturer for plastic flake, pellet, sheet, or any other form of plastic purchased from a reclaimer and used by that product manufacturer to manufacture a plastic product in the state.(3)The department shall determine the amount of the market development payment, which may be set at a different level for a reclaimer and a product manufacturer, but shall not exceed one hundred fifty dollars ($150) per ton. In setting the amount of the market development payment for both reclaimers and product manufacturers, the department shall consider all of the following:(A)The minimum funding level needed to encourage the in-state washing and processing of empty plastic beverage containers collected for recycling in this state.(B)The minimum funding level needed to encourage the in-state manufacturing that utilizes flake, pellet, sheet, or any other form processed from empty plastic beverage containers collected for recycling in this state.(C)The total amount of funds projected to be available for plastic market development payments and the desire to maintain the minimum funding level needed throughout the year.(4)The department may make a market development payment to both a reclaimer and a product manufacturer for both the empty plastic beverage container and for the flake, pellet, sheet, or any other form processed by the reclaimer from that same empty plastic beverage container.(d)This section shall remain in effect only until January 1, 2024, and as of that date is repealed, unless a later enacted statute, that is enacted before January 1, 2024, deletes or extends that date. SEC. 2.Section 14549.2 of the Public Resources Code is amended to read:14549.2.(a)For purposes of this section, the following definitions shall apply:
(1)Certified entity means a recycling center, processor, or dropoff or collection program certified pursuant to this division.
(2)Plastic product means a finished plastic product that requires no further thermoforming, shaping, or processing before being sold for its specified use. Plastic product does not include plastic flake, pellet, sheet, or any other form that is an output from a reclaimers processing of empty plastic beverage containers.
(3)Product manufacturer means a person who manufactures a plastic product in this state.
(4)Reclaimer means a certified entity that purchases empty plastic beverage containers that have been collected for recycling in the state, and that washes and processes, in the state, those empty plastic beverage containers into flake, pellet, sheet, or any other form that is then usable as input for the manufacture of new plastic products by product manufacturers in the state.
(b)In order to develop California markets for empty plastic beverage containers collected for recycling in the state, the department may, consistent with Section 14581 and subject to the availability of funds, pay a market development payment to a reclaimer for empty plastic beverage containers collected and managed pursuant to this section and to a product manufacturer for plastic flake, pellet, sheet, or any other form of plastic purchased from a reclaimer pursuant to this section.
(c)The department shall make a market development payment to a reclaimer or product manufacturer in accordance with this section only if the plastic beverage container is collected, washed, and processed into flake, pellet, sheet, or any other form, and is used in manufacturing, in the state, as follows:
(1)The department shall make a market development payment to a reclaimer for empty plastic beverage containers that are collected, washed, and processed as specified in paragraph (4) of subdivision (a).
(2)The department shall make a market development payment to a product manufacturer for plastic flake, pellet, sheet, or any other form of plastic purchased from a reclaimer and used by that product manufacturer to manufacture a plastic product in the state.
(3)The department shall determine the amount of the market development payment, which may be set at a different level for a reclaimer and a product manufacturer, but shall not exceed one hundred fifty dollars ($150) per ton. In setting the amount of the market development payment for both reclaimers and product manufacturers, the department shall consider all of the following:
(A)The minimum funding level needed to encourage in-state washing and processing of empty plastic beverage containers collected for recycling in this state.
(B)The minimum funding level needed to encourage in-state manufacturing that utilizes flake, pellet, sheet, or any other form processed from empty plastic beverage containers collected for recycling in this state.
(C)The total amount of funds projected to be available for plastic market development payments, and the desire to maintain the minimum funding level needed throughout the year.
(4)The department may make a market development payment to both a reclaimer and a product manufacturer for both the empty plastic beverage container and for the flake, pellet, sheet, or any other form processed by the reclaimer from that same empty plastic beverage container.
(d)This section shall become inoperative on July 1, 2022, 2024, and, as of January 1, 2023, 2025, is repealed.
SEC. 3.Section 14571.6 of the Public Resources Code is amended to read:14571.6.(a)Except as provided in Section 14572.3, in any convenience zone where no recycling location has been established that satisfies the requirements of Section 14571, and in any convenience zone that has exceeded the 60-day period for the establishment of a recycling center pursuant to Section 14571.7, all dealers within that zone shall, until a recycling location has been established in that zone, do one of the following:
(1)Submit to the department an affidavit form provided by the department stating that all of the following standards are being met by the dealer:
(A)The dealer redeems all empty beverage container types at a minimum of one designated location on the dealers premises, during all hours that the dealer is open for business. The dealer is not required to redeem more than 50 beverage containers of any one type per consumer per day.
(B)The dealer has posted signs that meet the size and location requirements specified in subdivision (b) of Section 14570, and that conform to paragraph (2) of that subdivision.
(C)The dealer is delivering, or having delivered, all empty beverage containers received from the public to a certified recycling center or processor for recycling.
(2)Pay to the department for deposit in the fund the sum of one hundred dollars ($100) per day until a recycling location is established or until the standards for redemption specified in paragraph (1) are met.
(b)This section shall apply only to a dealer with gross annual sales of two million dollars ($2,000,000) or more.
SEC. 4.Section 14571.8 of the Public Resources Code is amended to read:14571.8.(a)A lease entered into by a dealer after January 1, 1987, shall not contain a leasehold restriction that prohibits or results in the prohibition of the establishment of a recycling location.
(b)Except as provided in subdivision (h), the director may grant an exemption from the requirements of Section 14571 for an individual convenience zone only after the department solicits public testimony on whether or not to provide an exemption from Section 14571. The solicitation process shall be designed by the department to ensure that operators of recycling centers, dealers, and members of the public in the jurisdiction affected by the proposed exemption are aware of the proposed exemption. After evaluation of the testimony and any field review conducted, the department shall base a decision to exempt a convenience zone pursuant to this subdivision on any combination of the following factors:
(1)The exemption will not significantly decrease the ability of consumers to conveniently return beverage containers for the refund value to a certified recycling center redeeming all material types.
(2)The nearest certified recycling center is within a reasonable distance of the convenience zone being considered from exemption.
(3)The convenience zone is in the area of a curbside program that meets the criteria specified in Section 14509.5.
(4)The requirements of Section 14571 cannot be met in a particular convenience zone due to local zoning or the dealers leasehold restrictions for leases in effect on January 1, 1987, and the local zoning or leasehold restrictions are not within the authority of the department and the dealer. However, any lease executed after January 1, 1987, shall meet the requirements specified in subdivision (a).
(5)The convenience zone has redeemed less than 60,000 containers per month for the prior 12 months.
(c)The department shall review each convenience zone in which a certified recycling center was not located on January 1, 1996, to determine the eligibility of the convenience zone under the exemption criteria specified in subdivision (b).
(d)The total number of exemptions granted under this section shall not exceed 50 percent of the total number of convenience zones identified as eligible pursuant to subdivisions (b) and (h).
(e)The department may, on its own motion, or upon petition by any interested person, revoke a convenience zone exemption, including an exemption granted under subdivision (h), if either of the following occurs:
(1)The condition or conditions that caused the convenience zone to be exempt no longer exists, and the department determines that the criteria for an exemption specified in this section are not presently applicable to the convenience zone.
(2)The department determines that the convenience zone exemption was granted due to an administrative error.
(f)If an exemption is revoked and a recycling center is not certified and operational in the convenience zone, the department shall, within 10 days of the date of the decision to revoke, serve all dealers in the convenience zone with the notice specified in subdivision (a) of Section 14571.7.
(g)An exemption shall not be revoked when a recycling center becomes certified and operational within an exempt convenience zone unless either of the events specified in paragraphs (1) and (2) of subdivision (e) occurs.
(h)If there is a certified recycling center located within one mile of an unserved convenience zone, the department shall grant an exemption from the requirements of Section 14571 for that convenience zone.
(i)The department shall review exemptions granted pursuant to this section every five years to determine if each exemption still meets the exemption criteria of this section.
SEC. 5.Section 14571.9 of the Public Resources Code is amended to read:14571.9.(a)(1)Until January 1, 2020, the department may approve up to five recycling pilot projects that meet the requirements of this section.
(1)(2)The pilot projects, which shall be submitted by applicant jurisdictions, shall be designed to improve redemption opportunities in unserved convenience zones. zones or unserved areas outside of convenience zones. It is the intent of the Legislature to create new, convenient recycling opportunities to improve consumer redemption of eligible beverage containers and increase recycling rates in jurisdictions served by pilot projects.
(2)(3)Unless otherwise specified in or authorized by the department pursuant to this section, an operator of a pilot project shall be subject to all requirements imposed on recycling centers as specified in this division and any implementing regulations.
(3)(4)If a pilot project ends before January 1, 2020, the department may consider additional pilot project proposals, but not more than five pilot projects may operate at the same time.
(b)(1)Notwithstanding Sections 14570, 14571, and 14571.6, a convenience zone that falls within the area of a pilot project approved by the department under this section shall be deemed served while the pilot project is operational.
(1)(2)(A)Every A dealer within the jurisdiction of a pilot project shall post a clear and conspicuous sign of at least 10 inches by 15 inches at each public entrance to the dealers place of business that specifies the name of the pilot project location nearest to the dealer, as provided by the department, the days and hours of operation of the pilot project location, and the toll-free telephone number established by the department pursuant to subparagraph (B). This information shall be kept accurate and up to date.
(B)The department shall establish a toll-free number for the purpose of disseminating information regarding beverage container recycling opportunities.
(2)(3)If a pilot project ceases operation or the pilot projects certification has been revoked by the department, a dealer in the convenience zone served by the pilot project shall comply with Sections 14570, 14571, and 14571.6. The department shall inform all dealers within a convenience zone of any change in status of a pilot project serving that convenience zone within 10 days.
(c)No later than 90 days after the effective date of this section, the department shall hold at least one public workshop with interested stakeholders to solicit feedback on the pilot project program described in this section, including feedback on the factors that may be considered in the approval of a pilot project.
(d)The requirements for a pilot project shall include, but not be limited to, all of the following:
(1)A pilot project shall serve one of the following:
(A)At least three unserved convenience zones.
(B)One or more convenience zones impacting a total of at least 30 dealers in unserved convenience zones.
(C)A rural region.
(2)A pilot project shall be in a jurisdiction that, as of the effective date of this section, meets at least one of the following conditions:
(A)Had at least six unserved convenience zones.
(B)Had 75 percent of the convenience zones in the jurisdiction unserved.
(C)Is located in a rural region.
(3)A pilot project shall not establish a location for redeeming a beverage container for its refund value that is outside of a convenience zone.(4)(3)A convenience zone in the pilot project shall be served by only one pilot project recycler.
(5)(4)A pilot project shall be served only by a pilot project recycler that meets all of the following requirements:
(A)The pilot project recycler shall be cumulatively open for a minimum of 30 hours per week.
(B)The pilot project recycler shall be open a minimum of one day per week for at least eight hours.
(C)The pilot project recycler shall be open at least five hours per week during periods other than from Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
(D)The pilot project recycler shall accept and pay the refund value for all eligible beverage container types.
(E)The operator of the pilot project recycler shall notify the department in writing 10 days before any change of the location where redeemed empty beverage containers are stored.
(F)The pilot project recycler shall only redeem eligible empty beverage container material purchased from consumers for recycling, and shall not accept material from any other certified or noncertified person or entity, including, but not limited to, recycling centers, dropoff or collection programs, curbside programs, and processors.
(G)A pilot project operator shall keep separate transaction records for each location within the pilot project, and in the case of mobile collection programs, separate transaction records for each location served by the mobile unit.
(6)No(5)A processor shall not issue an authorization to cancel pursuant to subdivision (b) of Section 2110 of Title 14 of the California Code of Regulations to a pilot project recycler.
(7)(6)Additional requirements as deemed necessary by the department.
(e)A pilot project established pursuant to this section may provide stationary dropoff locations or mobile collection programs.
(f)A jurisdiction that opts to be served by a pilot project shall submit its pilot project proposal to the department for approval. The proposal shall include all of the following elements:
(1)A map of the pilot project area, including intended locations for pilot project recyclers.
(2)A list of proposed operators of pilot project recyclers.
(3)Contact information for the jurisdiction.
(4)Planned dates of operation.
(5)A description of how the pilot project will meet the requirements of this section.
(6)Additional elements as determined by the department.
(g)The department may issue probationary certificates of operation to pilot project recyclers participating in an approved pilot project. A certificate issued under this section shall be valid, and shall specify that the certificate is valid, for a period of not more than three years or until the end of the pilot project, whichever comes first. Notwithstanding certification requirements imposed by this division or implementing regulations, the following application review timelines shall apply to pilot projects:
(1)The department shall notify each applicant and the appropriate pilot project contact within 30 calendar days of receipt of the proposal, or receipt of additional information if the proposal was initially deemed incomplete, that the proposal for certification is either complete and accepted for further review or incomplete and the reasons for incompleteness.
(2)Upon determining that a proposal is complete, the department shall notify the applicant and appropriate pilot project contact in writing within 30 calendar days that the application is either approved with probationary status or denied and the reasons for denial.
(h)In approving pilot projects, the department shall consider all of the following factors:
(1)The number of unserved convenience zones that will be served by the pilot project.
(2)The total number of hours per week the pilot project recycler will operate.
(3)The total number of locations that will be served under the pilot project.
(4)Whether the jurisdiction has actively prevented the siting or operation of a certified recycling center at a supermarket site.
(5)The geographic distribution of jurisdictions proposing a pilot project.
(6)Potential impacts to existing certified recycling centers.
(7)Additional factors deemed relevant by the department.
(i)(1)The department may revoke the approval of a pilot project or the associated probationary certification of a pilot project recycler participating in the pilot project, or both, at any time if the jurisdiction or operator of the pilot project recycler fails to meet the conditions outlined in the departments approval of the application or violates this division or a regulation adopted pursuant to this division, except as to violations of the division or regulations that are inconsistent with the operation of an approved pilot project. If the department revokes a probationary certification of a pilot project recycler, the department may require the jurisdiction or operator of the pilot project to take the steps necessary to ensure that the pilot project achieves its goals consistent with the approved pilot project application.
(2)If the approval of a pilot project is revoked, the review process described in Section 14571.7 shall apply to each convenience zone that was a part of the pilot project.
(j)A pilot project recycler that has been certified by the department on a probationary basis pursuant to an approved pilot project shall be eligible to apply for handling fees pursuant to Section 14585 and to receive from certified processors the amounts specified in subdivision (a) of Section 14573.5 for refund values, administrative costs, and processing payments. For purposes of handling fee eligibility, a pilot project recycler may be located anywhere within a convenience zone. the approved map of the pilot project area submitted pursuant to paragraph (1) of subdivision (f).
(k)(1)An amount equal to 50 percent of the payments made by dealers pursuant to paragraph (2) of subdivision (a) of Section 14571.6 in an approved pilot project area during the 24 months preceding the pilot project approval date is hereby appropriated from the fund to the department to disburse, no later than 30 days after the approval of a pilot project, to the applicant jurisdiction. These moneys shall be disbursed in addition to any refund values, administrative costs, or processing payments received in accordance with subdivision (a) of Section 14573.5.
(2)An applicant jurisdiction shall not use the moneys it receives pursuant to paragraph (1) for any purpose other than assisting with the opening and continued operation of pilot project recyclers.
(3)The department shall create and maintain individual accounts within the fund for each approved pilot project and shall include the balances of those accounts in the reports provided to the Legislature pursuant to Section 14556.
(4)When this section is repealed, or if a pilot project ends before January 1, 2022, any remaining moneys in accounts created pursuant to paragraph (3) shall revert to the fund.
(k)(l)The department may adopt emergency regulations for the purpose of implementing this section. Any emergency Emergency regulations, if adopted, shall be adopted in accordance with Chapter 3.5 (commencing with Section 11340) of Part 1 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code, and for the purposes of that chapter, including Section 11349.6 of the Government Code, the adoption of these regulations is an emergency and shall be considered by the Office of Administrative Law as necessary for the immediate preservation of the public peace, health and safety, and general welfare. Any emergency Emergency regulations adopted pursuant to this section shall be filed with, but not be repealed by, the Office of Administrative Law and shall remain in effect until amended or repealed by the department or January 1, 2022, whichever comes first.
(l)(m)This section shall remain in effect only until January 1, 2022, and as of that date is repealed, unless a later enacted statute that is enacted before January 1, 2022, deletes or extends that date.
SEC. 5.SEC. 6.Section 14572.3 is added to the Public Resources Code, to read:14572.3.(a)A dealer described in subdivision (c) and who is located in a convenience zone described in subdivision (b) shall be exempt from the dealer requirements of Section 14571.6 from the effective date of this section until December 31, 2020, inclusive.
(b)Subdivision (a) shall apply only to a dealer that is located in a convenience zone that meets one of the following:
(1)The convenience zone was served by, or exempted because of, a recycling center that closed between January 1, 2016, and May 31, 2016, inclusive, at the initiation of the recycler and not at the initiation of the dealer.
(2)The convenience zone was served by a recycling center that closed as a result of an action taken by the department on or after January 1, 2018.
(c)Subdivision (a) shall apply only to a dealer that meets one of the following conditions:
(1)The dealer demonstrates to the department that it has acted in full compliance with the requirements of Section 14571.6.
(2)The department approves the dealer for an exemption described in subdivision (a). The department may approve a dealer that was not in compliance with Section 14571.6 for an exemption only if the dealer pays the department any moneys owed by the dealer under Section 14571.6.
(d)The Legislature finds and declares that the purpose of this section is to temporarily suspend the obligations of dealers described in subdivision (c) to comply with the requirements of Section 14571.6 in order to focus attention and resources on the reestablishment of recycling centers in currently unserved convenience zones. Nothing in this section is intended to reduce the obligation of dealers and the department to site and maintain recycling centers.
(e)This section shall remain in effect only until January 1, 2021, and as of that date is repealed.
SEC. 6.SEC. 7.Section 14575.2 is added to the Public Resources Code, to read:14575.2.(a)(1)Notwithstanding Section 14575, for purposes of calculating processing payments, the department shall use the actual costs of recycling that were in effect on December 30, 2015.
(2)Consistent with Section 14575, the department shall adjust the recycling costs described in paragraph (1) to reflect changes in the cost of living from December 30, 2015, as measured by the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the United States Department of Labor or a successor agency of the United States government as of the effective date of this section and at least once annually thereafter.
(3)Notwithstanding Section 2975 of Title 14 of the California Code of Regulations, for the period from the effective date of this section to December 31, 2020, inclusive, the reasonable financial return for recycling centers shall be calculated as follows:
(A)The reasonable financial return shall be equal to 11.5 percent of the actual costs of recycling that were in effect on December 30, 2015, except as specified in subparagraph (B).
(B)The reasonable financial return for recycling centers located in rural regions, as defined by subparagraph (A) of paragraph (2) of subdivision (b) of Section 14571, shall be equal to 16.6 percent of the actual costs of recycling that were in effect on December 30, 2015.
(b)Notwithstanding subdivisions (d) and (e) of Section 14575, for processing fees established by the department between the effective date of this section and December 31, 2018, inclusive, the department shall not impose a processing fee on a beverage manufacturer that is higher than the processing fee that would be imposed without this section.
(c)(1)Notwithstanding subdivision (c) of Section 14575, the department shall suspend usage of surveys and calculations of recycling costs until at least January 1, 2020.
(2)The department may redirect any contract funds already approved for cost surveys and calculations as of the effective date of this section into an updated contract to utilize data collected for the 2015 processing payment to provide the department with an assessment of variations in the average cost of recycling based on, at a minimum, each of the following:
(A)Recycling location monthly average volume.
(B)Recycling location geographic area.
(C)Recycling location distance to end-use market.
(3)The department may utilize any contract funds available as of the effective date of this section for the analysis and development of recommendations to the Legislature of amendments to subdivisions (b) and (c) of Section 14575 to satisfy the legislative intent expressed in subdivision (f) of Section 14501 to create and maintain a marketplace where it is profitable to establish sufficient recycling centers and locations to provide consumers with convenient recycling opportunities through the establishment of minimum refund values and processing fees and, through the proper application of these elements, to enhance the profitability of recycling centers, recycling locations, and other beverage container recycling programs.
(d)This section shall remain in effect only until January 1, 2021, and as of that date is repealed.
SEC. 7.Section 14581 of the Public Resources Code is amended to read:14581.(a)Subject to the availability of funds and in accordance with subdivision (b), the department shall expend the moneys set aside in the fund, pursuant to subdivision (c) of Section 14580, for the purposes of this section in the following manner:(1)For each fiscal year, the department may expend the amount necessary to make the required handling fee payment pursuant to Section 14585.(2)(A)Fifteen million dollars ($15,000,000) shall be expended annually for payments for curbside programs and neighborhood dropoff programs pursuant to Section 14549.6.(B)The department shall withhold payments to curbside programs and neighborhood dropoff programs in any city, county, or city and county that has prohibited the siting of a certified recycling center, caused a certified recycling center to close its business, or adopted a land use policy that restricts or prohibits the siting of a certified recycling center within its jurisdiction.(3)(A)Ten million five hundred thousand dollars ($10,500,000) may be expended annually for payments of five thousand dollars ($5,000) to cities and ten thousand dollars ($10,000) for payments to counties for beverage container recycling and litter cleanup activities, or the department may calculate the payments to counties and cities on a per capita basis, and may pay whichever amount is greater, for those activities.(B)Eligible activities for the use of these funds may include, but are not necessarily limited to, support for new or existing curbside programs, neighborhood dropoff programs, public education promoting beverage container recycling, litter prevention, and cleanup, cooperative regional efforts among two or more cities or counties, or both, or other beverage container recycling programs.(C)These funds shall not be used for activities unrelated to beverage container recycling or litter reduction.(D)To receive these funds, a city, county, or city and county shall fill out and return a funding request form to the department. The form shall specify the beverage container recycling or litter reduction activities for which the funds will be used.(E)The department shall annually prepare and distribute a funding request form to each city, county, or city and county. The form shall specify the amount of beverage container recycling and litter cleanup funds for which the jurisdiction is eligible. The form shall not exceed one double-sided page in length, and may be submitted electronically. If a city, county, or city and county does not return the funding request form within 90 days of receipt of the form from the department, the city, county, or city and county is not eligible to receive the funds for that funding cycle.(F)For the purposes of this paragraph, per capita population shall be based on the population of the incorporated area of a city or city and county and the unincorporated area of a county. The department shall withhold payment to any city, county, or city and county that has prohibited the siting of a supermarket site, caused a supermarket site to close its business, or adopted a land use policy that restricts or prohibits the siting of a supermarket site within its jurisdiction.(4)One million five hundred thousand dollars ($1,500,000) may be expended annually in the form of grants for beverage container recycling and litter reduction programs.(5)(A)The department shall expend the amount necessary to pay the processing payment established pursuant to Section 14575. The department shall establish separate processing fee accounts in the fund for each beverage container material type for which a processing payment and processing fee are calculated pursuant to Section 14575, or for which a processing payment is calculated pursuant to Section 14575 and a voluntary artificial scrap value is calculated pursuant to Section 14575.1, into which account shall be deposited both of the following:(i)All amounts paid as processing fees for each beverage container material type pursuant to Section 14575.(ii)Funds equal to the difference between the amount in clause (i) and the amount of the processing payments established in subdivision (b) of Section 14575, and adjusted pursuant to paragraph (2) of subdivision (c) of, and subdivision (f) of, Section 14575, to reduce the processing fee to the level provided in subdivision (e) of Section 14575, or to reflect the agreement by a willing purchaser to pay a voluntary artificial scrap value pursuant to Section 14575.1.(B)Notwithstanding Section 13340 of the Government Code, the moneys in each processing fee account are hereby continuously appropriated to the department for expenditure without regard to fiscal years, for purposes of making processing payments pursuant to Section 14575.(6)Up to five million dollars ($5,000,000) may be annually expended by the department for the purposes of undertaking a statewide public education and information campaign aimed at promoting increased recycling of beverage containers.(7)Up to ten million dollars ($10,000,000) may be expended annually by the department for quality incentive payments for empty glass beverage containers pursuant to Section 14549.1.(8)(A)(i)For the 201819 fiscal year, the department may expend up to fifteen million dollars ($15,000,000) for market development payments to reclaimers and product manufacturers, pursuant to Section 14549.2.(ii)Of the total amount authorized for expenditure by this subparagraph, up to five million dollars ($5,000,000) may be expended for market development payments to reclaimers or product manufacturers for the activities described in paragraphs (1) and (2) of subdivision (c) of Section 14549.2 that occurred during the period from January 1, 2018, to June 30, 2018, inclusive.(B)For the 201920 fiscal year to the 202324 fiscal year, inclusive, the department may expend up to ten million dollars ($10,000,000) each fiscal year for market development payments to reclaimers and product manufacturers, pursuant to Section 14549.2.(C)For purposes of this paragraph, the definitions in subdivision (a) of Section 14549.2 apply.(b)(1)If the department determines, pursuant to a review made pursuant to Section 14556, that there may be inadequate funds to pay the payments required by this division, the department shall immediately notify the appropriate policy and fiscal committees of the Legislature regarding the inadequacy.(2)On or before 180 days, but not less than 80 days, after the notice is sent pursuant to paragraph (1), the department may reduce or eliminate expenditures, or both, from the funds as necessary, according to the procedure set forth in subdivision (c).(c)If the department determines that there are insufficient funds to make the payments specified pursuant to this section and Section 14575, the department shall reduce all payments proportionally.(d)Before making an expenditure pursuant to paragraph (6) of subdivision (a), the department shall convene an advisory committee consisting of representatives of the beverage industry, beverage container manufacturers, environmental organizations, the recycling industry, nonprofit organizations, and retailers to advise the department on the most cost-effective and efficient method of the expenditure of the funds for that education and information campaign.SEC. 8.Section 14581 of the Public Resources Code is amended to read:14581.(a)Subject to the availability of funds and in accordance with subdivision (b), the department shall expend the moneys set aside in the fund, pursuant to subdivision (c) of Section 14580, for the purposes of this section in the following manner:
(1)For each fiscal year, the department may expend the amount necessary to make the required handling fee payment pursuant to Section 14585.
(2)(A)Fifteen million dollars ($15,000,000) shall be expended annually for payments for curbside programs and neighborhood dropoff programs pursuant to Section 14549.6.
(B)The department may withhold payments to curbside programs and neighborhood dropoff programs in any city, county, or city and county that has prohibited the siting of a certified recycling center, caused a certified recycling center to close its business, or adopted a land use policy that restricts or prohibits the siting of a certified recycling center within its jurisdiction.
(3)(A)Ten million five hundred thousand dollars ($10,500,000) may be expended annually for payments of five thousand dollars ($5,000) to cities and ten thousand dollars ($10,000) for payments to counties for beverage container recycling and litter cleanup activities, or the department may calculate the payments to counties and cities on a per capita basis, and may pay whichever amount is greater, for those activities.
(B)Eligible activities for the use of these funds may include, but are not necessarily limited to, support for new or existing curbside recycling programs, neighborhood dropoff recycling programs, public education promoting beverage container recycling, litter prevention, and cleanup, cooperative regional efforts among two or more cities or counties, or both, or other beverage container recycling programs.
(C)These funds shall not be used for activities unrelated to beverage container recycling or litter reduction.
(D)To receive these funds, a city, county, or city and county shall fill out and return a funding request form to the department. The form shall specify the beverage container recycling or litter reduction activities for which the funds will be used.
(E)The department shall annually prepare and distribute a funding request form to each city, county, or city and county. The form shall specify the amount of beverage container recycling and litter cleanup funds for which the jurisdiction is eligible. The form shall not exceed one double-sided page in length, and may be submitted electronically. If a city, county, or city and county does not return the funding request form within 90 days of receipt of the form from the department, the city, county, or city and county is not eligible to receive the funds for that funding cycle.
(F)For the purposes of this paragraph, per capita population shall be based on the population of the incorporated area of a city or city and county and the unincorporated area of a county. The department may shall withhold payment to any city, county, or city and county that has prohibited the siting of a supermarket site, caused a supermarket site to close its business, or adopted a land use policy that restricts or prohibits the siting of a supermarket site within its jurisdiction.
(4)One million five hundred thousand dollars ($1,500,000) may be expended annually in the form of grants for beverage container recycling and litter reduction programs.
(5)(A)The department shall expend the amount necessary to pay the processing payment established pursuant to Section 14575. The department shall establish separate processing fee accounts in the fund for each beverage container material type for which a processing payment and processing fee are calculated pursuant to Section 14575, or for which a processing payment is calculated pursuant to Section 14575 and a voluntary artificial scrap value is calculated pursuant to Section 14575.1, into which account shall be deposited both of the following:
(i)All amounts paid as processing fees for each beverage container material type pursuant to Section 14575.
(ii)Funds equal to the difference between the amount in clause (i) and the amount of the processing payments established in subdivision (b) of Section 14575, and adjusted pursuant to paragraph (2) of subdivision (c) of, and subdivision (f) of, Section 14575, to reduce the processing fee to the level provided in subdivision (e) of Section 14575, or to reflect the agreement by a willing purchaser to pay a voluntary artificial scrap value pursuant to Section 14575.1.
(B)Notwithstanding Section 13340 of the Government Code, the moneys in each processing fee account are hereby continuously appropriated to the department for expenditure without regard to fiscal years, for purposes of making processing payments pursuant to Section 14575.
(6)Up to five million dollars ($5,000,000) may be annually expended by the department for the purposes of undertaking a statewide public education and information campaign aimed at promoting increased recycling of beverage containers.
(7)Up to ten million dollars ($10,000,000) may be expended annually by the department for quality incentive payments for empty glass beverage containers pursuant to Section 14549.1.
(8)(A)(i)For the 201819 fiscal year, the department may expend up to fifteen million dollars ($15,000,000) for market development payments to reclaimers and product manufacturers, pursuant to Section 14549.2.
(ii)Of the total amount authorized for expenditure by this subparagraph, up to five million dollars ($5,000,000) may be expended for market development payments to reclaimers or product manufacturers for the activities described in paragraphs (1) and (2) of subdivision (c) of Section 14549.2 that occurred during the period from January 1, 2018, to June 30, 2018, inclusive.
(B)For the 201920 fiscal year to the 202122 202324 fiscal year, inclusive, the department may expend up to ten million dollars ($10,000,000) each fiscal year for market development payments to reclaimers and product manufacturers, pursuant to Section 14549.2.
(C)For purposes of this paragraph, the definitions in subdivision (a) of Section 14549.2 apply.
(b)(1)If the department determines, pursuant to a review made pursuant to Section 14556, that there may be inadequate funds to pay the payments required by this division, the department shall immediately notify the appropriate policy and fiscal committees of the Legislature regarding the inadequacy.
(2)On or before 180 days, but not less than 80 days, after the notice is sent pursuant to paragraph (1), the department may reduce or eliminate expenditures, or both, from the funds as necessary, according to the procedure set forth in subdivision (c).
(c)If the department determines that there are insufficient funds to make the payments specified pursuant to this section and Section 14575, the department shall reduce all payments proportionally.
(d)Before making an expenditure pursuant to paragraph (6) of subdivision (a), the department shall convene an advisory committee consisting of representatives of the beverage industry, beverage container manufacturers, environmental organizations, the recycling industry, nonprofit organizations, and retailers to advise the department on the most cost-effective and efficient method of the expenditure of the funds for that education and information campaign.
SEC. 8.SEC. 9.Section 14585 of the Public Resources Code is amended to read:14585.(a)The department shall adopt guidelines and methods for paying handling fees to supermarket sites, nonprofit convenience zone recyclers, or rural region recyclers to provide an incentive for the redemption of empty beverage containers in convenience zones. The guidelines shall include, but not be limited to, all of the following:
(1)Handling fees shall be paid on a monthly basis, in the form and manner adopted by the department. The department shall require that claims for the handling fee be filed with the department not later than the first day of the second month following the month for which the handling fee is claimed as a condition of receiving any handling fee.
(2)The department shall determine the number of eligible containers per site for which a handling fee will be paid in the following manner:
(A)Each eligible sites combined monthly volume of glass and plastic beverage containers shall be divided by the sites total monthly volume of all empty beverage container types.
(B)If the quotient determined pursuant to subparagraph (A) is equal to, or more than, 10 percent, the total monthly volume of the site shall be the maximum volume which is eligible for a handling fee for that month.
(C)If the quotient determined pursuant to subparagraph (A) is less than 10 percent, the department shall divide the volume of glass and plastic beverage containers by 10 percent. That quotient shall be the maximum volume that is eligible for a handling fee for that month.
(3)The department shall pay a handling fee per eligible container in the amount determined pursuant to subdivision (f).
(4)If the eligible volume in any given month would result in handling fee payments that exceed the allocation of funds for that month, as provided in subdivision (b), sites with higher eligible monthly volumes shall receive handling fees for their entire eligible monthly volume before sites with lower eligible monthly volumes receive any handling fees.
(5)(A)If a dealer where a supermarket site, nonprofit convenience zone recycler, or rural region recycler is located ceases operation for remodeling or for a change of ownership, the operator of that supermarket site, nonprofit convenience zone recycler, or rural region recycler shall be eligible to apply for handling fees for that site for a period of three months following the date of the closure of the dealer.
(B)Every supermarket site operator, nonprofit convenience zone recycler, or rural region recycler shall promptly notify the department of the closure of the dealer where the supermarket site, nonprofit convenience zone recycler, or rural region recycler is located.
(C)Notwithstanding subparagraph (A), any operator who fails to provide notification to the department pursuant to subparagraph (B) shall not be eligible to apply for handling fees.
(b)The department may allocate the amount authorized for expenditure for the payment of handling fees pursuant to paragraph (1) of subdivision (a) of Section 14581 on a monthly basis and may carry over any unexpended monthly allocation to a subsequent month or months. However, unexpended monthly allocations shall not be carried over to a subsequent fiscal year for the purpose of paying handling fees but may be carried over for any other purpose pursuant to Section 14581.
(c)(1)The department shall not make handling fee payments to more than one certified recycling center in a convenience zone. If a dealer is located in more than one convenience zone, the department shall offer a single handling fee payment to a supermarket site located at that dealer. This handling fee payment shall not be split between the affected zones. The department shall stop making handling fee payments if another recycling center certifies to operate within the convenience zone without receiving payments pursuant to this section, if the department monitors the performance of the other recycling center for 60 days and determines that the recycling center is in compliance with this division. Any recycling center that locates in a convenience zone, thereby causing a preexisting recycling center to become ineligible to receive handling fee payments, is ineligible to receive any handling fee payments in that convenience zone.
(2)The department shall offer a single handling fee payment to a rural region recycler located anywhere inside a convenience zone, if that convenience zone is not served by another certified recycling center and the rural region recycler does either of the following:
(A)Operates a minimum of 30 hours per week in one convenience zone.
(B)Serves two or more convenience zones, and meets all of the following criteria:
(i)Is the only certified recycler within each convenience zone.
(ii)Is open and operating at least eight hours per week in each convenience zone and is certified at each location.
(iii)Operates at least 30 hours per week in total for all convenience zones served.
(3)In a convenience zone that, as of the effective date of the measure that added this paragraph, has been continuously unserved by a certified recycling location for at least six months, the department shall offer a handling fee payment to a recycler located within the convenience zone that operates a minimum of 30 hours per week regardless of physical location within that convenience zone and that is certified and begins operating on or after the effective date of that measure.
(d)The department may require the operator of a supermarket site, or the operator of a rural region recycler, receiving handling fees to maintain records for each location where beverage containers are redeemed, and may require the supermarket site or rural region recycler to take any other action necessary for the department to determine that the supermarket site or rural region recycler does not receive an excessive handling fee.
(e)The department may determine and utilize a standard container per pound rate, for each material type, for the purpose of calculating volumes and making handling fee payments.
(f)(1)On or before January 1, 2008, and every two years thereafter, the department shall conduct a survey pursuant to this subdivision of a statistically significant sample of certified recycling centers that receive handling fee payments to determine the actual cost incurred for the redemption of empty beverage containers by those certified recycling centers. The department shall conduct these cost surveys in conjunction with the cost surveys performed by the department pursuant to subdivision (b) of Section 14575 to determine processing payments and processing fees. The department shall include, in determining the actual costs, only those allowable costs contained in the regulations adopted pursuant to this division that are used by the department to conduct cost surveys pursuant to subdivision (b) of Section 14575.
(2)Using the information obtained pursuant to paragraph (1), the department shall then determine the statewide weighted average cost incurred for the redemption of empty beverage containers, per empty beverage container, at recycling centers that receive handling fees.
(3)The department shall determine the amount of the handling fee to be paid for each empty beverage container by subtracting the amount of the statewide weighted average cost per container to redeem empty beverage containers by recycling centers that do not receive handling fees from the amount of the statewide weighted average cost per container determined pursuant to paragraph (2).
(4)The department shall adjust the statewide average cost determined pursuant to paragraph (2) for each beverage container annually to reflect changes in the cost of living, as measured by the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the United States Department of Labor or a successor agency of the United States government.
(5)The cost information collected pursuant to this section at recycling centers that receive handling fees shall not be used in the calculation of the processing payments determined pursuant to Section 14575.
(6)Notwithstanding paragraphs (2) and (3), for the period from the effective date of the measure that added this paragraph to July 1, 2021, inclusive, the handling fee shall be set at the rate in effect on July 1, 2015.
(g)The department may update the methodology and scrap values used for calculating the handling fee from the most recent cost survey if it finds that the handling fee resulting from the most recent cost survey does not accurately represent the actual cost incurred for the redemption of empty beverage containers by those certified recycling centers.
(h)Notwithstanding subdivision (f), the department shall suspend usage of surveys and calculations of recycling costs until at least January 1, 2020.
(i)(1)The department may expend up to three million dollars ($3,000,000) annually from the fund for supplemental handling fee payments to low-volume recycling centers and recyclers willing to open a recycling center in a convenience zone that has recently become unserved. The department shall allocate the amount authorized for these supplemental handling fee payments into 12 equal monthly allotments.
(2)Supplemental handling fee payments shall be distributed once per month in equal amounts to recycling centers that are eligible for handling fees pursuant to subdivision (a), subject to all of the following requirements:
(A)A recycling center receiving a handling fee pursuant to this subdivision shall have no more than 600,000 beverage containers eligible for handling fees per month.
(B)Priority shall be given to recycling centers with the lowest volumes of beverage containers that are located in rural regions.
(C)(i)Payments shall be distributed first to no more than 100 recycling centers with the lowest volumes of beverage containers that are located in rural regions, in order of lowest volume.
(ii)After payments are distributed pursuant to clause (i), payments shall be distributed to other recycling centers with the lowest volumes of beverage containers, in order of lowest volume.
(3)No more than 400 recycling centers shall receive supplemental handling fee payments pursuant to this subdivision.
(4)The department may make the supplemental handling fee payments authorized pursuant to this subdivision by augmenting handling fee payments received by recyclers pursuant to subdivision (f).
(5)This subdivision shall become inoperative on July 1, 2021.
(j)On or before January 1, 2021, the department shall develop and submit, in compliance with Section 9795 of the Government Code, recommendations to the Legislature for revisions to this section and the departments handling fee guidelines to ensure that handling fee calculations are adequate to maintain the states recycling center infrastructure.
SEC. 10.No reimbursement is required by this act pursuant to Section 6 of Article XIIIB of the California Constitution because the only costs that may be incurred by a local agency or school district will be incurred because this act creates a new crime or infraction, eliminates a crime or infraction, or changes the penalty for a crime or infraction, within the meaning of Section 17556 of the Government Code, or changes the definition of a crime within the meaning of Section 6 of Article XIIIB of the California Constitution.
SEC. 9.SEC. 11.This act is an urgency statute necessary for the immediate preservation of the public peace, health, or safety within the meaning of Article IV of the California Constitution and shall go into immediate effect. The facts constituting the necessity are:
Because of the unprecedented closures of recycling centers statewide, reduced access to redemption locations for consumers, declining recycling rates, and higher costs associated for grocers and retailers, it is necessary for this act to take effect immediately.
(a)Except as provided in subdivision (b), the director shall adopt, amend, or repeal all rules and regulations in accordance with Chapter 3.5 (commencing with Section 11340) of Part 1 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code.
(b)(1)The director shall adopt regulations, and may adopt emergency regulations, for the purposes of implementing Sections 14538, 14539, 14541, 14549.1, 14549.2, 14550, 14561, 14571.6, 14571.65, 14574, 14575, 14585, 14588.1, 14588.2, and 14591.
(2)Any emergency regulations, if adopted, shall be adopted in accordance with Chapter 3.5 (commencing with Section 11340) of Part 1 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code, and for the purposes of that chapter, including Section 11349.6 of the Government Code, the adoption of these regulations is an emergency and shall be considered by the Office of Administrative Law as necessary for the immediate preservation of the public peace, health and safety, and general welfare. Notwithstanding Chapter 3.5 (commencing with Section 11340) of Part 1 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code, including subdivision (e) of Section 11346.1 of the Government Code, any emergency regulations adopted pursuant to this section shall be filed with, but not be repealed by, the Office of Administrative Law and shall remain in effect until revised by the director.
SEC. 3.SEC. 2.Section 14549.2 is added to the Public Resources Code, to read:14549.2.(a)For purposes of this section, the following definitions shall apply:
(1)Certified entity means a recycling center, processor, or dropoff or collection program certified pursuant to this division.
(2)Plastic product means a finished plastic product that requires no further thermoforming, shaping, or processing before being sold for its specified use. Plastic product does not include plastic flake, pellet, sheet, or any other form that is an output from a reclaimers processing of empty plastic beverage containers.
(2)(3)Product manufacturer means a person who manufactures a plastic product in this state.
(4)Reclaimer means a certified entity that purchases empty plastic beverage containers that have been collected for recycling in the state, and that washes and processes, in the state, those empty plastic beverage containers into flake, pellet, sheet, or any other form that is then usable as input for the manufacture of new plastic products by product manufacturers in the state.
(b)In order to develop California markets for empty plastic beverage containers collected for recycling in the state, the department may, consistent with Section 14581 and subject to the availability of funds, pay a market development payment to a certified entity reclaimer or product manufacturer for empty plastic beverage containers collected and managed pursuant to this section. section and to a product manufacturer for plastic flake, pellet, sheet, or any other form of plastic purchased from a reclaimer pursuant to this section.
(c)The department shall make a market development payment to a certified entity reclaimer or product manufacturer in accordance with this section, only if the plastic beverage container is collected and either recycled or collected, washed, and processed into flake, pellet, sheet, or any other form, and is used in manufacturing, in the state, as follows:
(1)The department shall make a market development payment to a certified entity reclaimer for empty plastic beverage containers that are collected for recycling in the state, that are subsequently washed and processed by a certified entity into a flake, pellet, or other form in the state, and made usable for the manufacture of a plastic product by a product manufacturer. collected, washed, and processed as specified in paragraph (4) of subdivision (a).
(2)The department shall make a market development payment to a product manufacturer for empty plastic beverage containers that are collected for recycling in the state, that are subsequently washed and processed into a flake, pellet, sheet, or any other form in the state, of plastic purchased from a reclaimer and used by that product manufacturer to manufacture a plastic product in this the state.
(3)The department shall determine the amount of the market development payment, which may be set at a different level for a certified entity reclaimer and a product manufacturer, but shall not exceed one hundred fifty dollars ($150) per ton. In setting the amount of the market development payment for both certified entities reclaimers and product manufacturers, the department shall consider all of the following:
(A)The minimum funding level needed to encourage the in-state washing and processing of empty plastic beverage containers collected for recycling in this state.
(B)The minimum funding level needed to encourage the in-state manufacturing that utilizes empty plastic beverage containers flake, pellet, sheet, or any other form processed from empty plastic beverage containers collected for recycling in this state.
(C)The total amount of funds projected to be available for plastic market development payments and the desire to maintain the minimum funding level needed throughout the year.
(4)The department may make a market development payment to both a certified entity reclaimer and a product manufacturer for both the same empty plastic beverage container. container and for the flake, pellet, sheet, or any other form processed by the reclaimer from that same empty plastic beverage container.
(d)This section shall remain in effect only until January 1, 2024, and as of that date is repealed, unless a later enacted statute, that is enacted before January 1, 2024, deletes or extends that date.
SEC. 4.SEC. 3.Section 14571.6 of the Public Resources Code is amended to read:14571.6.(a)Except as provided in Section 14572.3, in any convenience zone where no recycling location has been established that satisfies the requirements of Section 14571, and in any convenience zone that has exceeded the 60-day period for the establishment of a recycling center pursuant to Section 14571.7, all dealers within that zone shall, until a recycling location has been established in that zone, do one of the following:
(1)Submit to the department an affidavit form provided by the department stating that all of the following standards are being met by the dealer:
(A)The dealer redeems all empty beverage container types at a minimum of one designated location on the dealers premises, during all hours that the dealer is open for business. The dealer is not required to redeem more than 24 50 beverage containers of any one type per consumer per day.
(B)The dealer has posted signs that meet the size and location requirements specified in subdivision (b) of Section 14570, and that conform to paragraph (2) of that subdivision.
(C)The dealer is delivering, or having delivered, all empty beverage containers received from the public to a certified recycling center or processor for recycling.
(2)Pay to the department for deposit in the fund the sum of one hundred dollars ($100) per day until a recycling location is established or until the standards for redemption specified in paragraph (1) are met.
(b)This section shall apply only to a dealer with gross annual sales of two million dollars ($2,000,000) or more.
SEC. 5.Section 14571.65 is added to the Public Resources Code, to read:14571.65.(a)It is the intent of the Legislature that the requirements and incentive payments of the act do all of the following:(1)Provide residents of every community with direct redemption opportunities.(2)Provide sufficient overall redemption opportunities in the state whereby, in conjunction with other collection opportunities, not less than 80 percent of beverage containers sold in the state can be consistently and sustainably recycled.(3)Provide a marketplace and even playing field whereby the businesses that operate facilities that collect empty beverage containers for recycling are as sustainable and profitable, and the workers as fairly compensated, as the businesses and workers that produce and distribute the beverages for consumption.(b)On or before January 1, 2021, the department shall evaluate and recommend to the Legislature policies, incentives, and standards for ensuring the establishment and maintenance of a network of cost-effective direct redemption opportunities in every community sufficient to support the recycling of not less than 80 percent of beverage containers sold in the state.(c)When developing recommendations for direct redemption opportunities, the department shall consider all of the following factors:(1)Population density.(2)Distance between population centers and the recycler or other operation that redeems empty beverage containers.(3)Total population of the community.(4)Rural and nonrural areas.(5)Alternative certified redemption opportunities.(6)Best practices identified in a department-sponsored convenience study.(7)The role of dealers, including supermarkets, in providing direct redemption opportunities.(8)Enforcement mechanisms for ensuring direct redemption opportunities.(9)The role of local governments to support direct redemption opportunities.(10)The process for providing exemptions to the direct redemption opportunity standards.(11)The role of the state in supporting direct redemption opportunities and the structure and amount of any payments.(12)Any other factors that the department deems appropriate.(d)The department shall conduct at least two stakeholder meetings to determine the factors to be considered when developing recommendations for direct redemption opportunities.SEC. 6.SEC. 4.Section 14571.8 of the Public Resources Code is amended to read:14571.8.(a)A lease entered into by a dealer after January 1, 1987, shall not contain a leasehold restriction that prohibits or results in the prohibition of the establishment of a recycling location.
(b)Except as provided in subdivision (h), the director may grant an exemption from the requirements of Section 14571 for an individual convenience zone only after the department solicits public testimony on whether or not to provide an exemption from Section 14571. The solicitation process shall be designed by the department to ensure that operators of recycling centers, dealers, and members of the public in the jurisdiction affected by the proposed exemption are aware of the proposed exemption. After evaluation of the testimony and any field review conducted, the department shall base a decision to exempt a convenience zone pursuant to this subdivision on one, or any combination, combination of the following factors:
(1)The exemption will not significantly decrease the ability of consumers to conveniently return beverage containers for the refund value to a certified recycling center redeeming all material types.
(2)The nearest certified recycling center is within a reasonable distance of the convenience zone being considered from exemption.
(3)The convenience zone is in the area of a curbside program that meets the criteria specified in Section 14509.5.
(4)The requirements of Section 14571 cannot be met in a particular convenience zone due to local zoning or the dealers leasehold restrictions for leases in effect on January 1, 1987, and the local zoning or leasehold restrictions are not within the authority of the department and the dealer. However, any lease executed after January 1, 1987, shall meet the requirements specified in subdivision (a).
(5)The convenience zone has redeemed less than 60,000 containers per month for the prior 12 months.
(c)The department shall review each convenience zone in which a certified recycling center was not located on January 1, 1996, to determine the eligibility of the convenience zone under the exemption criteria specified in subdivision (b).
(d)The total number of exemptions granted by the director under subdivision (b) this section shall not exceed 50 percent of the total number of convenience zones identified as eligible pursuant to subdivision (b). subdivisions (b) and (h).
(e)The department may, on its own motion, or upon petition by any interested person, revoke a convenience zone exemption, including an exemption granted under subdivision (h), if either of the following occurs:
(1)The condition or conditions that caused the convenience zone to be exempt no longer exists, and the department determines that the criteria for an exemption specified in this section are not presently applicable to the convenience zone.
(2)The department determines that the convenience zone exemption was granted due to an administrative error.
(f)If an exemption is revoked and a recycling center is not certified and operational in the convenience zone, the department shall, within 10 days of the date of the decision to revoke, serve all dealers in the convenience zone with the notice specified in subdivision (a) of Section 14571.7.
(g)An exemption shall not be revoked when a recycling center becomes certified and operational within an exempt convenience zone unless either of the events specified in paragraphs (1) and (2) of subdivision (e) occurs.
(h)If there is a certified recycling center located within one mile of an unserved convenience zone, the department shall grant an exemption from the requirements of Section 14571 for that convenience zone.
(i)The department shall review exemptions granted pursuant to this section every five years to determine if each exemption still meets the exemption criteria of this section.
SEC. 7.SEC. 5.Section 14572.3 is added to the Public Resources Code, to read:14572.3.(a)A dealer described in subdivision (c) and who is located in a convenience zone described in subdivision (b) shall be exempt from the dealer requirements of Section 14571.6. 14571.6 from the effective date of this section until December 31, 2020, inclusive.
(b)Subdivision (a) shall apply only to a dealer that is located in a convenience zone that meets one of the following:
(1)The convenience zone was served by, or exempted because of, a recycling center that closed between January 1, 2016, and December 31, 2017, May 31, 2016, inclusive, at the initiation of the recycler and not at the initiation of the dealer.
(2)The convenience zone was served by, or exempted because of, by a recycling center that closed as a result of an action taken by the department or local government on or after January 1, 2018.
(c)Subdivision (a) shall apply only to a dealer that meets one of the following conditions:
(1)The dealer demonstrates to the department that it has acted in full compliance with the requirements of Section 14571.6.
(2)The department approves the dealer for an exemption described in subdivision (a). The department may approve a dealer that was not in compliance with Section 14571.6 for an exemption only if the dealer pays the department any moneys owed by the dealer under Section 14571.6.
(d)The Legislature finds and declares that the purpose of this section is to temporarily suspend the obligations of dealers described in subdivision (c) to comply with the requirements of Section 14571.6 in order to focus attention and resources on the reestablishment of recycling centers in currently unserved convenience zones. Nothing in this section is intended to reduce the obligation of dealers and the department to site and maintain recycling centers.
(e)This section shall remain in effect only until January 1, 2021, and as of that date is repealed.
SEC. 8.Section 14573.8 is added to the Public Resources Code, to read:14573.8.(a)It is the intent of the Legislature to maximize the recovery, redemption, and recycling of empty beverage containers generated in this state, including any empty beverage containers that have been deposited by consumers in curbside programs with the expectation that those containers will be recycled and the redemption value and any processing payment allocated to helping to offset the cost of operating those programs.(b)No provision of this division, and no regulation adopted or enforced by the department to carry out this division, shall prevent the department from encouraging, supporting, or certifying entities established to recover, recycle, and redeem empty beverage containers from the curbside stream, including certifying entities that recover, sort, cancel, and claim the refund value and processing payments on any empty beverage containers recovered from the residual generated by a curbside recycling program or material recovery facility.(c)No provision of this division, and no regulation adopted or enforced by the department to carry out this division, shall prevent the department from certifying a processor to recover, sort, cancel, and claim the refund value and processing payments on any empty beverage containers recovered from the residual generated by a curbside recycling program or material recovery facility.SEC. 9.SEC. 6.Section 14575.2 is added to the Public Resources Code, to read:14575.2.(a)(1)Notwithstanding Section 14575, for purposes of calculating processing payments, the department shall use the actual costs of recycling that were in effect on December 30, 2015.
(2)Consistent with Section 14575, the department shall adjust the recycling costs described in paragraph (1) to reflect changes in the cost of living from December 30, 2015, as measured by the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the United States Department of Labor or a successor agency of the United States government as of January 1, 2019, the effective date of this section and at least once annually thereafter.
(3)Consistent with Section 2975 of Title 14 of the California Code of Regulations, the department shall adjust the recycling costs described in paragraph (1) to reflect the fixed reasonable financial returns for urban and rural recycling centers designated for the 2018 processing payment.(3)Notwithstanding Section 2975 of Title 14 of the California Code of Regulations, for the period from the effective date of this section to December 31, 2020, inclusive, the reasonable financial return for recycling centers shall be calculated as follows:
(A)The reasonable financial return shall be equal to 11.5 percent of the actual costs of recycling that were in effect on December 30, 2015, except as specified in subparagraph (B).
(B)The reasonable financial return for recycling centers located in rural regions, as defined by subparagraph (A) of paragraph (2) of subdivision (b) of Section 14571, shall be equal to 16.6 percent of the actual costs of recycling that were in effect on December 30, 2015.
(b)Notwithstanding subdivisions (d) and (e) of Section 14575, for processing fees established by the department between January 1, 2019, and December 31, 2019, the effective date of this section and December 31, 2018, inclusive, the department shall not impose a processing fee on a beverage manufacturer that is higher than the processing fee that would be imposed without this section.
(c)(1)Notwithstanding subdivision (c) of Section 14575, the department shall suspend usage of surveys and calculations of recycling costs until at least January 1, 2020.
(2)The department may redirect any contract funds already approved for cost surveys and calculations as of January 1, 2019, the effective date of this section into an updated contract to utilize data collected for the 2015 processing payment to provide the department with an assessment of variations in the average cost of recycling based on, at a minimum, each of the following:
(A)Recycling location monthly average volume.
(B)Recycling location geographic area.
(C)Recycling location distance to end-use market.
(3)The department may utilize any contract funds available as of January 1, 2019, the effective date of this section for the analysis and development of recommendations to the Legislature of amendments to subdivisions (b) and (c) of Section 14575 to satisfy the legislative intent expressed in subdivision (f) of Section 14501 to create and maintain a marketplace where it is profitable to establish sufficient recycling centers and locations to provide consumers with convenient recycling opportunities through the establishment of minimum refund values and processing fees and, through the proper application of these elements, to enhance the profitability of recycling centers, recycling locations, and other beverage container recycling programs.
(d)This section shall remain in effect only until January 1, 2021, and as of that date is repealed.
SEC. 10.SEC. 7.Section 14581 of the Public Resources Code is amended to read:14581.(a)Subject to the availability of funds and in accordance with subdivision (b), the department shall expend the moneys set aside in the fund, pursuant to subdivision (c) of Section 14580, for the purposes of this section in the following manner:
(1)For each fiscal year, the department may expend the amount necessary to make the required handling fee payment pursuant to Section 14585.
(2)(A)Fifteen million dollars ($15,000,000) shall be expended annually for payments for curbside programs and neighborhood dropoff programs pursuant to Section 14549.6.
(B)The department shall withhold payments to curbside programs and neighborhood dropoff programs in any city, county, or city and county that has prohibited the siting of a certified recycling center, caused a certified recycling center to close its business, or adopted a land use policy that restricts or prohibits the siting of a certified recycling center within its jurisdiction.
(3)(A)Ten million five hundred thousand dollars ($10,500,000) may be expended annually for payments of five thousand dollars ($5,000) to cities and ten thousand dollars ($10,000) for payments to counties for beverage container recycling and litter cleanup activities, or the department may calculate the payments to counties and cities on a per capita basis, and may pay whichever amount is greater, for those activities.
(B)Eligible activities for the use of these funds may include, but are not necessarily limited to, support for new or existing curbside programs, neighborhood dropoff programs, public education promoting beverage container recycling, litter prevention, and cleanup, cooperative regional efforts among two or more cities or counties, or both, or other beverage container recycling programs.
(C)These funds shall not be used for activities unrelated to beverage container recycling or litter reduction.
(D)To receive these funds, a city, county, or city and county shall fill out and return a funding request form to the department. The form shall specify the beverage container recycling or litter reduction activities for which the funds will be used.
(E)The department shall annually prepare and distribute a funding request form to each city, county, or city and county. The form shall specify the amount of beverage container recycling and litter cleanup funds for which the jurisdiction is eligible. The form shall not exceed one double-sided page in length, and may be submitted electronically. If a city, county, or city and county does not return the funding request form within 90 days of receipt of the form from the department, the city, county, or city and county is not eligible to receive the funds for that funding cycle.
(F)For the purposes of this paragraph, per capita population shall be based on the population of the incorporated area of a city or city and county and the unincorporated area of a county. The department shall withhold payment to any city, county, or city and county that has prohibited the siting of a supermarket site, caused a supermarket site to close its business, or adopted a land use policy that restricts or prohibits the siting of a supermarket site within its jurisdiction.
(4)One million five hundred thousand dollars ($1,500,000) may be expended annually in the form of grants for beverage container recycling and litter reduction programs.
(5)(A)The department shall expend the amount necessary to pay the processing payment established pursuant to Section 14575. The department shall establish separate processing fee accounts in the fund for each beverage container material type for which a processing payment and processing fee are calculated pursuant to Section 14575, or for which a processing payment is calculated pursuant to Section 14575 and a voluntary artificial scrap value is calculated pursuant to Section 14575.1, into which account shall be deposited both of the following:
(i)All amounts paid as processing fees for each beverage container material type pursuant to Section 14575.
(ii)Funds equal to the difference between the amount in clause (i) and the amount of the processing payments established in subdivision (b) of Section 14575, and adjusted pursuant to paragraph (2) of subdivision (c) of, and subdivision (f) of, Section 14575, to reduce the processing fee to the level provided in subdivision (e) of Section 14575, or to reflect the agreement by a willing purchaser to pay a voluntary artificial scrap value pursuant to Section 14575.1.
(B)Notwithstanding Section 13340 of the Government Code, the moneys in each processing fee account are hereby continuously appropriated to the department for expenditure without regard to fiscal years, for purposes of making processing payments pursuant to Section 14575.
(6)Up to five million dollars ($5,000,000) may be annually expended by the department for the purposes of undertaking a statewide public education and information campaign aimed at promoting increased recycling of beverage containers.
(7)Up to ten million dollars ($10,000,000) may be expended annually by the department for quality incentive payments for empty glass beverage containers pursuant to Section 14549.1.
(8)Up to ten million dollars ($10,000,000), less any amount appropriated in the annual Budget Act, may be expended annually by the department for market development payments for empty plastic beverage containers pursuant to Section 14549.2, until January 1, 2024.(8)(A)(i)For the 201819 fiscal year, the department may expend up to fifteen million dollars ($15,000,000) for market development payments to reclaimers and product manufacturers, pursuant to Section 14549.2.
(ii)Of the total amount authorized for expenditure by this subparagraph, up to five million dollars ($5,000,000) may be expended for market development payments to reclaimers or product manufacturers for the activities described in paragraphs (1) and (2) of subdivision (c) of Section 14549.2 that occurred during the period from January 1, 2018, to June 30, 2018, inclusive.
(B)For the 201920 fiscal year to the 202324 fiscal year, inclusive, the department may expend up to ten million dollars ($10,000,000) each fiscal year for market development payments to reclaimers and product manufacturers, pursuant to Section 14549.2.
(C)For purposes of this paragraph, the definitions in subdivision (a) of Section 14549.2 apply.
(b)(1)If the department determines, pursuant to a review made pursuant to Section 14556, that there may be inadequate funds to pay the payments required by this division, the department shall immediately notify the appropriate policy and fiscal committees of the Legislature regarding the inadequacy.
(2)On or before 180 days, but not less than 80 days, after the notice is sent pursuant to paragraph (1), the department may reduce or eliminate expenditures, or both, from the funds as necessary, according to the procedure set forth in subdivision (c).
(c)If the department determines that there are insufficient funds to make the payments specified pursuant to this section and Section 14575, the department shall reduce all payments proportionally.
(d)Before making an expenditure pursuant to paragraph (6) of subdivision (a), the department shall convene an advisory committee consisting of representatives of the beverage industry, beverage container manufacturers, environmental organizations, the recycling industry, nonprofit organizations, and retailers to advise the department on the most cost-effective and efficient method of the expenditure of the funds for that education and information campaign.
(e)Subject to the availability of funds, the department shall retroactively pay in full any payments provided in this section that have been proportionally reduced during the period of January 1, 2010, through June 30, 2010.SEC. 11.SEC. 8.Section 14585 of the Public Resources Code is amended to read:14585.(a)The department shall adopt guidelines and methods for paying handling fees to supermarket sites, nonprofit convenience zone recyclers, or rural region recyclers to provide an incentive for the redemption of empty beverage containers in convenience zones. The guidelines shall include, but not be limited to, all of the following:
(1)Handling fees shall be paid on a monthly basis, in the form and manner adopted by the department. The department shall require that claims for the handling fee be filed with the department not later than the first day of the second month following the month for which the handling fee is claimed as a condition of receiving any handling fee.
(2)The department shall determine the number of eligible containers per site for which a handling fee will be paid in the following manner:
(A)Each eligible sites combined monthly volume of glass and plastic beverage containers shall be divided by the sites total monthly volume of all empty beverage container types.
(B)If the quotient determined pursuant to subparagraph (A) is equal to, or more than, 10 percent, the total monthly volume of the site shall be the maximum volume which is eligible for a handling fee for that month.
(C)If the quotient determined pursuant to subparagraph (A) is less than 10 percent, the department shall divide the volume of glass and plastic beverage containers by 10 percent. That quotient shall be the maximum volume that is eligible for a handling fee for that month.
(3)The department shall pay a handling fee per eligible container in the amount determined pursuant to subdivision (f).
(4)If the eligible volume in any given month would result in handling fee payments that exceed the allocation of funds for that month, as provided in subdivision (b), sites with higher eligible monthly volumes shall receive handling fees for their entire eligible monthly volume before sites with lower eligible monthly volumes receive any handling fees.
(5)(A)If a dealer where a supermarket site, nonprofit convenience zone recycler, or rural region recycler is located ceases operation for remodeling or for a change of ownership, the operator of that supermarket site, nonprofit convenience zone recycler, or rural region recycler shall be eligible to apply for handling fees for that site for a period of three months following the date of the closure of the dealer.
(B)Every supermarket site operator, nonprofit convenience zone recycler, or rural region recycler shall promptly notify the department of the closure of the dealer where the supermarket site, nonprofit convenience zone recycler, or rural region recycler is located.
(C)Notwithstanding subparagraph (A), any operator who fails to provide notification to the department pursuant to subparagraph (B) shall not be eligible to apply for handling fees.
(b)The department may allocate the amount authorized for expenditure for the payment of handling fees pursuant to paragraph (1) of subdivision (a) of Section 14581 on a monthly basis and may carry over any unexpended monthly allocation to a subsequent month or months. However, unexpended monthly allocations shall not be carried over to a subsequent fiscal year for the purpose of paying handling fees but may be carried over for any other purpose pursuant to Section 14581.
(c)(1)The department shall not make handling fee payments to more than one certified recycling center in a convenience zone. If a dealer is located in more than one convenience zone, the department shall offer a single handling fee payment to a supermarket site located at that dealer. This handling fee payment shall not be split between the affected zones. The department shall stop making handling fee payments if another recycling center certifies to operate within the convenience zone without receiving payments pursuant to this section, if the department monitors the performance of the other recycling center for 60 days and determines that the recycling center is in compliance with this division. Any recycling center that locates in a convenience zone, thereby causing a preexisting recycling center to become ineligible to receive handling fee payments, is ineligible to receive any handling fee payments in that convenience zone.
(2)The department shall offer a single handling fee payment to a rural region recycler located anywhere inside a convenience zone, if that convenience zone is not served by another certified recycling center and the rural region recycler does either of the following:
(A)Operates a minimum of 30 hours per week in one convenience zone.
(B)Serves two or more convenience zones, and meets all of the following criteria:
(i)Is the only certified recycler within each convenience zone.
(ii)Is open and operating at least eight hours per week in each convenience zone and is certified at each location.
(iii)Operates at least 30 hours per week in total for all convenience zones served.
(3)In a convenience zone that, as of January 1, 2019, the effective date of the measure that added this paragraph, has been continuously unserved by a certified recycling location for at least six months, the department shall offer a handling fee payment to a recycler located within the convenience zone that operates a minimum of 30 hours per week regardless of physical location within that convenience zone and that is certified and begins operating on or after January 1, 2019. the effective date of that measure.
(d)The department may require the operator of a supermarket site, or the operator of a rural region recycler, receiving handling fees to maintain records for each location where beverage containers are redeemed, and may require the supermarket site or rural region recycler to take any other action necessary for the department to determine that the supermarket site or rural region recycler does not receive an excessive handling fee.
(e)The department may determine and utilize a standard container per pound rate, for each material type, for the purpose of calculating volumes and making handling fee payments.
(f)(1)On or before January 1, 2008, and every two years thereafter, the department shall conduct a survey pursuant to this subdivision of a statistically significant sample of certified recycling centers that receive handling fee payments to determine the actual cost incurred for the redemption of empty beverage containers by those certified recycling centers. The department shall conduct these cost surveys in conjunction with the cost surveys performed by the department pursuant to subdivision (b) of Section 14575 to determine processing payments and processing fees. The department shall include, in determining the actual costs, only those allowable costs contained in the regulations adopted pursuant to this division that are used by the department to conduct cost surveys pursuant to subdivision (b) of Section 14575.
(2)Using the information obtained pursuant to paragraph (1), the department shall then determine the statewide weighted average cost incurred for the redemption of empty beverage containers, per empty beverage container, at recycling centers that receive handling fees.
(3)The department shall determine the amount of the handling fee to be paid for each empty beverage container by subtracting the amount of the statewide weighted average cost per container to redeem empty beverage containers by recycling centers that do not receive handling fees from the amount of the statewide weighted average cost per container determined pursuant to paragraph (2).
(4)The department shall adjust the statewide average cost determined pursuant to paragraph (2) for each beverage container annually to reflect changes in the cost of living, as measured by the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the United States Department of Labor or a successor agency of the United States government.
(5)The cost information collected pursuant to this section at recycling centers that receive handling fees shall not be used in the calculation of the processing payments determined pursuant to Section 14575.
(6)Notwithstanding paragraphs (2) and (3), for the period from January 1, 2019, the effective date of the measure that added this paragraph to July 1, 2021, inclusive, the handling fee shall be set at the rate in effect on July 1, 2015.
(g)The department may update the methodology and scrap values used for calculating the handling fee from the most recent cost survey if it finds that the handling fee resulting from the most recent cost survey does not accurately represent the actual cost incurred for the redemption of empty beverage containers by those certified recycling centers.
(h)Notwithstanding subdivision (f), the department shall suspend usage of surveys and calculations of recycling costs until at least January 1, 2020.
(h)(i)(1)The department may expend up to three million dollars ($3,000,000) annually from the fund for supplemental handling fee payments to low-volume recycling centers and recyclers willing to open a recycling center in a convenience zone that has recently become unserved. The department shall allocate the amount authorized for these supplemental handling fee payments into 12 equal monthly allotments.
(2)Supplemental handling fee payments shall be distributed once per month in equal amounts to recycling centers that are eligible for handling fees pursuant to subdivision (a), subject to all of the following requirements:
(A)A recycling center receiving a handling fee pursuant to this subdivision shall have no more than 600,000 beverage containers eligible for handling fees per month.
(B)Priority shall be given to recycling centers with the lowest volumes of beverage containers that are located in rural regions.
(C)(i)Payments shall be distributed first to no more than 100 recycling centers with the lowest volumes of beverage containers that are located in rural regions, in order of lowest volume.
(ii)After payments are distributed pursuant to clause (i), payments shall be distributed to other recycling centers with the lowest volumes of beverage containers, in order of lowest volume.
(3)No more than 400 recycling centers shall receive supplemental handling fee payments pursuant to this subdivision.
(4)The department may make the supplemental handling fee payments authorized pursuant to this subdivision by augmenting handling fee payments received by recyclers pursuant to subdivision (f).
(5)This subdivision shall become inoperative on July 1, 2021.
(j)On or before January 1, 2021, the department shall develop and submit, in compliance with Section 9795 of the Government Code, recommendations to the Legislature for revisions to this section and the departments handling fee guidelines to ensure that handling fee calculations are adequate to maintain the states recycling center infrastructure.
SEC. 9.This act is an urgency statute necessary for the immediate preservation of the public peace, health, or safety within the meaning of Article IV of the California Constitution and shall go into immediate effect. The facts constituting the necessity are:
Because of the unprecedented closures of recycling centers statewide, reduced access to redemption locations for consumers, declining recycling rates, and higher costs associated for grocers and retailers, it is necessary for this act to take effect immediately.
Direct redemption opportunity means a recycling opportunity that meets both of the following conditions:
(a)Provides reasonable availability for a consumer to redeem empty beverage containers and directly receive the redemption value for those containers.
(b)Provides sufficient overall redemption opportunities in the state whereby, in conjunction with other collection opportunities, not less than 80 percent of beverage containers sold in the state can be consistently and sustainably recycled.
SEC. 2.Section 14536 of the Public Resources Code is amended to read:14536.(a)Except as provided in subdivision (b), the director shall adopt, amend, or repeal all rules and regulations in accordance with Chapter 3.5 (commencing with Section 11340) of Part 1 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code.
(b)(1)The director shall adopt regulations, and may adopt emergency regulations, for the purposes of implementing Sections 14538, 14539, 14541, 14549.1, 14549.2, 14550, 14561, 14571.6, 14571.65, 14574, 14575, 14585, 14588.1, 14588.2, and 14591.
(2)Any emergency regulations, if adopted, shall be adopted in accordance with Chapter 3.5 (commencing with Section 11340) of Part 1 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code, and for the purposes of that chapter, including Section 11349.6 of the Government Code, the adoption of these regulations is an emergency and shall be considered by the Office of Administrative Law as necessary for the immediate preservation of the public peace, health and safety, and general welfare. Notwithstanding Chapter 3.5 (commencing with Section 11340) of Part 1 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code, including subdivision (e) of Section 11346.1 of the Government Code, any emergency regulations adopted pursuant to this section shall be filed with, but not be repealed by, the Office of Administrative Law and shall remain in effect until revised by the director.
SEC. 3.Section 14549.2 is added to the Public Resources Code, to read:14549.2.(a)For purposes of this section, the following definitions shall apply:
(1)Certified entity means a recycling center, processor, or dropoff or collection program certified pursuant to this division.
(2)Product manufacturer means a person who manufactures a plastic product in this state.
(b)In order to develop California markets for empty plastic beverage containers collected for recycling in the state, the department may, consistent with Section 14581 and subject to the availability of funds, pay a market development payment to a certified entity or product manufacturer for empty plastic beverage containers collected and managed pursuant to this section.
(c)The department shall make a market development payment to a certified entity or product manufacturer in accordance with this section, only if the plastic beverage container is collected and either recycled or used in manufacturing, in the state, as follows:
(1)The department shall make a market development payment to a certified entity for empty plastic beverage containers that are collected for recycling in the state, that are subsequently washed and processed by a certified entity into a flake, pellet, or other form in the state, and made usable for the manufacture of a plastic product by a product manufacturer.
(2)The department shall make a market development payment to a product manufacturer for empty plastic beverage containers that are collected for recycling in the state, that are subsequently washed and processed into a flake, pellet, or other form in the state, and used by that product manufacturer to manufacture a product in this state.
(3)The department shall determine the amount of the market development payment, which may be set at a different level for a certified entity and a product manufacturer, but shall not exceed one hundred fifty dollars ($150) per ton. In setting the amount of the market development payment for both certified entities and product manufacturers, the department shall consider all of the following:
(A)The minimum funding level needed to encourage the in-state washing and processing of empty plastic beverage containers collected for recycling in this state.
(B)The minimum funding level needed to encourage the in-state manufacturing that utilizes empty plastic beverage containers collected for recycling in this state.
(C)The total amount of funds projected to be available for plastic market development payments and the desire to maintain the minimum funding level needed throughout the year.
(4)The department may make a market development payment to both a certified entity and a product manufacturer for the same empty plastic beverage container.
(d)This section shall remain in effect only until January 1, 2024, and as of that date is repealed, unless a later enacted statute, that is enacted before January 1, 2024, deletes or extends that date.
SEC. 4.Section 14571.6 of the Public Resources Code is amended to read:14571.6.(a)Except as provided in Section 14572.3, in any convenience zone where no recycling location has been established that satisfies the requirements of Section 14571, and in any convenience zone that has exceeded the 60-day period for the establishment of a recycling center pursuant to Section 14571.7, all dealers within that zone shall, until a recycling location has been established in that zone, do one of the following:
(1)Submit to the department an affidavit form provided by the department stating that all of the following standards are being met by the dealer:
(A)The dealer redeems all empty beverage container types at a minimum of one designated location on the dealers premises, during all hours that the dealer is open for business. The dealer is not required to redeem more than 24 beverage containers of any one type per consumer per day.
(B)The dealer has posted signs that meet the size and location requirements specified in subdivision (b) of Section 14570, and that conform to paragraph (2) of that subdivision.
(C)The dealer is delivering, or having delivered, all empty beverage containers received from the public to a certified recycling center or processor for recycling.
(2)Pay to the department for deposit in the fund the sum of one hundred dollars ($100) per day until a recycling location is established or until the standards for redemption specified in paragraph (1) are met.
(b)This section shall apply only to a dealer with gross annual sales of two million dollars ($2,000,000) or more.
SEC. 5.Section 14571.65 is added to the Public Resources Code, to read:14571.65.(a)It is the intent of the Legislature that the requirements and incentive payments of the act do all of the following:
(1)Provide residents of every community with direct redemption opportunities.
(2)Provide sufficient overall redemption opportunities in the state whereby, in conjunction with other collection opportunities, not less than 80 percent of beverage containers sold in the state can be consistently and sustainably recycled.
(3)Provide a marketplace and even playing field whereby the businesses that operate facilities that collect empty beverage containers for recycling are as sustainable and profitable, and the workers as fairly compensated, as the businesses and workers that produce and distribute the beverages for consumption.
(b)On or before January 1, 2021, the department shall evaluate and recommend to the Legislature policies, incentives, and standards for ensuring the establishment and maintenance of a network of cost-effective direct redemption opportunities in every community sufficient to support the recycling of not less than 80 percent of beverage containers sold in the state.
(c)When developing recommendations for direct redemption opportunities, the department shall consider all of the following factors:
(1)Population density.
(2)Distance between population centers and the recycler or other operation that redeems empty beverage containers.
(3)Total population of the community.
(4)Rural and nonrural areas.
(5)Alternative certified redemption opportunities.
(6)Best practices identified in a department-sponsored convenience study.
(7)The role of dealers, including supermarkets, in providing direct redemption opportunities.
(8)Enforcement mechanisms for ensuring direct redemption opportunities.
(9)The role of local governments to support direct redemption opportunities.
(10)The process for providing exemptions to the direct redemption opportunity standards.
(11)The role of the state in supporting direct redemption opportunities and the structure and amount of any payments.
(12)Any other factors that the department deems appropriate.
(d)The department shall conduct at least two stakeholder meetings to determine the factors to be considered when developing recommendations for direct redemption opportunities.
SEC. 6.Section 14571.8 of the Public Resources Code is amended to read:14571.8.(a)A lease entered into by a dealer after January 1, 1987, shall not contain a leasehold restriction that prohibits or results in the prohibition of the establishment of a recycling location.
(b)Except as provided in subdivision (h), the director may grant an exemption from the requirements of Section 14571 for an individual convenience zone only after the department solicits public testimony on whether or not to provide an exemption from Section 14571. The solicitation process shall be designed by the department to ensure that operators of recycling centers, dealers, and members of the public in the jurisdiction affected by the proposed exemption are aware of the proposed exemption. After evaluation of the testimony and any field review conducted, the department shall base a decision to exempt a convenience zone pursuant to this subdivision on one, or any combination, of the following factors:
(1)The exemption will not significantly decrease the ability of consumers to conveniently return beverage containers for the refund value to a certified recycling center redeeming all material types.
(2)The nearest certified recycling center is within a reasonable distance of the convenience zone being considered from exemption.
(3)The convenience zone is in the area of a curbside program that meets the criteria specified in Section 14509.5.
(4)The requirements of Section 14571 cannot be met in a particular convenience zone due to local zoning or the dealers leasehold restrictions for leases in effect on January 1, 1987, and the local zoning or leasehold restrictions are not within the authority of the department and the dealer. However, any lease executed after January 1, 1987, shall meet the requirements specified in subdivision (a).
(5)The convenience zone has redeemed less than 60,000 containers per month for the prior 12 months.
(c)The department shall review each convenience zone in which a certified recycling center was not located on January 1, 1996, to determine the eligibility of the convenience zone under the exemption criteria specified in subdivision (b).
(d)The total number of exemptions granted by the director under subdivision (b) shall not exceed 50 percent of the total number of convenience zones identified as eligible pursuant to subdivision (b).
(e)The department may, on its own motion, or upon petition by any interested person, revoke a convenience zone exemption, including an exemption granted under subdivision (h), if either of the following occurs:
(1)The condition or conditions that caused the convenience zone to be exempt no longer exists, and the department determines that the criteria for an exemption specified in this section are not presently applicable to the convenience zone.
(2)The department determines that the convenience zone exemption was granted due to an administrative error.
(f)If an exemption is revoked and a recycling center is not certified and operational in the convenience zone, the department shall, within 10 days of the date of the decision to revoke, serve all dealers in the convenience zone with the notice specified in subdivision (a) of Section 14571.7.
(g)An exemption shall not be revoked when a recycling center becomes certified and operational within an exempt convenience zone unless either of the events specified in paragraphs (1) and (2) of subdivision (e) occurs.
(h)If there is a certified recycling center located within one mile of an unserved convenience zone, the department shall grant an exemption from the requirements of Section 14571 for that convenience zone.
SEC. 7.Section 14572.3 is added to the Public Resources Code, to read:14572.3.(a)A dealer described in subdivision (c) and who is located in a convenience zone described in subdivision (b) shall be exempt from the dealer requirements of Section 14571.6.
(b)Subdivision (a) shall apply only to a dealer that is located in a convenience zone that meets one of the following:
(1)The convenience zone was served by, or exempted because of, a recycling center that closed between January 1, 2016, and December 31, 2017, inclusive, at the initiation of the recycler and not at the initiation of the dealer.
(2)The convenience zone was served by, or exempted because of, a recycling center that closed as a result of an action taken by the department or local government on or after January 1, 2018.
(c)Subdivision (a) shall apply only to a dealer that meets one of the following conditions:
(1)The dealer demonstrates to the department that it has acted in full compliance with the requirements of Section 14571.6.
(2)The department approves the dealer for an exemption described in subdivision (a). The department may approve a dealer that was not in compliance with Section 14571.6 for an exemption only if the dealer pays the department any moneys owed by the dealer under Section 14571.6.
(d)The Legislature finds and declares that the purpose of this section is to temporarily suspend the obligations of dealers described in subdivision (c) to comply with the requirements of Section 14571.6 in order to focus attention and resources on the reestablishment of recycling centers in currently unserved convenience zones. Nothing in this section is intended to reduce the obligation of dealers and the department to site and maintain recycling centers.
(e)This section shall remain in effect only until January 1, 2021, and as of that date is repealed.
SEC. 8.Section 14573.8 is added to the Public Resources Code, to read:14573.8.(a)It is the intent of the Legislature to maximize the recovery, redemption, and recycling of empty beverage containers generated in this state, including any empty beverage containers that have been deposited by consumers in curbside programs with the expectation that those containers will be recycled and the redemption value and any processing payment allocated to helping to offset the cost of operating those programs.
(b)No provision of this division, and no regulation adopted or enforced by the department to carry out this division, shall prevent the department from encouraging, supporting, or certifying entities established to recover, recycle, and redeem empty beverage containers from the curbside stream, including certifying entities that recover, sort, cancel, and claim the refund value and processing payments on any empty beverage containers recovered from the residual generated by a curbside recycling program or material recovery facility.
(c)No provision of this division, and no regulation adopted or enforced by the department to carry out this division, shall prevent the department from certifying a processor to recover, sort, cancel, and claim the refund value and processing payments on any empty beverage containers recovered from the residual generated by a curbside recycling program or material recovery facility.
SEC. 9.Section 14575.2 is added to the Public Resources Code, to read:14575.2.(a)(1)Notwithstanding Section 14575, for purposes of calculating processing payments, the department shall use the actual costs of recycling that were in effect on December 30, 2015.
(2)Consistent with Section 14575, the department shall adjust the recycling costs described in paragraph (1) to reflect changes in the cost of living from December 30, 2015, as measured by the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the United States Department of Labor or a successor agency of the United States government as of the effective date of this section January 1, 2019, and at least once annually thereafter.
(3)Consistent with Section 2975 of Title 14 of the California Code of Regulations, the department shall adjust the recycling costs described in paragraph (1) to reflect the fixed reasonable financial returns for urban and rural recycling centers designated for the 2018 processing payment.
(b)Notwithstanding subdivisions (d) and (e) of Section 14575, for processing fees established by the department between the effective date of this section and December 31, 2018, January 1, 2019, and December 31, 2019, inclusive, the department shall not impose a processing fee on a beverage manufacturer that is higher than the processing fee that would be imposed without this section.
(c)(1)Notwithstanding subdivision (c) of Section 14575, the department shall suspend usage of surveys and calculations of recycling costs until at least January 1, 2020.
(2)The department may redirect any contract funds already approved for cost surveys and calculations as of the effective date of this section January 1, 2019, into an updated contract to utilize data collected for the 2015 processing payment to provide the department with an assessment of variations in the average cost of recycling based on, at a minimum, each of the following:
(A)Recycling location monthly average volume.
(B)Recycling location geographic area.
(C)Recycling location distance to end-use market.
(3)The department may utilize any contract funds available as of the effective date of this section January 1, 2019, for the analysis and development of recommendations to the Legislature of amendments to subdivisions (b) and (c) of Section 14575 to satisfy the legislative intent expressed in subdivision (f) of Section 14501 to create and maintain a marketplace where it is profitable to establish sufficient recycling centers and locations to provide consumers with convenient recycling opportunities through the establishment of minimum refund values and processing fees and, through the proper application of these elements, to enhance the profitability of recycling centers, recycling locations, and other beverage container recycling programs.
(d)This section shall remain in effect only until January 1, 2021, and as of that date is repealed.
SEC. 10.Section 14581 of the Public Resources Code is amended to read:14581.(a)Subject to the availability of funds and in accordance with subdivision (b), the department shall expend the moneys set aside in the fund, pursuant to subdivision (c) of Section 14580, for the purposes of this section in the following manner:
(1)For each fiscal year, the department may expend the amount necessary to make the required handling fee payment pursuant to Section 14585.
(2)(A)Fifteen million dollars ($15,000,000) shall be expended annually for payments for curbside programs and neighborhood dropoff programs pursuant to Section 14549.6.
(B)The department shall withhold payments to curbside programs and neighborhood dropoff programs in any city, county, or city and county that has prohibited the siting of a certified recycling center, caused a certified recycling center to close its business, or adopted a land use policy that restricts or prohibits the siting of a certified recycling center within its jurisdiction.
(3)(A)Ten million five hundred thousand dollars ($10,500,000) may be expended annually for payments of five thousand dollars ($5,000) to cities and ten thousand dollars ($10,000) for payments to counties for beverage container recycling and litter cleanup activities, or the department may calculate the payments to counties and cities on a per capita basis, and may pay whichever amount is greater, for those activities.
(B)Eligible activities for the use of these funds may include, but are not necessarily limited to, support for new or existing curbside programs, neighborhood dropoff programs, public education promoting beverage container recycling, litter prevention, and cleanup, cooperative regional efforts among two or more cities or counties, or both, or other beverage container recycling programs.
(C)These funds shall not be used for activities unrelated to beverage container recycling or litter reduction.
(D)To receive these funds, a city, county, or city and county shall fill out and return a funding request form to the department. The form shall specify the beverage container recycling or litter reduction activities for which the funds will be used.
(E)The department shall annually prepare and distribute a funding request form to each city, county, or city and county. The form shall specify the amount of beverage container recycling and litter cleanup funds for which the jurisdiction is eligible. The form shall not exceed one double-sided page in length, and may be submitted electronically. If a city, county, or city and county does not return the funding request form within 90 days of receipt of the form from the department, the city, county, or city and county is not eligible to receive the funds for that funding cycle.
(F)For the purposes of this paragraph, per capita population shall be based on the population of the incorporated area of a city or city and county and the unincorporated area of a county. The department shall withhold payment to any city, county, or city and county that has prohibited the siting of a supermarket site, caused a supermarket site to close its business, or adopted a land use policy that restricts or prohibits the siting of a supermarket site within its jurisdiction.
(4)One million five hundred thousand dollars ($1,500,000) may be expended annually in the form of grants for beverage container recycling and litter reduction programs.
(5)(A)The department shall expend the amount necessary to pay the processing payment established pursuant to Section 14575. The department shall establish separate processing fee accounts in the fund for each beverage container material type for which a processing payment and processing fee are calculated pursuant to Section 14575, or for which a processing payment is calculated pursuant to Section 14575 and a voluntary artificial scrap value is calculated pursuant to Section 14575.1, into which account shall be deposited both of the following:
(i)All amounts paid as processing fees for each beverage container material type pursuant to Section 14575.
(ii)Funds equal to the difference between the amount in clause (i) and the amount of the processing payments established in subdivision (b) of Section 14575, and adjusted pursuant to paragraph (2) of subdivision (c) of, and subdivision (f) of, Section 14575, to reduce the processing fee to the level provided in subdivision (e) of Section 14575, or to reflect the agreement by a willing purchaser to pay a voluntary artificial scrap value pursuant to Section 14575.1.
(B)Notwithstanding Section 13340 of the Government Code, the moneys in each processing fee account are hereby continuously appropriated to the department for expenditure without regard to fiscal years, for purposes of making processing payments pursuant to Section 14575.
(6)Up to five million dollars ($5,000,000) may be annually expended by the department for the purposes of undertaking a statewide public education and information campaign aimed at promoting increased recycling of beverage containers.
(7)Up to ten million dollars ($10,000,000) may be expended annually by the department for quality incentive payments for empty glass beverage containers pursuant to Section 14549.1.
(8)Up to ten million dollars ($10,000,000), less any amount appropriated in the annual Budget Act, may be expended annually by the department for market development payments for empty plastic beverage containers pursuant to Section 14549.2, until January 1, 2024.
(b)(1)If the department determines, pursuant to a review made pursuant to Section 14556, that there may be inadequate funds to pay the payments required by this division, the department shall immediately notify the appropriate policy and fiscal committees of the Legislature regarding the inadequacy.
(2)On or before 180 days, but not less than 80 days, after the notice is sent pursuant to paragraph (1), the department may reduce or eliminate expenditures, or both, from the funds as necessary, according to the procedure set forth in subdivision (c).
(c)If the department determines that there are insufficient funds to make the payments specified pursuant to this section and Section 14575, the department shall reduce all payments proportionally.
(d)Before making an expenditure pursuant to paragraph (6) of subdivision (a), the department shall convene an advisory committee consisting of representatives of the beverage industry, beverage container manufacturers, environmental organizations, the recycling industry, nonprofit organizations, and retailers to advise the department on the most cost-effective and efficient method of the expenditure of the funds for that education and information campaign.
(e)Subject to the availability of funds, the department shall retroactively pay in full any payments provided in this section that have been proportionally reduced during the period of January 1, 2010, through June 30, 2010.
SEC. 11.Section 14585 of the Public Resources Code is amended to read:14585.(a)The department shall adopt guidelines and methods for paying handling fees to supermarket sites, nonprofit convenience zone recyclers, or rural region recyclers to provide an incentive for the redemption of empty beverage containers in convenience zones. The guidelines shall include, but not be limited to, all of the following:
(1)Handling fees shall be paid on a monthly basis, in the form and manner adopted by the department. The department shall require that claims for the handling fee be filed with the department not later than the first day of the second month following the month for which the handling fee is claimed as a condition of receiving any handling fee.
(2)The department shall determine the number of eligible containers per site for which a handling fee will be paid in the following manner:
(A)Each eligible sites combined monthly volume of glass and plastic beverage containers shall be divided by the sites total monthly volume of all empty beverage container types.
(B)If the quotient determined pursuant to subparagraph (A) is equal to, or more than, 10 percent, the total monthly volume of the site shall be the maximum volume which is eligible for a handling fee for that month.
(C)If the quotient determined pursuant to subparagraph (A) is less than 10 percent, the department shall divide the volume of glass and plastic beverage containers by 10 percent. That quotient shall be the maximum volume that is eligible for a handling fee for that month.
(3)The department shall pay a handling fee per eligible container in the amount determined pursuant to subdivision (f).
(4)If the eligible volume in any given month would result in handling fee payments that exceed the allocation of funds for that month, as provided in subdivision (b), sites with higher eligible monthly volumes shall receive handling fees for their entire eligible monthly volume before sites with lower eligible monthly volumes receive any handling fees.
(5)(A)If a dealer where a supermarket site, nonprofit convenience zone recycler, or rural region recycler is located ceases operation for remodeling or for a change of ownership, the operator of that supermarket site, nonprofit convenience zone recycler, or rural region recycler shall be eligible to apply for handling fees for that site for a period of three months following the date of the closure of the dealer.
(B)Every supermarket site operator, nonprofit convenience zone recycler, or rural region recycler shall promptly notify the department of the closure of the dealer where the supermarket site, nonprofit convenience zone recycler, or rural region recycler is located.
(C)Notwithstanding subparagraph (A), any operator who fails to provide notification to the department pursuant to subparagraph (B) shall not be eligible to apply for handling fees.
(b)The department may allocate the amount authorized for expenditure for the payment of handling fees pursuant to paragraph (1) of subdivision (a) of Section 14581 on a monthly basis and may carry over any unexpended monthly allocation to a subsequent month or months. However, unexpended monthly allocations shall not be carried over to a subsequent fiscal year for the purpose of paying handling fees but may be carried over for any other purpose pursuant to Section 14581.
(c)(1)The department shall not make handling fee payments to more than one certified recycling center in a convenience zone. If a dealer is located in more than one convenience zone, the department shall offer a single handling fee payment to a supermarket site located at that dealer. This handling fee payment shall not be split between the affected zones. The department shall stop making handling fee payments if another recycling center certifies to operate within the convenience zone without receiving payments pursuant to this section, if the department monitors the performance of the other recycling center for 60 days and determines that the recycling center is in compliance with this division. Any recycling center that locates in a convenience zone, thereby causing a preexisting recycling center to become ineligible to receive handling fee payments, is ineligible to receive any handling fee payments in that convenience zone.
(2)The department shall offer a single handling fee payment to a rural region recycler located anywhere inside a convenience zone, if that convenience zone is not served by another certified recycling center and the rural region recycler does either of the following:
(A)Operates a minimum of 30 hours per week in one convenience zone.
(B)Serves two or more convenience zones, and meets all of the following criteria:
(i)Is the only certified recycler within each convenience zone.
(ii)Is open and operating at least eight hours per week in each convenience zone and is certified at each location.
(iii)Operates at least 30 hours per week in total for all convenience zones served.
(3)In a convenience zone that, as of the effective date of the measure that added this paragraph, January 1, 2019, has been continuously unserved by a certified recycling location for at least six months, the department shall offer a handling fee payment to a recycler located within the convenience zone that operates a minimum of 30 hours per week regardless of physical location within that convenience zone and that is certified on or after the effective date of that bill. January 1, 2019.
(d)The department may require the operator of a supermarket site, or the operator of a rural region recycler, receiving handling fees to maintain records for each location where beverage containers are redeemed, and may require the supermarket site or rural region recycler to take any other action necessary for the department to determine that the supermarket site or rural region recycler does not receive an excessive handling fee.
(e)The department may determine and utilize a standard container per pound rate, for each material type, for the purpose of calculating volumes and making handling fee payments.
(f)(1)On or before January 1, 2008, and every two years thereafter, the department shall conduct a survey pursuant to this subdivision of a statistically significant sample of certified recycling centers that receive handling fee payments to determine the actual cost incurred for the redemption of empty beverage containers by those certified recycling centers. The department shall conduct these cost surveys in conjunction with the cost surveys performed by the department pursuant to subdivision (b) of Section 14575 to determine processing payments and processing fees. The department shall include, in determining the actual costs, only those allowable costs contained in the regulations adopted pursuant to this division that are used by the department to conduct cost surveys pursuant to subdivision (b) of Section 14575.
(2)Using the information obtained pursuant to paragraph (1), the department shall then determine the statewide weighted average cost incurred for the redemption of empty beverage containers, per empty beverage container, at recycling centers that receive handling fees.
(3)The department shall determine the amount of the handling fee to be paid for each empty beverage container by subtracting the amount of the statewide weighted average cost per container to redeem empty beverage containers by recycling centers that do not receive handling fees from the amount of the statewide weighted average cost per container determined pursuant to paragraph (2).
(4)The department shall adjust the statewide average cost determined pursuant to paragraph (2) for each beverage container annually to reflect changes in the cost of living, as measured by the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the United States Department of Labor or a successor agency of the United States government.
(5)The cost information collected pursuant to this section at recycling centers that receive handling fees shall not be used in the calculation of the processing payments determined pursuant to Section 14575.
(6)Notwithstanding paragraphs (2) and (3), for the period from the effective date of the measure that added this paragraph January 1, 2019, to July 1, 2021, inclusive, the handling fee shall be set at the rate in effect on July 1, 2015.
(g)The department may update the methodology and scrap values used for calculating the handling fee from the most recent cost survey if it finds that the handling fee resulting from the most recent cost survey does not accurately represent the actual cost incurred for the redemption of empty beverage containers by those certified recycling centers.
(h)(1)The department may expend up to three million dollars ($3,000,000) annually from the fund for supplemental handling fee payments to low-volume recycling centers and recyclers willing to open a recycling center in a convenience zone that has recently become unserved. The department shall allocate the amount authorized for these supplemental handling fee payments into 12 equal monthly allotments.
(2)Supplemental handling fee payments shall be distributed once per month in equal amounts to recycling centers that are eligible for handling fees pursuant to subdivision (a), subject to all of the following requirements:
(A)A recycling center receiving a handling fee pursuant to this subdivision shall have no more than 600,000 beverage containers eligible for handling fees per month.
(B)Priority shall be given to recycling centers with the lowest volumes of beverage containers that are located in rural regions.
(C)(i)Payments shall be distributed first to no more than 100 recycling centers with the lowest volumes of beverage containers that are located in rural regions, in order of lowest volume.
(ii)After payments are distributed pursuant to clause (i), payments shall be distributed to other recycling centers with the lowest volumes of beverage containers, in order of lowest volume.
(3)No more than 400 recycling centers shall receive supplemental handling fee payments pursuant to this subdivision.
(4)The department may make the supplemental handling fee payments authorized pursuant to this subdivision by augmenting handling fee payments received by recyclers pursuant to subdivision (f).
(5)This subdivision shall become inoperative on July 1, 2021.
SEC. 12.This act is an urgency statute necessary for the immediate preservation of the public peace, health, or safety within the meaning of Article IV of the California Constitution and shall go into immediate effect. The facts constituting the necessity are:Because of the unprecedented closures of recycling centers statewide, reduced access to redemptions for consumers, declining recycling rates, and higher costs associated for grocers and retailers, it is necessary for this act to take effect immediately. REVISIONS: HeadingLine 2.Direct redemption opportunity means a recycling opportunity that meets both of the following conditions:
(a)Provides reasonable availability for a consumer to redeem empty beverage containers and directly receive the redemption value for those containers.
(b)Provides sufficient overall redemption opportunities in the state whereby, in conjunction with other collection opportunities, not less than 80 percent of beverage containers sold in the state can be consistently and sustainably recycled.
SEC. 2.Section 14536 of the Public Resources Code is amended to read:14536.(a)Except as provided in subdivision (b), the director shall adopt, amend, or repeal all rules and regulations in accordance with Chapter 3.5 (commencing with Section 11340) of Part 1 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code.
(b)(1)The director shall adopt regulations, and may adopt emergency regulations regulations, for the purposes of implementing Sections 14538, 14539, 14541, 14549.1, 14549.2, 14549.7, 14550, 14561, 14571.6, 14571.65, 14574, 14575, 14585, 14588.1, 14588.2, and 14591.
(2)Any emergency regulations, if adopted, shall be adopted in accordance with Chapter 3.5 (commencing with Section 11340) of Part 1 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code, and for the purposes of that chapter, including Section 11349.6 of the Government Code, the adoption of these regulations is an emergency and shall be considered by the Office of Administrative Law as necessary for the immediate preservation of the public peace, health and safety, and general welfare. Notwithstanding Chapter 3.5 (commencing with Section 11340) of Part 1 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code, including subdivision (e) of Section 11346.1 of the Government Code, any emergency regulations adopted pursuant to this section shall be filed with, but not be repealed by, the Office of Administrative Law and shall remain in effect until revised by the director.
SEC. 3.Section 14549.2 is added to the Public Resources Code, to read:14549.2.(a)For purposes of this section, the following definitions shall apply:
(1)Certified entity means a recycling center, processor, or dropoff or collection program certified pursuant to this division.
(2)Product manufacturer means a person who manufactures a plastic product in this state.
(b)In order to develop California markets for empty plastic beverage containers collected for recycling in the state, the department may, consistent with Section 14581 and subject to the availability of funds, pay a market development payment to a certified entity or product manufacturer for empty plastic beverage containers collected and managed pursuant to this section.
(c)The department shall make a market development payment to a certified entity or product manufacturer in accordance with this section, only if the plastic beverage container is collected and either recycled or used in manufacturing, in the state, as follows:
(1)The department shall make a market development payment to a certified entity for empty plastic beverage containers that are collected for recycling in the state, that are subsequently washed and processed by a certified entity into a flake, pellet, or other form in the state, and made usable for the manufacture of a plastic product by a product manufacturer.
(2)The department shall make a market development payment to a product manufacturer for empty plastic beverage containers that are collected for recycling in the state, that are subsequently washed and processed into a flake, pellet, or other form in the state, and used by that product manufacturer to manufacture a product in this state.
(3)The department shall determine the amount of the market development payment, which may be set at a different level for a certified entity and a product manufacturer, but shall not exceed one hundred fifty dollars ($150) per ton. In setting the amount of the market development payment for both certified entities and product manufacturers, the department shall consider all of the following:
(A)The minimum funding level needed to encourage the in-state washing and processing of empty plastic beverage containers collected for recycling in this state.
(B)The minimum funding level needed to encourage the in-state manufacturing that utilizes empty plastic beverage containers collected for recycling in this state.
(C)The total amount of funds projected to be available for plastic market development payments and the desire to maintain the minimum funding level needed throughout the year.
(4)The department may make a market development payment to both a certified entity and a product manufacturer for the same empty plastic beverage container.
(d)This section shall remain in effect only until January 1, 2024, and as of that date is repealed, unless a later enacted statute, that is enacted before January 1, 2024, deletes or extends that date.
SEC. 4.Section 14571.6 of the Public Resources Code is amended to read:14571.6.In(a)Except as provided in Section 14572.3, in any convenience zone where no recycling location has been established which that satisfies the requirements of Section 14571, and in any convenience zone which that has exceeded the 60-day period for the establishment of a recycling center pursuant to Section 14571.7, all dealers within that zone shall, until a recycling location has been established in that zone, do one of the following:
(a)(1)Submit to the department an affidavit form provided by the department stating that all of the following standards are being met by the dealer:
(1)(A)The dealer redeems all empty beverage container types at all open cash registers or a minimum of one designated location on the dealers premises, during all hours that the dealer is open for business. The dealer is not required to redeem more than 24 beverage containers of any one type per consumer per day.
(2)(B)The dealer has posted signs which that meet the size and location requirements specified in subdivision (b) of Section 14570, and which that conform to paragraph (2) of that subdivision.
(3)(C)The dealer is delivering, or having delivered, all empty beverage containers received from the public to a certified recycling center or processor for recycling.
(b)(2)Pay to the department for deposit in the fund the sum of one hundred dollars ($100) per day until a recycling location is established or until the standards for redemption specified in subdivision (a) paragraph (1) are met.
(b)This section shall apply only to a dealer with gross annual sales of two million dollars ($2,000,000) or more.
SEC. 5.Section 14571.65 is added to the Public Resources Code, to read:14571.65.(a)It is the intent of the Legislature that the requirements and incentive payments of the act do all of the following:
(1)Provide residents of every community with direct redemption opportunities.
(2)Provide sufficient overall redemption opportunities in the state whereby, in conjunction with other collection opportunities, not less than 80 percent of beverage containers sold in the state can be consistently and sustainably recycled.
(3)Provide a marketplace and even playing field whereby the businesses that operate facilities that collect empty beverage containers for recycling are as sustainable and profitable, and the workers as fairly compensated, as the businesses and workers that produce and distribute the beverages for consumption.
(b)On or before January 1, 2021, the department shall evaluate and recommend to the Legislature policies, incentives, and standards for ensuring the establishment and maintenance of a network of cost-effective direct redemption opportunities in every community sufficient to support the recycling of not less than 80 percent of beverage containers sold in the state.
(c)When developing recommendations for direct redemption opportunities, the department shall consider all of the following factors:
(1)Population density.
(2)Distance between population centers and the recycler or other operation that redeems empty beverage containers.
(3)Total population of the community.
(4)Rural and nonrural areas.
(5)Alternative certified redemption opportunities.
(6)Best practices identified in a department-sponsored convenience study.
(7)The role of dealers, including supermarkets, in providing direct redemption opportunities.
(8)Enforcement mechanisms for ensuring direct redemption opportunities.
(9)The role of local governments to support direct redemption opportunities.
(10)The process for providing exemptions to the direct redemption opportunity standards.
(11)The role of the state in supporting direct redemption opportunities and the structure and amount of any payments.
(12)Any other factors that the department deems appropriate.
(d)The department shall conduct at least two stakeholder meetings to determine the factors to be considered when developing recommendations for direct redemption opportunities.
SEC. 6.Section 14571.8 of the Public Resources Code is amended to read:14571.8.(a)No A lease entered into by a dealer after January 1, 1987, may shall not contain a leasehold restriction that prohibits or results in the prohibition of the establishment of a recycling location.
(b)The Except as provided in subdivision (h), the director may grant an exemption from the requirements of Section 14571 for an individual convenience zone only after the department solicits public testimony on whether or not to provide an exemption from Section 14571. The solicitation process shall be designed by the department to ensure that operators of recycling centers, dealers, and members of the public in the jurisdiction affected by the proposed exemption are aware of the proposed exemption. After evaluation of the testimony and any field review conducted, the department shall base a decision to exempt a convenience zone pursuant to this subdivision on one, or any combination, of the following factors:
(1)The exemption will not significantly decrease the ability of consumers to conveniently return beverage containers for the refund value to a certified recycling center redeeming all material types.
(2)Except as provided in paragraph (5), the The nearest certified recycling center is within a reasonable distance of the convenience zone being considered from exemption.
(3)The convenience zone is in the area of a curbside recycling program that meets the criteria specified in Section 14509.5.
(4)The requirements of Section 14571 cannot be met in a particular convenience zone due to local zoning or the dealers leasehold restrictions for leases in effect on January 1, 1987, and the local zoning or leasehold restrictions are not within the authority of the department and the dealer. However, any lease executed after January 1, 1987, shall meet the requirements specified in subdivision (a).
(5)The convenience zone has redeemed less than 60,000 containers per month for the prior 12 months and, notwithstanding paragraph (2), a certified recycling center is located within one mile of the convenience zone that is the subject of the exemption. months.
(c)The department shall review each convenience zone in which a certified recycling center was not located on January 1, 1996, to determine the eligibility of the convenience zone under the exemption criteria specified in subdivision (b).
(d)The total number of exemptions granted by the director under this section subdivision (b) shall not exceed 35 50 percent of the total number of convenience zones identified as eligible pursuant to this section. subdivision (b).
(e)The department may, on its own motion, or upon petition by any interested person, revoke a convenience zone exemption exemption, including an exemption granted under subdivision (h), if either of the following occurs:
(1)The condition or conditions that caused the convenience zone to be exempt no longer exists, and the department determines that the criteria for an exemption specified in this section are not presently applicable to the convenience zone.
(2)The department determines that the convenience zone exemption was granted due to an administrative error.
(f)If an exemption is revoked and a recycling center is not certified and operational in the convenience zone, the department shall, within 10 days of the date of the decision to revoke, serve all dealers in the convenience zone with the notice specified in subdivision (a) of Section 14571.7.
(g)An exemption shall not be revoked when a recycling center becomes certified and operational within an exempt convenience zone unless either of the events specified in paragraphs (1) and (2) of subdivision (e) occurs.
(h)If there is a certified recycling center located within one mile of an unserved convenience zone, the department shall grant an exemption from the requirements of Section 14571 for that convenience zone.
SEC. 7.Section 14572.3 is added to the Public Resources Code, to read:14572.3.(a)A dealer described in subdivision (c) and who is located in a convenience zone described in subdivision (b) shall be exempt from the dealer requirements of Section 14571.6.
(b)Subdivision (a) shall apply only to a dealer that is located in a convenience zone that meets one of the following:
(1)The convenience zone was served by, or exempted because of, a recycling center that closed between January 1, 2016, and December 31, 2017, inclusive, at the initiation of the recycler and not at the initiation of the dealer.
(2)The convenience zone was served by, or exempted because of, a recycling center that closed as a result of an action taken by the department or local government on or after January 1, 2018.
(c)Subdivision (a) shall apply only to a dealer that meets one of the following conditions:
(1)The dealer demonstrates to the department that it has acted in full compliance with the requirements of Section 14571.6.
(2)The department approves the dealer for an exemption described in subdivision (a). The department may approve a dealer that was not in compliance with Section 14571.6 for an exemption only if the dealer pays the department any moneys owed by the dealer under Section 14571.6.
(d)The Legislature finds and declares that the purpose of this section is to temporarily suspend the obligations of dealers described in subdivision (c) to comply with the requirements of Section 14571.6 in order to focus attention and resources on the reestablishment of recycling centers in currently unserved convenience zones. Nothing in this section is intended to reduce the obligation of dealers and the department to site and maintain recycling centers.
(e)This section shall remain in effect only until January 1, 2021, and as of that date is repealed.
SEC. 8.Section 14573.8 is added to the Public Resources Code, to read:14573.8.(a)It is the intent of the Legislature to maximize the recovery, redemption, and recycling of empty beverage containers generated in this state, including any empty beverage containers that have been deposited by consumers in curbside programs with the expectation that those containers will be recycled and the redemption value and any processing payment allocated to helping to offset the cost of operating those programs.
(b)No provision of this division, and no regulation adopted or enforced by the department to carry out this division, shall prevent the department from encouraging, supporting, or certifying entities established to recover, recycle, and redeem empty beverage containers from the curbside stream, including certifying entities that recover, sort, cancel, and claim the refund value and processing payments on any empty beverage containers recovered from the residual generated by a curbside recycling program or material recovery facility.
(c)No provision of this division, and no regulation adopted or enforced by the department to carry out this division, shall prevent the department from certifying a processor to recover, sort, cancel, and claim the refund value and processing payments on any empty beverage containers recovered from the residual generated by a curbside recycling program or material recovery facility.
SEC. 9.Section 14575.2 is added to the Public Resources Code, to read:14575.2.(a)(1)Notwithstanding Section 14575, for purposes of calculating processing payments, the department shall use the actual costs of recycling that were in effect on December 30, 2015.
(2)Consistent with Section 14575, the department shall adjust the recycling costs described in paragraph (1) to reflect changes in the cost of living from December 30, 2015, as measured by the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the United States Department of Labor or a successor agency of the United States government as of the effective date of this section and at least once annually thereafter.
(3)Consistent with Section 2975 of Title 14 of the California Code of Regulations, the department shall adjust the recycling costs described in paragraph (1) to reflect the fixed reasonable financial returns for urban and rural recycling centers designated for the 2018 processing payment.
(b)Notwithstanding subdivisions (d) and (e) of Section 14575, for processing fees established by the department between the effective date of this section and December 31, 2018, the department shall not impose a processing fee on a beverage manufacturer that is higher than the processing fee that would be imposed without this section.
(c)(1)Notwithstanding subdivision (c) of Section 14575, the department shall suspend usage of surveys and calculations of recycling costs until at least January 1, 2020.
(2)The department may redirect any contract funds already approved for cost surveys and calculations as of the effective date of this section into an updated contract to utilize data collected for the 2015 processing payment to provide the department with an assessment of variations in the average cost of recycling based on, at a minimum, each of the following:
(A)Recycling location monthly average volume.
(B)Recycling location geographic area.
(C)Recycling location distance to end-use market.
(3)The department may utilize any contract funds available as of the effective date of this section for the analysis and development of recommendations to the Legislature of amendments to subdivisions (b) and (c) of Section 14575 to satisfy the legislative intent expressed in subdivision (f) of Section 14501 to create and maintain a marketplace where it is profitable to establish sufficient recycling centers and locations to provide consumers with convenient recycling opportunities through the establishment of minimum refund values and processing fees and, through the proper application of these elements, to enhance the profitability of recycling centers, recycling locations, and other beverage container recycling programs.
(d)This section shall remain in effect only until January 1, 2021, and as of that date is repealed.
SEC. 10.Section 14581 of the Public Resources Code is amended to read:14581.(a)Subject to the availability of funds and in accordance with subdivision (b), the department shall expend the moneys set aside in the fund, pursuant to subdivision (c) of Section 14580, for the purposes of this section in the following manner:
(1)For each fiscal year, the department may expend the amount necessary to make the required handling fee payment pursuant to Section 14585.
(2)(A)Fifteen million dollars ($15,000,000) shall be expended annually for payments for curbside programs and neighborhood dropoff programs pursuant to Section 14549.6.
(B)The department shall withhold payments to curbside programs and neighborhood dropoff programs in any city, county, or city and county that has prohibited the siting of a certified recycling center, caused a certified recycling center to close its business, or adopted a land use policy that restricts or prohibits the siting of a certified recycling center within its jurisdiction.
(3)(A)Ten million five hundred thousand dollars ($10,500,000) may be expended annually for payments of five thousand dollars ($5,000) to cities and ten thousand dollars ($10,000) for payments to counties for beverage container recycling and litter cleanup activities, or the department may calculate the payments to counties and cities on a per capita basis, and may pay whichever amount is greater, for those activities.
(B)Eligible activities for the use of these funds may include, but are not necessarily limited to, support for new or existing curbside recycling programs, neighborhood dropoff recycling programs, public education promoting beverage container recycling, litter prevention, and cleanup, cooperative regional efforts among two or more cities or counties, or both, or other beverage container recycling programs.
(C)These funds shall not be used for activities unrelated to beverage container recycling or litter reduction.
(D)To receive these funds, a city, county, or city and county shall fill out and return a funding request form to the department. The form shall specify the beverage container recycling or litter reduction activities for which the funds will be used.
(E)The department shall annually prepare and distribute a funding request form to each city, county, or city and county. The form shall specify the amount of beverage container recycling and litter cleanup funds for which the jurisdiction is eligible. The form shall not exceed one double-sided page in length, and may be submitted electronically. If a city, county, or city and county does not return the funding request form within 90 days of receipt of the form from the department, the city, county, or city and county is not eligible to receive the funds for that funding cycle.
(F)For the purposes of this paragraph, per capita population shall be based on the population of the incorporated area of a city or city and county and the unincorporated area of a county. The department may shall withhold payment to any city, county, or city and county that has prohibited the siting of a supermarket site, caused a supermarket site to close its business, or adopted a land use policy that restricts or prohibits the siting of a supermarket site within its jurisdiction.
(4)One million five hundred thousand dollars ($1,500,000) may be expended annually in the form of grants for beverage container recycling and litter reduction programs.
(5)(A)The department shall expend the amount necessary to pay the processing payment established pursuant to Section 14575. The department shall establish separate processing fee accounts in the fund for each beverage container material type for which a processing payment and processing fee are calculated pursuant to Section 14575, or for which a processing payment is calculated pursuant to Section 14575 and a voluntary artificial scrap value is calculated pursuant to Section 14575.1, into which account shall be deposited both of the following:
(i)All amounts paid as processing fees for each beverage container material type pursuant to Section 14575.
(ii)Funds equal to the difference between the amount in clause (i) and the amount of the processing payments established in subdivision (b) of Section 14575, and adjusted pursuant to paragraph (2) of subdivision (c) of, and subdivision (f) of, Section 14575, to reduce the processing fee to the level provided in subdivision (e) of Section 14575, or to reflect the agreement by a willing purchaser to pay a voluntary artificial scrap value pursuant to Section 14575.1.
(B)Notwithstanding Section 13340 of the Government Code, the moneys in each processing fee account are hereby continuously appropriated to the department for expenditure without regard to fiscal years, for purposes of making processing payments pursuant to Section 14575.
(6)Up to five million dollars ($5,000,000) may be annually expended by the department for the purposes of undertaking a statewide public education and information campaign aimed at promoting increased recycling of beverage containers.
(7)Up to ten million dollars ($10,000,000) may be expended annually by the department for quality incentive payments for empty glass beverage containers pursuant to Section 14549.1.
(8)(A)Up to ten million dollars ($10,000,000) ($10,000,000), less any amount appropriated in the annual Budget Act, may be expended annually by the department for market development payments for empty plastic beverage containers pursuant to Section 14549.2, until January 1, 2018. 2024.
(B)In addition to the amount specified in subparagraph (A), the department may expend the amount calculated pursuant to subparagraph (C) for market development payments for empty plastic beverage containers pursuant to Section 14549.2.(C)The department shall calculate the amount authorized for expenditure pursuant to subparagraph (B) in the following manner:(i)The department shall annually determine, on or before January 1, whether the amount of funds estimated to be necessary pursuant to clause (ii) of subparagraph (A) of paragraph (5) for deposit to a processing fee account established by the department for plastic beverage containers to make processing payments for plastic beverage containers for the current calendar year is less than the total amount of funds that were estimated to be necessary the previous calendar year pursuant to clause (ii) of subparagraph (A) of paragraph (5) for deposit to that processing fee account.(ii)If the amount estimated to be necessary for the current calendar year, as specified in clause (i), is less than the amount estimated to be necessary for the previous calendar year, the department shall calculate the amount of that difference.(iii)The department shall expend an amount that is not greater than 50 percent of the amount calculated pursuant to clause (ii) for purposes of subparagraph (B).(iv)If the department determines that the amount of funds authorized for expenditure pursuant to this subparagraph is not needed to make plastic market development payments pursuant to subparagraph (B) in the calendar year for which that amount is allocated, the department may expend those funds during the following year.(v)If the department determines that there are insufficient funds to both make the market development payments pursuant to subparagraph (B) and to deposit the amount required by clause (ii) of subparagraph (A) of paragraph (5), for purposes of making the processing payments and reducing the processing fees pursuant to Section 14575 for plastic beverage containers, the department shall suspend the implementation of this subparagraph and subparagraph (B).(D)Subparagraphs (B) and (C) shall remain operative only until January 1, 2018.(b)(1)If the department determines, pursuant to a review made pursuant to Section 14556, that there may be inadequate funds to pay the payments required by this division, the department shall immediately notify the appropriate policy and fiscal committees of the Legislature regarding the inadequacy.
(2)On or before 180 days, but not less than 80 days, after the notice is sent pursuant to paragraph (1), the department may reduce or eliminate expenditures, or both, from the funds as necessary, according to the procedure set forth in subdivision (c).
(c)If the department determines that there are insufficient funds to make the payments specified pursuant to this section and Section 14575, the department shall reduce all payments proportionally.
(d)Before making an expenditure pursuant to paragraph (6) of subdivision (a), the department shall convene an advisory committee consisting of representatives of the beverage industry, beverage container manufacturers, environmental organizations, the recycling industry, nonprofit organizations, and retailers to advise the department on the most cost-effective and efficient method of the expenditure of the funds for that education and information campaign.
(e)Subject to the availability of funds, the department shall retroactively pay in full any payments provided in this section that have been proportionally reduced during the period of January 1, 2010, through June 30, 2010.
SEC. 11.Section 14585 of the Public Resources Code is amended to read:14585.(a)The department shall adopt guidelines and methods for paying handling fees to supermarket sites, nonprofit convenience zone recyclers, or rural region recyclers to provide an incentive for the redemption of empty beverage containers in convenience zones. The guidelines shall include, but not be limited to, all of the following:
(1)Handling fees shall be paid on a monthly basis, in the form and manner adopted by the department. The department shall require that claims for the handling fee be filed with the department not later than the first day of the second month following the month for which the handling fee is claimed as a condition of receiving any handling fee.
(2)The department shall determine the number of eligible containers per site for which a handling fee will be paid in the following manner:
(A)Each eligible sites combined monthly volume of glass and plastic beverage containers shall be divided by the sites total monthly volume of all empty beverage container types.
(B)If the quotient determined pursuant to subparagraph (A) is equal to, or more than, 10 percent, the total monthly volume of the site shall be the maximum volume which is eligible for a handling fee for that month.
(C)If the quotient determined pursuant to subparagraph (A) is less than 10 percent, the department shall divide the volume of glass and plastic beverage containers by 10 percent. That quotient shall be the maximum volume that is eligible for a handling fee for that month.
(3) (A) On and after the effective date of the act amending this section during the 201112 Regular Session, and until March 1, 2013, the department shall pay a handling fee per eligible container in the amount determined pursuant to subdivisions (f) and (g).(B)On and after July 1, 2014, the department(3)The department shall pay a handling fee per eligible container in the amount determined pursuant to subdivision (f).
(4)If the eligible volume in any given month would result in handling fee payments that exceed the allocation of funds for that month, as provided in subdivision (b), sites with higher eligible monthly volumes shall receive handling fees for their entire eligible monthly volume before sites with lower eligible monthly volumes receive any handling fees.
(5)(A)If a dealer where a supermarket site, nonprofit convenience zone recycler, or rural region recycler is located ceases operation for remodeling or for a change of ownership, the operator of that supermarket site site, nonprofit convenience zone recycler, or rural region recycler shall be eligible to apply for handling fees for that site for a period of three months following the date of the closure of the dealer.
(B)Every supermarket site operator, nonprofit convenience zone recycler, or rural region recycler shall promptly notify the department of the closure of the dealer where the supermarket site, nonprofit convenience zone recycler, or rural region recycler is located.
(C)Notwithstanding subparagraph (A), any operator who fails to provide notification to the department pursuant to subparagraph (B) shall not be eligible to apply for handling fees.
(b)The department may allocate the amount authorized for expenditure for the payment of handling fees pursuant to paragraph (1) of subdivision (a) of Section 14581 on a monthly basis and may carry over any unexpended monthly allocation to a subsequent month or months. However, unexpended monthly allocations shall not be carried over to a subsequent fiscal year for the purpose of paying handling fees but may be carried over for any other purpose pursuant to Section 14581.
(c)(1)The department shall not make handling fee payments to more than one certified recycling center in a convenience zone. If a dealer is located in more than one convenience zone, the department shall offer a single handling fee payment to a supermarket site located at that dealer. This handling fee payment shall not be split between the affected zones. The department shall stop making handling fee payments if another recycling center certifies to operate within the convenience zone without receiving payments pursuant to this section, if the department monitors the performance of the other recycling center for 60 days and determines that the recycling center is in compliance with this division. Any recycling center that locates in a convenience zone, thereby causing a preexisting recycling center to become ineligible to receive handling fee payments, is ineligible to receive any handling fee payments in that convenience zone.
(2)The department shall offer a single handling fee payment to a rural region recycler located anywhere inside a convenience zone, if that convenience zone is not served by another certified recycling center and the rural region recycler does either of the following:
(A)Operates a minimum of 30 hours per week in one convenience zone.
(B)Serves two or more convenience zones, and meets all of the following criteria:
(i)Is the only certified recycler within each convenience zone.
(ii)Is open and operating at least eight hours per week in each convenience zone and is certified at each location.
(iii)Operates at least 30 hours per week in total for all convenience zones served.
(3)In a convenience zone that, as of the effective date of the measure that added this paragraph, has been continuously unserved by a certified recycling location for at least six months, the department shall offer a handling fee payment to a recycler located within the convenience zone that operates a minimum of 30 hours per week regardless of physical location within that convenience zone and that is certified on or after the effective date of that bill.
(d)The department may require the operator of a supermarket site site, or the operator of a rural region recycler recycler, receiving handling fees to maintain records for each location where beverage containers are redeemed, and may require the supermarket site or rural region recycler to take any other action necessary for the department to determine that the supermarket site or rural region recycler does not receive an excessive handling fee.
(e)The department may determine and utilize a standard container per pound rate, for each material type, for the purpose of calculating volumes and making handling fee payments.
(f)(1)On or before January 1, 2008, and every two years thereafter, the department shall conduct a survey pursuant to this subdivision of a statistically significant sample of certified recycling centers that receive handling fee payments to determine the actual cost incurred for the redemption of empty beverage containers by those certified recycling centers. The department shall conduct these cost surveys in conjunction with the cost surveys performed by the department pursuant to subdivision (b) of Section 14575 to determine processing payments and processing fees. The department shall include, in determining the actual costs, only those allowable costs contained in the regulations adopted pursuant to this division that are used by the department to conduct cost surveys pursuant to subdivision (b) of Section 14575.
(2)Using the information obtained pursuant to paragraph (1), the department shall then determine the statewide weighted average cost incurred for the redemption of empty beverage containers, per empty beverage container, at recycling centers that receive handling fees.
(3)Except as provided in subdivision (g), the The department shall determine the amount of the handling fee to be paid for each empty beverage container by subtracting the amount of the statewide weighted average cost per container to redeem empty beverage containers by recycling centers that do not receive handling fees from the amount of the statewide weighted average cost per container determined pursuant to paragraph (2).
(4)The department shall adjust the statewide average cost determined pursuant to paragraph (2) for each beverage container annually to reflect changes in the cost of living, as measured by the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the United States Department of Labor or a successor agency of the United States government.
(5)The cost information collected pursuant to this section at recycling centers that receive handling fees shall not be used in the calculation of the processing payments determined pursuant to Section 14575.
(g) (1) On and after the effective date of the act amending this section during the 201112 Regular Session, and until March 1, 2013, the per-container handling fee shall not be less than the amount of the per-container handling fee that was in effect on July 1, 2011.(6)Notwithstanding paragraphs (2) and (3), for the period from the effective date of the measure that added this paragraph to July 1, 2021, inclusive, the handling fee shall be set at the rate in effect on July 1, 2015.
(2)(g)The department may update the methodology and scrap values used for calculating the handling fee from the most recent cost survey if it finds that the handling fee resulting from the most recent cost survey does not accurately represent the actual cost incurred for the redemption of empty beverage containers by those certified recycling centers.
(h)(1)The department may expend up to three million dollars ($3,000,000) annually from the fund for supplemental handling fee payments to low-volume recycling centers and recyclers willing to open a recycling center in a convenience zone that has recently become unserved. The department shall allocate the amount authorized for these supplemental handling fee payments into 12 equal monthly allotments.
(2)Supplemental handling fee payments shall be distributed once per month in equal amounts to recycling centers that are eligible for handling fees pursuant to subdivision (a), subject to all of the following requirements:
(A)A recycling center receiving a handling fee pursuant to this subdivision shall have no more than 600,000 beverage containers eligible for handling fees per month.
(B)Priority shall be given to recycling centers with the lowest volumes of beverage containers that are located in rural regions.
(C)(i)Payments shall be distributed first to no more than 100 recycling centers with the lowest volumes of beverage containers that are located in rural regions, in order of lowest volume.
(ii)After payments are distributed pursuant to clause (i), payments shall be distributed to other recycling centers with the lowest volumes of beverage containers, in order of lowest volume.
(3)No more than 400 recycling centers shall receive supplemental handling fee payments pursuant to this subdivision.
(4)The department may make the supplemental handling fee payments authorized pursuant to this subdivision by augmenting handling fee payments received by recyclers pursuant to subdivision (f).
(5)This subdivision shall become inoperative on July 1, 2021.
SEC. 12.This act is an urgency statute necessary for the immediate preservation of the public peace, health, or safety within the meaning of Article IV of the California Constitution and shall go into immediate effect. The facts constituting the necessity are:
Because of the unprecedented closures of recycling centers statewide, reduced access to redemptions for consumers, declining recycling rates, and higher costs associated for grocers and retailers, it is necessary for this act to take effect immediately.
SECTION 1.Section 8558 of the Government Code is amended to read:8558.Three conditions or degrees of emergency are established by this chapter:(a)State of war emergency means the condition that exists immediately, with or without a proclamation thereof by the Governor, whenever this state or nation is attacked by an enemy of the United States, or upon receipt by the state of a warning from the federal government indicating that such an enemy attack is probable or imminent.(b)State of emergency means the duly proclaimed existence of conditions of disaster or of extreme peril to the safety of persons and property within the state caused by conditions such as air pollution, fire, flood, storm, epidemic, riot, drought, cyberattack, sudden and severe energy shortage, plant or animal infestation or disease, the Governors warning of an earthquake or volcanic prediction, or an earthquake, or other conditions, other than conditions resulting from a labor controversy or conditions causing a state of war emergency, which, by reason of their magnitude, are or are likely to be beyond the control of the services, personnel, equipment, and facilities of any single county, city and county, or city and require the combined forces of a mutual aid region or regions to combat, or with respect to regulated energy utilities, a sudden and severe energy shortage requires extraordinary measures beyond the authority vested in the California Public Utilities Commission.(c)Local emergency means the duly proclaimed existence of conditions of disaster or of extreme peril to the safety of persons and property within the territorial limits of a county, city and county, or city, caused by conditions such as air pollution, fire, flood, storm, epidemic, riot, drought, cyberattack sudden and severe energy shortage, plant or animal infestation or disease, the Governors warning of an earthquake or volcanic prediction, or an earthquake, or other conditions, other than conditions resulting from a labor controversy, which are or are likely to be beyond the control of the services, personnel, equipment, and facilities of that political subdivision and require the combined forces of other political subdivisions to combat, or with respect to regulated energy utilities, a sudden and severe energy shortage requires extraordinary measures beyond the authority vested in the California Public Utilities Commission.Three conditions or degrees of emergency are established by this chapter:
(a)State of war emergency means the condition which that exists immediately, with or without a proclamation thereof by the Governor, whenever this state or nation is attacked by an enemy of the United States, or upon receipt by the state of a warning from the federal government indicating that such an enemy attack is probable or imminent.
(b)State of emergency means the duly proclaimed existence of conditions of disaster or of extreme peril to the safety of persons and property within the state caused by such conditions such as air pollution, fire, flood, storm, epidemic, riot, drought, cyberattack, sudden and severe energy shortage, plant or animal infestation or disease, the Governors warning of an earthquake or volcanic prediction, or an earthquake, or other conditions, other than conditions resulting from a labor controversy or conditions causing a state of war emergency, which, by reason of their magnitude, are or are likely to be beyond the control of the services, personnel, equipment, and facilities of any single county, city and county, or city and require the combined forces of a mutual aid region or regions to combat, or with respect to regulated energy utilities, a sudden and severe energy shortage requires extraordinary measures beyond the authority vested in the California Public Utilities Commission.
(c)Local emergency means the duly proclaimed existence of conditions of disaster or of extreme peril to the safety of persons and property within the territorial limits of a county, city and county, or city, caused by such conditions such as air pollution, fire, flood, storm, epidemic, riot, drought, cyberattack sudden and severe energy shortage, plant or animal infestation or disease, the Governors warning of an earthquake or volcanic prediction, or an earthquake, or other conditions, other than conditions resulting from a labor controversy, which are or are likely to be beyond the control of the services, personnel, equipment, and facilities of that political subdivision and require the combined forces of other political subdivisions to combat, or with respect to regulated energy utilities, a sudden and severe energy shortage requires extraordinary measures beyond the authority vested in the California Public Utilities Commission.
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Date
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Status
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|---|---|
| Sep 30, 2018 | In Senate. Consideration of Governor's veto pending. |
| Sep 30, 2018 | Vetoed by the Governor. |
| Sep 11, 2018 | Enrolled and presented to the Governor at 4 p.m. |
| Aug 31, 2018 | Urgency clause adopted. |
| Aug 30, 2018 | From committee: That the Assembly amendments be concurred in. (Ayes 6. Noes 0.) |
| Aug 30, 2018 | From committee: Be re-referred to Com. on EQ. pursuant to Senate Rule 29.10(d). (Ayes 5. Noes 0.) Re-referred to Com. on EQ. |
| Aug 30, 2018 | Re-referred to Com. on RLS. pursuant to Senate Rule 29.10(d). |
| Aug 29, 2018 | In Senate. Concurrence in Assembly amendments pending. |
| Aug 29, 2018 | Read third time. Urgency clause adopted. Passed. Ordered to the Senate. |
| Aug 24, 2018 | Ordered to third reading. |
| Aug 21, 2018 | Read second time. Ordered to third reading. |
| Aug 20, 2018 | Read second time and amended. Ordered to second reading. |
| Aug 16, 2018 | From committee: Do pass as amended. (Ayes 12. Noes 0.) (August 16). |
| Aug 16, 2018 | Joint Rule 62(a) suspended. |
| Aug 15, 2018 | August 15 set for first hearing. Placed on suspense file. |
| Aug 6, 2018 | From committee with author's amendments. Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on APPR. |
| Jul 2, 2018 | Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on APPR. |
| Jun 28, 2018 | From committee: Do pass as amended and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 8. Noes 0.) (June 25). |
| Jun 18, 2018 | June 18 hearing postponed by committee. |
| May 16, 2018 | Coauthors revised. |
| May 10, 2018 | From committee: Be re-referred to Com. on NAT. RES. (Ayes 9. Noes 0.) (May 10). Re-referred to Com. on NAT. RES. |
| Apr 26, 2018 | Re-referred to Com. on RLS. pursuant to Assembly Rule 96. |
| Apr 24, 2018 | From committee with author's amendments. Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on G.O. |
| Apr 9, 2018 | From committee with author's amendments. Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on G.O. |
| Jun 21, 2017 | June 21 set for first hearing canceled at the request of author. |
| Jun 1, 2017 | Referred to Com. on G.O. |
| May 23, 2017 | In Assembly. Read first time. Held at Desk. |
| May 22, 2017 | Read third time. Passed. (Ayes 37. Noes 0. Page 1149.) Ordered to the Assembly. |
| May 16, 2017 | Read second time. Ordered to consent calendar. |
| May 15, 2017 | From committee: Be ordered to second reading pursuant to Senate Rule 28.8 and ordered to consent calendar. |
| May 4, 2017 | Set for hearing May 15. |
| May 3, 2017 | May 8 hearing postponed by committee. |
| May 1, 2017 | Set for hearing May 8. |
| Apr 25, 2017 | From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. with recommendation: To consent calendar. (Ayes 13. Noes 0. Page 827.) (April 25). Re-referred to Com. on APPR. |
| Mar 30, 2017 | Set for hearing April 25. |
| Feb 23, 2017 | Referred to Com. on G.O. |
| Feb 16, 2017 | From printer. May be acted upon on or after March 18. |
| Feb 15, 2017 | Introduced. Read first time. To Com. on RLS. for assignment. To print. |
|
Date
|
Description
|
Location
|
Votes
|
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 31, 2018 | Unfinished Business SB452 Glazer et al. Urgency Clause Concurrence | Senate Floor |
Passed |
|
| Aug 30, 2018 | That the Assembly amendments be concurred in | Senate Standing Committee on Environmental Quality |
Passed |
|
| Aug 29, 2018 | SB 452 Glazer Third Reading Urgency By GLORIA | Assembly Floor |
Passed |
|
| Aug 24, 2018 | SB 452 Glazer Third Reading Urgency By GLORIA Amendment Set #1 | Assembly Floor |
Passed |
|
| Aug 16, 2018 | Do pass as amended. | Assembly Standing Committee on Appropriations |
Passed |
|
| Jun 25, 2018 | Do pass as amended and be re-referred to the Committee on [Appropriations] | Assembly Standing Committee on Natural Resources |
Passed |
|
| May 10, 2018 | Be re-referred to the Committee on [Natural Resources] | Assembly Standing Committee on Rules |
Passed |
|
| May 22, 2017 | Consent Calendar 2nd SB452 | Senate Floor |
Passed |
|
| Apr 25, 2017 | Do pass, but first be re-referred to the Committee on [Appropriations] with the recommendation: To Consent Calendar | Senate Standing Committee on Governmental Organization |
Passed |
This list shows positions taken on this bill by organizations on the date displayed, which is linked to the original source.
Positions by individuals are not included.
|
Organization
|
Position
|
Date
|
|---|---|---|
| 3 Amigos Recycling | ** Support | Oct 9, 2018 |
| 7-Eleven | ** Support | Jun 25, 2018 |
| A-1 Hesperia Recycling Company | ** Support | Oct 9, 2018 |
| Alameda Recycling & Metals | ** Support | Oct 9, 2018 |
| Alameda Recycling And Metals | ** Support | Jun 25, 2018 |
| Alejandrina #4 Recycling | ** Support | Oct 9, 2018 |
| America Petroleum And Convenience Store Association | ** Support | Oct 9, 2018 |
| Apple Valley Recycling | ** Support | Oct 9, 2018 |
| As Recycling | ** Support | Oct 9, 2018 |
| Asco Metals | ** Support | Oct 9, 2018 |
| Association of California Recycling Industries | ** Against | Oct 9, 2018 |
| Beach Street Farms | ** Support | Oct 9, 2018 |
| Blue Font Recycling, Co. | ** Support | Oct 9, 2018 |
| Blue Marble Recycling | ** Support | Aug 30, 2018 |
| Blue Marble Recycling, Llc | ** Support | Oct 9, 2018 |
| Broga Fresh | ** Support | Oct 9, 2018 |
| Bulldog Recycling | ** Support | Oct 9, 2018 |
| California Crv Recyclers | ** Support | Oct 9, 2018 |
| California Farm Bureau Federation | ** Support | Oct 9, 2018 |
| California Fuels And Convenience Alliance | ** Support | Oct 9, 2018 |
| California Grocers Association | ** Support | Oct 9, 2018 |
| California League Of Conservation Voters | ** Support | Aug 30, 2018 |
| California Product Stewardship Council | ** Support | Oct 9, 2018 |
| California Recycling Services Corp | ** Support | Oct 9, 2018 |
| California Retailers Association | ** Support | Oct 9, 2018 |
| Californians Against Waste | ** Support | Oct 9, 2018 |
| Camarillo Recycling | ** Support | Oct 9, 2018 |
| Capital City Recycling | ** Support | Oct 9, 2018 |
| Carbonlite Industries | ** Support | Oct 9, 2018 |
| Cb'S Wrightwood Recycling | ** Support | Oct 9, 2018 |
| Cbs Farms | ** Support | Oct 9, 2018 |
| City Of Los Angeles | ** Support | Oct 9, 2018 |
| Colton Recycling | ** Support | Oct 9, 2018 |
| Container Recycling Institute | ** Support | Oct 9, 2018 |
| Contreras Recycling | ** Support | Oct 9, 2018 |
| Cpg Recycling | ** Support | Oct 9, 2018 |
| D.C. Metals & Recycling | ** Support | Oct 9, 2018 |
| D.C. Metals And Recycling | ** Support | Jun 25, 2018 |
| Dan Regan Recycling | ** Support | Oct 9, 2018 |
| Delta Scrap And Salvage | ** Support | Oct 9, 2018 |
| E & C Recycling | ** Support | Oct 9, 2018 |
| E&C Recycling | ** Support | Jun 25, 2018 |
| Ebenezer Recycling Center | ** Support | Oct 9, 2018 |
| Echo Recycling | ** Support | Oct 9, 2018 |
| Ecology Center | ** Support | Oct 9, 2018 |
| El Gallo Recycling | ** Support | Oct 9, 2018 |
| Euclid Plaza Recycling | ** Support | Oct 9, 2018 |
| Evolution Recycling, Inc | ** Support | Aug 30, 2018 |
| Evolution Recycling, Inc. | ** Support | Oct 9, 2018 |
| Express Cross Interstate Inc | ** Support | Aug 30, 2018 |
| Express Cross Interstate Inc. | ** Support | Oct 9, 2018 |
| Express Recycling And Collections Inc | ** Support | Aug 30, 2018 |
| Express Recycling And Collections Inc. | ** Support | Oct 9, 2018 |
| Four Brothers Recycling | ** Support | Oct 9, 2018 |
| Gina'S Recycling Center | ** Support | Oct 9, 2018 |
| Glass Packaging Institute | ** Against | Jun 25, 2018 |
| Global Green Usa | ** Support | Oct 9, 2018 |
| Green Earth Recycling | ** Support | Oct 9, 2018 |
| Green Spot Recycling Corporation | ** Support | Aug 30, 2018 |
| Green Spot Recycling Corporation, Los Angeles | ** Support | Oct 9, 2018 |
| Green Zone Recycling | ** Support | Oct 9, 2018 |
| Greenday | ** Support | Jun 25, 2018 |
| Greenday Recycling Llc | ** Support | Oct 9, 2018 |
| Greenfiber | ** Support | Oct 9, 2018 |
| Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries, West Coast Chapter | ** Against | Oct 9, 2018 |
| Ironlife Inc | ** Support | Aug 30, 2018 |
| Ironlife Inc. | ** Support | Oct 9, 2018 |
| Josie'S Organics | ** Support | Oct 9, 2018 |
| K&R Recycling | ** Support | Oct 9, 2018 |
| La Recycling | ** Support | Oct 9, 2018 |
| La Recycling #2 | ** Support | Oct 9, 2018 |
| Lakeside Metals | ** Support | Oct 9, 2018 |
| Leader Recycling | ** Support | Oct 9, 2018 |
| Martinez Recycling Center #1, 2, 5, 6 | ** Support | Oct 9, 2018 |
| Millenia Asset Management, Inc. | ** Support | Oct 9, 2018 |
| Ming'S Recycling Corp. | ** Support | Oct 9, 2018 |
| Ming'S Resource, East Bay | ** Support | Oct 9, 2018 |
| Mings Resources And Recycling | ** Support | Jun 25, 2018 |
| Modesto Junk | ** Support | Oct 9, 2018 |
| Mountain Communities Recycle Center | ** Support | Oct 9, 2018 |
| Mt. Communities Recycle Center | ** Support | Jun 25, 2018 |
| Natural Resources Defense Council | ** Support | Oct 9, 2018 |
| Neighborhood Recycling Center | ** Support | Oct 9, 2018 |
| New England Recycling | ** Support | Oct 9, 2018 |
| Northern California Recycling Association | ** Support | Oct 9, 2018 |
| Ns Recycling Center | ** Support | Oct 9, 2018 |
| Og Recycling Corporation | ** Support | Oct 9, 2018 |
| Protect Crv | ** Support | Oct 9, 2018 |
| Recology | ** Support | Oct 9, 2018 |
| Recycling Industries | ** Support | Oct 9, 2018 |
| Recycling Innovations | ** Support | Oct 9, 2018 |
| Recycling Pays | ** Support | Aug 30, 2018 |
| Recycling Pays Corp. | ** Support | Oct 9, 2018 |
| Recycling Zone | ** Support | Jun 25, 2018 |
| Recycling Zone, Inc. | ** Support | Oct 9, 2018 |
| Repet Inc | ** Support | Aug 30, 2018 |
| Repet Inc. | ** Support | Oct 9, 2018 |
| Replanet | ** Support | Oct 9, 2018 |
| Republic Services | ** Support | Oct 9, 2018 |
| Rob'S Recycling | ** Support | Oct 9, 2018 |
| Roberto #39'S Recycling | ** Support | Oct 9, 2018 |
| Roberto #39;S Recycling | ** Support | Jun 25, 2018 |
| Ruben'S Recycling | ** Support | Oct 9, 2018 |
| Rudy #39;S Metals | ** Support | Jun 25, 2018 |
| Rudy'S #39'S Metals | ** Support | Oct 9, 2018 |
| Rural County Representatives of California | ** Support | Oct 9, 2018 |
| S & L Recycling | ** Support | Oct 9, 2018 |
| S.L.V. Redemption Recycling Centers | ** Support | Jun 25, 2018 |
| Sage County Recycling | ** Support | Oct 9, 2018 |
| San Lorenzo Valley Redemption And Recycling Centers | ** Support | Oct 9, 2018 |
| Save The Earth Recycling | ** Support | Jun 25, 2018 |
| Save The Earth Recycling, Inc | ** Support | Aug 30, 2018 |
| Save The Earth Recycling, Inc. | ** Support | Oct 9, 2018 |
| Sdr Company Inc | ** Support | Aug 30, 2018 |
| Sdr Company Inc. | ** Support | Oct 9, 2018 |
| Sdr Company, Inc | ** Support | Aug 30, 2018 |
| Sierra Club, California | ** Support | Oct 9, 2018 |
| Solorzano Recycling | ** Support | Oct 9, 2018 |
| Sos Recycling | ** Support | Jun 25, 2018 |
| Sos Recycling Llc | ** Support | Oct 9, 2018 |
| Surfside Organic | ** Support | Oct 9, 2018 |
| Tomra Collection Solutions | ** Support | Oct 9, 2018 |
| Tri-CED Community Recycling | ** Support | Oct 9, 2018 |
| Tuxford Recycling | ** Support | Oct 9, 2018 |
| Universal Service Recycling | ** Support | Oct 9, 2018 |
| Vaca Recycling | ** Support | Oct 9, 2018 |
| Verdeco Recycling | ** Support | Oct 9, 2018 |
| Waste Management | ** Support | Oct 9, 2018 |
| Wilmington Recyclers | ** Support | Oct 9, 2018 |
| Work Training Center | ** Support | Oct 9, 2018 |
Office of Senate Floor Analyses (916) 651-1520 Fax: (916) 327-4478 | SB 452 |
VETO
Bill No: SB 452
Amended: 8/24/18
PRIOR SENATE VOTES NOT RELEVANT
SENATE ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY COMMITTEE: 6-0, 8/30/18 (Pursuant to Senate Rule 29.10)
AYES: Wieckowski, Stone, Gaines, Hill, Skinner, Stern
NO VOTE RECORDED: Lara
SENATE FLOOR: 37-1, 8/31/18
AYES: Allen, Anderson, Atkins, Bates, Beall, Bradford, Cannella, Chang, De León, Delgado, Dodd, Fuller, Gaines, Galgiani, Glazer, Hernandez, Hertzberg, Hill, Hueso, Jackson, Lara, Leyva, McGuire, Mitchell, Monning, Morrell, Nguyen, Pan, Portantino, Roth, Skinner, Stern, Stone, Vidak, Wieckowski, Wiener, Wilk
NOES: Nielsen
NO VOTE RECORDED: Berryhill, Moorlach
ASSEMBLY FLOOR: 74-1, 8/29/18 - See last page for vote
SUBJECT: The California Beverage Container Recycling and Litter Reduction Act
DIGEST:
This bill amends California’s Bottle Bill program to provide temporary financial assistance to recycling centers while providing exemptions to dealers from various consumer redemption opportunities.
Existing law, the California Beverage Container Recycling and Litter Reduction Act (Bottle Bill):
- Requires beverage containers, as defined, sold in-state to have a California redemption value (CRV), as specified (PRC §14560).
- Requires the California Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery (CalRecycle) to annually designate all “convenience zones.” (PRC §§14509.4, 14571.1) and requires, in a unserved convenience zone, dealers in the zone to either: a) redeem empty beverage containers; or, b) pay CalRecycle an in-lieu fee of $100/day until a recycling location is established (PRC §14571.6).
- Authorizes CalRecycle to grant an exemption for a convenience zone based on specified conditions (PRC §14571.8).
- Requires CalRecycle to establish a processing fees and processing payments (PRC §14575).
- Requires CalRecycle to pay handling fees to certain types of recyclers to provide an incentive for the redemption of empty beverage containers in a convenience zone (PRC §14585).
This bill:
- Exempts specified dealers from the requirement that dealers within an unserved zone either (a) redeem empty beverage containers or (b) pay a per day fee.
- Exempts specified dealers that are located in specific recently unserved convenience zones from redemption requirements until 2021 (PRC §14575.2).
- Creates an automatic exemption for a convenience zone that has a certified recycling center located within one mile of the zone and limits the number of exemptions that can be granted to 50% of the total number of eligible zones. (PRC §14571.8).
- Requires, for purposes of calculating processing payments, CalRecycle to use the costs of recycling that were in effect on December 30, 2015, and to use a certain formula in calculating the reasonable financial return (PRC §14575.2(a)(3)). Prohibits, until December 31, 2018, CalRecycle from imposing a processing fee on beverage manufacturers that is higher than what would be imposed under existing law (PRC §14575.2(b)).
- Requires CalRecycle to offer a handling fee to a recycler that begins operating a recycling center within an unserved zone, regardless of physical location of the recycling center (PRC §14585(c)(3)).
- Authorizes supplemental handling fee payments to low-volume recycling centers and recyclers willing to open a recycling center in a recently unserved convenience zone (PRC §14585(i)).
- Authorizes CalRecycle to withhold payments to curbside programs and neighborhood dropoff programs in local jurisdictions that have prohibited the siting of a recycling center, caused a recycling center to close, or adopted a land use policy that restricts or prohibits the siting of a recycling center within its jurisdiction (PRC §14585).
- Requires CalRecycle to convene a public hearing to discuss guidelines for when CalRecycle could withhold payment to a local jurisdiction that prohibited the siting of a supermarket site, caused a supermarket site to close its business, or adopted a land use policy that restricts or prohibits the siting of a supermarket site (PRC §14585(a)(3)(F)).
Background
- Bottle Bill program. The Bottle Bill was established by AB 2020 (Margolin, Chapter 1290, Statutes of 1986) to be a self-funded program that encourages consumers to recycle beverage containers to prevent littering. The program accomplishes this goal by requiring consumers to pay a deposit CRV for each eligible container purchased that is refunded when an eligible container is returned to a certified recycler. Over the years, various concerns about the program have been raised such as the structural deficit, the effectiveness of some supplemental programs supported by the program, fraud, and whether some offsets support the goals of the program.
- Handling fees. Handling fees are monthly payments made by CalRecycle to supermarket site recycling centers, nonprofit convenience zone recycling centers, and rural region recycling centers to provide incentives for the convenient redemption of beverage containers.
- Processing payments and recent recycling center closures. According to the Legislative Analyst’s Office, the state subsidizes recycling by making “processing payments” to recyclers and processors. Processing payments are intended to cover the difference between a container’s scrap value and the cost of recycling it (including a reasonable rate of return). Both the costs of recycling and the scrap value of beverage containers can fluctuate significantly based on changing market prices, making processing payments vary over time. Some contend that they have failed to keep up with real time pricing and includes a minimum three-month gap – this gap results in recycling centers receiving insufficient state payments to make up for the income they may lose from the decline in scrap value.
Comments
- Purpose of bill. According to the author, “The Beverage Container Recycling Act was enacted in 1986 in order to reduce litter and establish a beverage container recycling system in California.
“This system—known as the Beverage Container Recycling Program—suffered a significant setback in January 2016 stemming from a reduction in fees paid by the state to recyclers and a precipitous decline in global commodities prices.
“This led to the closure of nearly 1,000 recycling centers in the last two years—roughly 38% of the statewide total—leaving consumers in many communities without a local redemption opportunity. There are now 129 California cities and two counties with no operating redemption centers.
“Subsequently, recycling rates have dropped, falling below 80% for the first time since 2008, consumers are failing to redeem $3 million per month in California Redemption Value when compared to 2015, and several thousand beverage dealers—from large grocery stores to small ‘mom & pop’ shops—now face a new obligation to redeem containers in-store or pay a $100 per day fine.
“This bill would stabilize the recycling marketplace, provide immediate, temporary relief to California’s retailers and grocers affected by the 2016 recycling center closures, and ensure consumers have local redemption opportunities.”
- Temporary relief for recycling centers. SB 452 seeks to help improve consumer redemption opportunities and prevent recycling center closures through providing temporary relief to those centers until 2021. These includes (a) fixing the cost of recycling at 2015 rates, which will affect the processing payment made to recycling centers, (b) fixing the handling fee rate at the 2015 amount, which has dropped from $0.01046 in 2015 to $0.00833 in 2018., and (c) providing supplemental handling fees for low-volume recyclers and recyclers willing to open a recycling center in an unserved convenience zone.
Will smaller or newer recycling centers that receive these payments be able to adjust after 2021? Will an adequate handling fee solution be available? Or will the Legislature and stakeholders find themselves facing the same issues?
- Dealer exemptions. SB 452 provides various forms of relief to dealers from the redemption requirements. Those exemptions are as follows:
- An exemption due to size, exempting dealers that are within an unserved convenience zone and that either (1) have gross annual sales that is less than $2,000,000 or (2) are not a supermarket and have less than 5,000 square feet. It is unknown how many dealers would be exempt due to these provisions, but it is likely that these additional exemptions will impact the ability of a consumer to redeem CRV.
- An exemption due to being located within an exempt convenience zone. If a convenience zone is exempt, the dealers within that zone are also exempt. SB 452 exempts unserved convenience zones that are located within one mile of a recycling center. As of August 27, 2018, 1,896 dealers would be exempt. This is not taking into account dealers that may be exempt due to their size.
Additionally, SB 452 limits the number of exemptions to 50% of the total number of convenience zones that are eligible. Under SB 452, there would be 2,442 zones eligible for exemption; therefore limiting exemptions granted to 1,221 exemptions. However, also under SB 452, CalRecycle is required to grant an exemption for an unserved zone location within one mile of a recycling center. As of June 27, 2018, there are an estimated 1,686 convenience zones that would qualify for this automatic exemption, exceeding the maximum 1,221 number of exemptions CalRecycle is limited to granting.
It is unclear how CalRecycle will be able to implement these conflicting provisions and resolve this paradox.
There are 3,849 convenience zones in the state. The conflicting provisions described above aside, the automatic exemption would exempt 1,686 convenience zones alone, almost 44% of the total convenience zones and the dealers within it. This would not include any other convenience zones that may be eligible for exemption under other provisions of the Bottle Bill.
- Other exemption. SB 452 also exempts certain dealers that are in a convenience zone that is unserved for certain reasons. This would exempt 726 dealers.
Knowing the hardships that recycling centers have been facing over several years, and knowing that the Bottle Bill places responsibility on the dealers to act as the backstop for ensuring consumers redemption opportunity, should the dealers have prepared for the possibility of the current situation?
In total, a minimum of 2,622 dealers will be exempt due to being within one mile of a recycling center or due to the closure of a recycling center between January and May 2016. This number does not include those dealers that would be exempt due to size or those located within a convenience zone exempted for reasons other than being within one mile of a recycling center. As noted by proponents and supporters, it is not the dealers’ fault for the closures of recycling centers. However, Bottle Bill has never guaranteed the dealers that they would be located within a served convenience zone and would never be subject to these redemption requirements. It is a system that was purposely set up as a way to ensure convenient consumer redemption opportunities.
Is it prudent to cut off the last convenient opportunity for consumers to get back their CRV if a dealer would have chosen to take back containers in-store if not for this bill?
- Redemption opportunities for the consumer. For many Californians, the CRV deposit is considered included in the price of purchasing a beverage and there is no intention to redeem the deposit. There are consumers, however, who want their deposit back. SB 452 makes it harder for those consumers to access redemption opportunities by making those opportunities further away.
SB 452 attempts to increase redemption opportunities by making it easier for some recycling centers to qualify for handling fees. However, it is speculative how many new recycling centers will open and whether that number will offset the number of exemptions provided under this bill.
- At what point does a “deposit” become a “tax”? The required CRV has traditionally been viewed as “deposit” due to the consumers’ ability to redeem their empty beverage containers and get the CRV back.
By significantly reducing consumer opportunities of redemption, does SB 452 create an unreasonable hardship for redemption, and essentially turn the CRV deposit into a de facto tax?
- SB 60 (Glazer, 2017). Last year the Senate Environmental Quality Committee heard SB 60, which proposed to provide temporary relief to dealers that is similar to some of the provisions provided in this bill. During the hearing, Senate Environmental Quality Committee members expressed a desire to have a comprehensive reform to the Bottle Bill program and discontinue the trend of “carve-out” and temporary relief legislation. Instead, the Committee felt that a comprehensive reform was important.
At the hearing, commitments were made to work with the members and staff of the Committee to come up with comprehensive reform that would include all stakeholders. As of the date of this analysis, no discussions have been had with the Committee or its staff. SB 452 is not comprehensive reform, only provides a temporary fix to the problem, and does not do enough to address decreased consumer redemption opportunities.
- The big picture and future of the Bottle Bill. Since 2015, the state has seen an increase in closure of recycling centers and a decrease in recycling rates and redemption rates. Since 2015, 1,770 recycling centers have closed and only 830 opened. Recycling rates and redemption rates have decreased; dropping from 84% to 78% for redemption rates and from 81% to 75% for recycling rates. These are the redemption rates with the 78% of dealers in unserved convenience zones agreeing to redeem beverage containers. It is likely that the exemptions provided under this bill will cause these rates to decrease further.
If, following 2021, the recycling centers continue to close and consumer redemption opportunities are decreased due to exemptions provided under this bill, will there be adequate redemption opportunities available for consumers? Will there be an influx of CRV available in the fund because consumers are not able to redeem their deposits? Does piecemeal legislation help address the broken system or does it make it worse? Does it encourage other stakeholders to introduce their own individual bills in order to protect themselves rather than work together on a comprehensive plan?
FISCAL EFFECT: Appropriation: Yes Fiscal Com.: Yes Local: No
Unknown.
3 Amigos Recycling
A-1 Hesperia Recycling Company
Alameda Recycling & Metals
Alejandrina #4 Recycling
America Petroleum and Convenience Store Association
Apple Valley Recycling
AS Recycling
ASCO Metals
Beach Street Farms
Blue Font Recycling, Co.
Blue Marble Recycling, LLC
Broga Fresh
Bulldog Recycling
California CRV Recyclers
California Farm Bureau Federation
California Fuels and Convenience Alliance
California Grocers Association
California Product Stewardship Council
California Recycling Services Corp
California Retailers Association
Californians Against Waste
Camarillo Recycling
Capital City Recycling
CarbonLite Industries
CB’s Wrightwood Recycling
CBS Farms
City of Los Angeles
Colton Recycling
Container Recycling Institute
Contreras Recycling
CPG Recycling
D.C. Metals & Recycling
Dan Regan Recycling
Delta Scrap and Salvage
E & C Recycling
Ebenezer Recycling Center
Echo Recycling
Ecology Center
El Gallo Recycling
Euclid Plaza Recycling
Evolution Recycling, Inc.
Express Cross Interstate Inc.
Express Recycling and Collections Inc.
Four Brothers Recycling
Gina’s Recycling Center
Global Green USA
Green Earth Recycling
Green Spot Recycling Corporation, Los Angeles
Green Zone Recycling
Greenday Recycling LLC
Greenfiber
Ironlife Inc.
Josie’s Organics
K&R Recycling
LA Recycling
LA Recycling #2
Lakeside Metals
Leader Recycling
Martinez Recycling Center #1, 2, 5, 6
Millenia Asset Management, Inc.
Ming’s Recycling Corp.
Ming’s Resource, East Bay
Modesto Junk
Mountain Communities Recycle Center
Natural Resources Defense Council
Neighborhood Recycling Center
New England Recycling
Northern California Recycling Association
NS Recycling Center
OG Recycling Corporation
Protect CRV
Recology
Recycling Industries
Recycling Innovations
Recycling Pays Corp.
Recycling Zone, Inc.
rePET Inc.
rePlanet
Republic Services
Rob’s Recycling
Roberto #39’s Recycling
Ruben’s Recycling
Rudy’s #39’s Metals
Rural County Representatives of California
S & L Recycling
Sage County Recycling
San Lorenzo Valley Redemption and Recycling Centers
Save The Earth Recycling, Inc.
SDR Company Inc.
Sierra Club, California
Solorzano Recycling
SOS Recycling LLC
Surfside Organic
TOMRA Collection Solutions
Tri-CED Community Recycling
Tuxford Recycling
Universal Service Recycling
Vaca Recycling
Verdeco Recycling
Waste Management
Wilmington Recyclers
Work Training Center
OPPOSITION: (Verified 10/3/18)
Association of California Recycling Industries
Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries, West Coast Chapter
GOVERNOR'S VETO MESSAGE:
I am returning Senate Bill 452 without my signature.
This bill makes various changes to the Beverage Container Recycling Program, which include adjustments to handling fees, processing payments, and convenience zones.
SB 452 is inconsistent with the Administration's principles for reforming and modernizing this program, which was created in 1986. Any legislation to update these statutes should balance three different components: fiscal sustainability, improved collection and incentives for innovative recycling.
This bill does not accomplish any of these goals.
ASSEMBLY FLOOR: 74-1, 8/29/18
AYES: Acosta, Aguiar-Curry, Arambula, Baker, Berman, Bigelow, Bloom, Bonta, Brough, Burke, Caballero, Calderon, Carrillo, Cervantes, Chau, Chávez, Chen, Chiu, Choi, Chu, Cooley, Cooper, Cunningham, Dahle, Daly, Eggman, Flora, Fong, Frazier, Friedman, Gabriel, Gallagher, Cristina Garcia, Eduardo Garcia, Gipson, Gloria, Gonzalez Fletcher, Gray, Grayson, Holden, Irwin, Jones-Sawyer, Kalra, Kamlager-Dove, Kiley, Lackey, Levine, Limón, Low, Maienschein, Mayes, McCarty, Medina, Mullin, Muratsuchi, Nazarian, Obernolte, O'Donnell, Quirk, Quirk-Silva, Reyes, Rivas, Rodriguez, Rubio, Salas, Santiago, Steinorth, Mark Stone, Thurmond, Ting, Waldron, Weber, Wood, Rendon
NOES: Travis Allen
NO VOTE RECORDED: Harper, Mathis, Melendez, Patterson, Voepel
Prepared by: Genevieve Wong / E.Q. / (916) 651-4108
10/9/18 10:57:30
**** END ****
SENATE COMMITTEE ON ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY
Senator Wieckowski, Chair
2017 - 2018 Regular
Bill No: SB 452
Author: | Glazer | ||
Version: | 8/24/2018 | Hearing Date: | 8/30/18 |
Urgency: | Yes | Fiscal: | Yes |
Consultant: | Genevieve Wong | ||
SUBJECT: The California Beverage Container Recycling and Litter Reduction Act
ANALYSIS:
Existing law, the California Beverage Container Recycling and Litter Reduction Act (Bottle Bill):
- Requires beverage containers, as defined, sold in-state to have a California redemption value (CRV) of 5 cents for containers that hold fewer than 24 ounces and 10 cents for containers that hold 24 ounces or more (Public Resources Code (PRC §14560).
- Requires distributors to pay a redemption payment to the Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery (CalRecycle) for every beverage container sold in the state (PRC §14575).
- Provides that these funds are continuously appropriated to CalRecycle for, among other things, the payment of refund values and processing fees (PRC §14581).
- Requires CalRecycle to annually designate all “convenience zones,” defined as either the area within one-half mile radius of a supermarket or the area designated by CalRecycle in a rural region that meets specified criteria pursuant to PRC §14571.5 (PRC §§14509.4, 14571.1).
- Requires, in a convenience zone where a recycling center or location does not exist and until one has been established in that zone, all dealers in the zone to either: a) redeem empty beverage containers; or, b) pay CalRecycle an in-lieu fee of $100/day until a recycling location is established (PRC §14571.6).
- Defines “dealer” as a retail establishment which offers the sale of beverages in beverage containers to consumers. However, any lodging, eating, or drinking establishment, or soft drink vending machine operator who engages in the sale of beverages in beverage containers to consumers are not deemed a dealer for purposes of the Bottle Bill (PRC §14510).
- Defines “recycling center” as an operation which is certified by CalRecycle and which accepts from consumers, and pays or provides the refund value for empty beverage containers intended to be recycled (PRC §14520).
- Defines “supermarket” as a full-line self-service retail store with gross annual sales of $2 million or more, and which sells a line of dry grocery, canned goods, or nonfood items and some perishable items (PRC §14526.5).
- Authorizes CalRecycle to grant an exemption for a convenience zone based on specified conditions, such as whether the zone is within a curbside service area which collects CRV containers at least twice a month, whether there is a sufficient number of recycling centers in the area, and whether the volume collected by the last recycler in the zone was below 60,000 containers in the past 12 months and a certified recycling center is located within one mile (PRC §14571.8).
- Limits the number of exemptions granted to 35 percent of the total number of convenience zones (PRC §14571.8).
- Requires CalRecycle to establish a processing payment for a beverage container covered under the program that has a scrap value less than the cost of recycling, to be determined as specified, that is at least equal to the difference between the scrap value of the material and the sum of the cost of recycling and a reasonable financial return (PRC §14575(b)).
- Requires beverage manufacturers to pay a processing fee that is set at specified percentages of the processing payment which are reduced as the container type recycling rate increases. This percentage ranges from 65% of the processing payment for a container type with a recycling rate of 30% or less to 10% of the processing payment for a container type with a recycling rate of greater than 75% (PRC §14575(d)).
- Requires CalRecycle to pay handling fees to supermarket sites, non-profit convenience zone recyclers, and rural region recyclers to provide an incentive for the redemption of empty beverage containers in a convenience zone (PRC §14585).
- Authorizes CalRecycle to expend $15,000,000 annually for payments to curbside programs and neighborhood dropoff programs (PRC §14581(a)(2)).
- Authorizes CalRecycle to expend $10,500,000 annually to cities and counties for beverage container recycling and clean up activities, and authorizes CalRecycle to withhold payment to a city, county, or city and county that has prohibited the siting of a supermarket site, caused a supermarket site to close, or adopted a land use policy that restricts or prohibits the siting of a supermarket site (PRC §§14581(a)(3)(A), (a)(3)(F)).
- Authorizes, until July 1, 2022, CalRecycle to award up to $10 million annually for market development payments for empty plastic beverage containers to a reclaimer for empty plastic beverage containers collected and managed and to a product manufacturer for plastic flake, pellet, sheet, or any other form of plastic purchased from a reclaimer (PRC §14581(b).
This bill:
- Exempts specified dealers from the requirement that dealers within an unserved zone either (1) redeem empty beverage containers or (2) pay a per day fee.
- Exempts specified dealers that are located in specific recently unserved convenience zones from Bottle Bill redemption requirements until 2021 (PRC §14575.2).
- Limits, instead, the number of convenience zone exemptions to 50% of the total number of zones identified as eligible (PRC §14571.8(d)).
- Creates an automatic exemption for a convenience zone if there is a certified recycling center located within one mile of an unserved convenience zone (PRC §14571.8(h)).
- Requires, for purposes of calculating processing payments, CalRecycle to use the costs of recycling that were in effect on December 30, 2015, and to use a certain formula in calculating the reasonable financial return for recycling centers (PRC §14575.2(a)(3)).
- Prohibits, until December 31, 2018, CalRecycle from imposing a processing fee on beverage manufacturers that is higher than what would be imposed under existing law (PRC §14575.2(b)).
- Requires CalRecycle to offer a handling fee to a recycler that begins operating a certified recycling center within an unserved zone after the date of the bill, regardless of physical location of the recycling center (PRC §14585(c)(3)).
- Authorizes up to $3,000,000 annually for supplemental handling fee payments to low-volume recycling centers and recyclers willing to open a recycling center in a recently unserved convenience zone (PRC §14585(i)).
- Requires CalRecycle to submit recommendations to the Legislature on handling fees by July 1, 2021 (PRC §14585(j)).
- Authorizes CalRecycle to withhold payments to curbside programs and neighborhood dropoff programs in any city, county, or city and county that has prohibited the siting of a certified recycling center, caused a certified recycling center to close its business, or adopted a land use policy that restricts or prohibits the siting of a certified recycling center within its jurisdiction (PRC §14585).
- Requires CalRecycle to convene a public hearing to discuss the development of guidelines for evaluating circumstances underwhich CalRecycle could withhold payment to a city, county, or city and county that prohibited the siting of a supermarket site, caused a supermarket site to close its business, or adopted a land use policy that restricts or prohibits the siting of a supermarket site within its jurisdiction (PRC §14585(a)(3)(F)).
- Specifically makes a reclaimer or product manufacturer that uses the services of a third party to, in the instance of a reclaimer, process the empty plastic beverage containers into a form useable for the manufacturer for new plastic products or, in the instance of a product manufacturer, to process plastic purchased from a reclaimer in manufacturing the plastic product eligible for market development payments (PRC §14549.2).
- Declares this bill an urgency measure.
Background
- Background on the Bottle Bill program. The Bottle Bill was established by AB 2020 (Margolin, Chapter 1290, Statutes of 1986) to be a self-funded program that encourages consumers to recycle beverage containers to prevent littering. The program accomplishes this goal by requiring consumers to pay a deposit CRVfor each eligible container purchased that is refunded when an eligible container is returned to a certified recycler. Statute includes two main goals for the program: (1) reducing litter; and, (2) achieving a recycling rate of 80% for eligible containers.
Over the years, various concerns about the program have been raised such as the structural deficit, the effectiveness of some supplemental programs supported by the program, fraud, and whether some offsets support the goals of the program.
- Recycling convenience zones. Convenience zones are intended to provide consumers opportunities to redeem containers near where beverages are purchased. According to CalRecycle, a convenience zone is typically a half-mile radius with the center point originating at a supermarket that: a) Is identified in the Progressive Grocer Marketing Guidebook; b) Has gross annual sales of $2 million or more; and, c) Is considered a “full-line” store that sells a line of dry groceries, canned goods, or non-food items and perishable items.
In some instances, a convenience zone may be larger than a half mile. For example, an interested person may petition CalRecycle for a three-mile convenience zone to be created in a rural region when there are at least two dealers within three miles of a singular recycling center, and where the dealers are a mile or less apart and have an aggregate sales volume of at least $2 million gross annual sales.
Recycling centers are privately owned and operated by individuals, profit, and nonprofit organizations. They are certified by CalRecycle and must adhere to standards to help provide the public the service they need, e.g. operating at least 30 hours per week and signs depicting prices paid for beverage containers.
Overlapping convenience zones are common in commercial zoning areas throughout the state. If a recycler is on-site at one convenience zone where one or more convenience zones overlap, each of these zones are served by this recycler. Accordingly, it is not necessary in such cases for each convenience zone to support its own recycling center.
A convenience zone may be exempt from the requirement to have a recycling center within its boundaries if one or more conditions are met, including: ease of access to redemption center by consumers, reasonable distance to next closest recycling center, consumers in area predominantly use curbside program for recycling, and recycling centers in the area fail to meet a sufficient volume for economic viability.
- Handling fees. Handling fees are monthly payments made by CalRecycle to recycling centers that meet certain eligibility requirements. A recycler can receive a monthly handling fee payment for each eligible container redeemed at an eligible center. CalRecycle makes handling fee payments to recyclers to provide incentives for the convenient redemption of beverage containers. These payments encourage redemption and reward operational efficiency at supermarket site recycling centers, nonprofit convenience zone recycling centers, and rural region recycling centers operating within convenience zones. The amount of the base handling fee is determined by a cost survey to determine recycling costs per container. Due to a number of factors, including the closure of many of the smaller volume recycling centers, increasing labor costs, and low oil prices, which puts recycled plastic at an economic disadvantage, handling fees have been too low to maintain California's recycling center infrastructure.
- Processing payments and recent recycling center closures. Various causes may have attributed to the closure of these recyclers. One reason may be attributed to the drop in commodity prices, which have been declining over several years. Also, oil prices have declined significantly and reached historically low levels in 2016. In 2011, PET plastic scrap prices were at a peak of $500/ton and have steadily dropped to $200 in 2016; a decline of 60%. New plastic is manufactured from oil, so when the price of oil is very low, using recycled plastic can be more expensive because it has to be sorted and cleaned.
Lastly, changes to processing payments have not kept pace with the decline in scrap values. According to the Legislative Analyst’s Office, the state subsidizes recycling by making “processing payments” to recyclers and processors. Processing payments are intended to cover the difference between a container’s scrap value and the cost of recycling it (including a reasonable rate of return). Both the costs of recycling and the scrap value of beverage containers can fluctuate significantly based on changing market prices. As a result, processing payments vary over time. Some contend that they have failed to keep up with real time pricing and includes a minimum three-month gap – this gap results in recycling centers receiving insufficient state payments to make up for the income they may lose from the decline in scrap value.
According to the Container Recycling Institute, in 2015, California’s approximately 2,100 certified beverage container redemption centers lost $20 million from inadequate state payments received, for a total of $42.7 million lost since 2012 as a result of the compensation method for processing payments.
rePlanet runs the largest recycling network in California. On January 31, 2016, the company announced that it closed 191 of its 350 recycling centers and laid off 278 of its 800 employees throughout the state. In an announcement on February 1, 2016, rePlanet stated, “[f]ollowing the most recent reduction in State fees on January 1 2016, and after enduring twelve months of unprecedented declines in commodities pricing of aluminum and PET plastic, coupled with the mandated rise in operating costs as a result of minimum wage increases and required health and workers compensation insurance, the Company has concluded that operation of these recycling centers is no longer sustainable.”
- Unserved convenience zones: Option A & Option B. When a recycling center closes, the convenience zone in which it was located becomes “unserved.” In recent years, hundreds of recycling centers have closed. It is hard to determine exact numbers because when a center closes it rarely notifies CalRecycle of the closure. However, based on CalRecycle data, the closure of recycling centers has outpaced the opening of new ones with 1,770 centers having closed since 2015 in comparison to the 830 centers that opened. Some areas continue to do well. Los Angeles County has one recycling center per 21,000 residents. However, other areas have lost nearly all of their recycling centers. Marin County has one recycling center per 131,000 residents.
When a dealer finds itself in an unserved convenience zone, the dealer has 2 choices: Option A, in which the dealer agrees to take back beverage containers in-store; or, Option B, in which the dealer agrees to pay an in-lieu fee of $100/day if they choose not to take back beverage containers in-store. These options serve as alternatives for fulfilling a duty to provide redemption opportunities to consumers.
According to CalRecycle, as of August 27, 2018, 3,502 dealers have chosen Option A and agreed to take back beverage containers in store.
Comments
- Purpose of Bill. According to the author, “The Beverage Container Recycling Act was enacted in 1986 in order to reduce litter and establish a beverage container recycling system in California.
This system—known as the Beverage Container Recycling Program—suffered a significant setback in January 2016 stemming from a reduction in fees paid by the state to recyclers and a precipitous decline in global commodities prices.
This led to the closure of nearly 1,000 recycling centers in the last two years—roughly 38% of the statewide total—leaving consumers in many communities without a local redemption opportunity. There are now 129 California cities and two counties with no operating redemption centers.
Subsequently, recycling rates have dropped, falling below 80% for the first time since 2008, consumers are failing to redeem $3 million per month in California Redemption Value when compared to 2015, and several thousand beverage dealers—from large grocery stores to small “mom & pop” shops—now face a new obligation to redeem containers in-store or pay a $100 per day fine.
This bill would stabilize the recycling marketplace, provide immediate, temporary relief to California’s retailers and grocers affected by the 2016 recycling center closures, and ensure consumers have local redemption opportunities.”
- Intent of the Bottle Bill. Providing adequate consumer redemption opportunites has always been an integral component of the Bottle Bill. AB 2020 contained the following findings:
“(a) Experience in this state and others demonstrates that financial incentives and convenient return systems assure the efficient and large-scale recycling of beverage containers. Accordingly, it is the intent of the Legislature to encourage increased, and more convenient, beverage container redemption opportunities for all consumers (emphasis added). These redemption opportunities shall consist of dealer and other shopping center locations, … recycling centers, curbside programs, … and other recycling systems that assure all consumers, in every region of the state, the opportunity to return beverage containers conveniently, efficiently, and economically.
.
.
.
(f) The purpose of this [division] is to create and maintain a marketplace where it is profitable to establish sufficient recycling centers and locations to provide consumers with convenient recycling opportunities through the establishment of minimum redemption values, bonuses, processing fees, and through the proper application of these elements, to enhance the profitability of recycling centers, recycling locations, and other beverage container recycling programs (emphasis added).”
- Temporary relief for recycling centers. One way SB 452 seeks to help improve consumer redemption opportunities is by preventing the closure of additional recycling centers through providing temporary relief to those centers, as follows:
- Fixing the cost of recycling. SB 452, for purposes of calculating processing payments, fixes the costs of recycling that were in effect in 2015 until January 1, 2021. In general, fixing the recycling costs at 2015 rates will affect the processing payment made to recycling centers.
- Fixing the handling fee rate. Handling fees have dropped significantly in recent years. In 2015, the handling fee was $0.01046. In 2016, it dropped in $0.00950. In 2017, it was $0.00978. By July 1, 2018, the handling fee was $0.00833. SB 452 freezes handling fees at the 2015 amount until 2021 with the intent of preventing additional recycling center closures.
- Supplemental handling fees. SB 452 also authorizes, until July 1, 2021, the payment of supplemental handling fees to low-volume recyclers and recyclers willing to open a recycling center in an unserved convenience zone. CalRecycle would be limited to providing these supplemental handling fees to no more than 400 recycling centers, no more than 100 of which for recycling centers with the lowest volume that are located in rural areas.
However, these temporary fixes are only until 2021. At that point, the normal recycling cost would be applied (which could be higher or lower), the handling fees will be adjusted, and the supplemental handling fees will no longer be available. Because the processing payment is equal to the difference between recycling costs and the scrap value of material, this could potentially lead to a lower processing payment. SB 452 would also require CalRecycle, by 2021, to submit recommendations on adequate handling fee calculations to maintain the state’s recycling center infrastructure.
Will smaller or newer recycling centers be able to adjust to the potentially lower processing payment once the recycling costs are reverted back? Will recycling centers that receive the adjusted handling fees or supplemental handling fees be able to adjust after 2021? Will an adequate handling fee solution be available? Or will the Legislature and stakeholders find themselves in the same predicament as they do now, ultimately resulting in the closure of recycling centers?
- Punishment or responsibility? Current law provides that when a convenience zone does not have a recycling center operating, the responsibility to redeem then falls on the dealer, i.e. retail establishments that sell the beverage containers. Most commonly, these are grocers but other dealers include gas stations, liquor stores, Targets, and membership bulk stores that sell beverages that are subject to a CRV. A dealer is required to either redeem CRV beverage containers in-store (Option A) or pay a daily fee of $100 to CalRecycle in order to opt out of redeeming CRV containers in-store (Option B).
In the author’s statement, the fee is referred to as a “fine” and each option as a “sanction.” However, a “fee” pays for a service, or in this case, an in-lieu fee to compensate for waiving the responsibility of performing a service. A fee is not a fine. A fine is levied as an enforcement measure and may be considered a form of punishment.
Instead, the requirement for stores to either take back CRV containers or pay a daily fee when a recycling center is not operating in a convenience zone is a statutory obligation pursuant to the act. The system of convenience zones and dealer responsibility was set up to give consumers an opportunity to redeem the CRV near the same location of the beverage purchase. The options of the dealers serve as alternatives for fulfilling a duty to provide redemption opportunities to consumers.
To characterize the duty of a store to fulfill an obligation to provide consumers an opportunity to redeem their CRV as a form of punishment is not accurate.
The option for a dealer to pay the $100/day fee in lieu of taking back containers has been in statute since the Bottle Bill’s enactment and is not “new,” as characterized in the author’s statement. The amount of the fee has not been adjusted for inflation, which in today’s dollars is the equivalent of nearly $220. This bill proposes to exempt a large number of dealers from having to comply with this provision of the Bottle Bill. Considering $100 was worth significantly more in 1986, it is not an unreasonable burden for a dealer, with gross annual sales of $2 million or more (as would be exempt under this bill), to pay a $100 per day fee in lieu of taking back CRV beverage containers.
Additionally SB 452 would not apply these requirements to a dealer that is not a supermarket and has less than 5,000 square feet of interior retail space, but has gross annual sales of $2,000,000 or more. Does it make sense to exempt these types of dealers when it would appear that they have the means to comply? - Are the options feasible for stores? As of August 27, 2018, there are 4,480 dealers without a certified recycling center in their convenience zone. Of those dealers, 3,502 have opted for Option A, thereby agreeing to redeem CRV in-store. One hundred sixty-three dealers have opted to pay the in-lieu fee and 280 dealers were nonresponsive, making them subject to Option B by default. Therefore, approximately 78% have signed and sent back to CalRecycle an affidavit choosing to fulfill their obligation by providing consumers the opportunity to redeem their CRV in-store; and about 4.6% have chosen to pay the in-lieu fee.
The Bottle Bill designates the dealers as the backstop for providing consumers a convenient opportunity to redeem their CRV and has done so for multiple decades. Based on the numbers above, a substantial majority of dealers affirmatively agreeing to take back beverage containers in-store, in order to fulfill their responsibility as that backstop, seems to indicate that the options are feasible.
Moreover, any dealers that are currently redeeming containers located in a convenience zone that would be exempted by this bill would no longer be required to take-back those containers, further reducing existing redemption opportunities for consumers.
- Dealer exemptions. SB 452 provides various forms of relief to dealers from the requirements described in Comment 4, above. Those exemptions are as follows:
- An exemption due to size. Under SB 452 dealers that are within an unserved convenience zone and that either (1) have gross annual sales that is less than $2,000,000 or (2) are not a supermarket and have less than 5,000 square feet, would be exempt from the requirement to choose between either Option A or Option B. Common examples of these types of dealers would be gas stations and convenience stores.
While it is unknown how many dealers in a convenience zone would be exempt due to these provisions, it is certain that exempting additional dealers from the take-back requirements will impact the ability of a consumer to redeem their empty beverage containers. - An exemption due to being located within an exempt convenience zone. If a convenience zone is deemed exempt, ultimately the dealers within that zone are also exempt. SB 452 exempts unserved convenience zones that have a certified recycling center located within one mile of the unserved zone. According to CalRecycle, 1,896 dealers would be impacted by this 1 mile exemption and would be exempt. This is not taking into account dealers that may be exempt from the requirements due to their size.
Additionally, instead of limiting the number of convenience zone exemptions that may be granted by CalRecycle to 35% of the total number of zones identified, SB 452 limits the number of exemptions to 50% of the total number of convenience zones that are eligible. Under SB 452, there would be 2,442 zones eligible for exemption, therefore CalREcycle would be limited to granting 1,221 exemptions.
However, under proposed Section 14571.8(h), CalRecycle is required to grant an exemption for an unserved zone if there is a recycling center located within one mile. As of June 27, 2018, there are an estimated 1,686 convenience zones that would qualify for the automatic exemption under subdivision (h), exceeding the maximum 1,221 number of exemptions CalRecycle would be authorized to grant under subdivision (d).
It is unclear how CalRecycle will be able to implement these conflicting provisions and resolve this paradox that both requires CalRecycle to grant an exemption but at the same time not grant an exemption.
There are 3,849 convenience zones in the state. Under existing law, CalRecycle would be permitted to grant 1,347 exemptions. The conflicting provisions of proposed subdivisions (d) and (h) aside, SB 452 would exempt 1,686 convenience zones under subdivision (h) alone, almost 44% of the total convenience zones and the dealers within it. This would not include any other convenience zones that may be eligible for exemption under other provisions of the Bottle Bill.
- An exemption due to meeting certain requirements as a dealer and being within a convenience zone that is unserved for certain reasons. SB 452 also provides an exemption, until December 31, 2020, to dealers that demonstrate that they complied with the take-back provisions and are located in a convenience zone that became unserved due the closing of a recycling center at the initiation of the recycler between January 1, 2016, and May 31, 2016, or as a result of an action by CalRcycle.
Under these provisions, 726 dealers would be exempt due to the closure of a recycling center at the initiation of the recycler. No recycling centers have closed due to an action by CalRecycle.
Knowing the hardships that recycling centers have been facing over several years, and knowing that the Bottle Bill, for multiple decades, has placed responsibility on the dealers to act as the backstop for ensuring consumers have a place to redeem their CRV, should these dealers have prepared for the possibility of the current situation?
In total, 2,622 dealers will be exempted due to being within 1 mile of a recycling center or due to the closure of a recycling center between January and May 2016. This number does not include those dealers that would be exempt due to size or those located within a convenience zone exempted for reasons other than being within 1 mile of a recycling center. As noted by proponents and supporters, it is not the dealers’ fault for the closures of recycling centers. However, Bottle Bill has never guaranteed the dealers that they would be located within a served convenience zone and would never be subject to these redemption requirements. It is a system that was purposely set up as a way to ensure convenient consumer redemption opportunities.
Why should the Legislature remove the backstop for consumer redemption – a requirement which is the core of the Bottle Bill and has been a part of it since its enactment? Is it prudent to cut off the last convenient opportunity for consumers to get back their CRV if a dealer would have chosen to take back containers in-store if not for this bill – like the 78% of such dealers who have already committed to doing so?
- Processing fees. Processing fees are paid by beverage manufacturers and directly correlate to the amount of the processing payment. Offsets or subsidies are provided to the beverage manufacturers for these processing fees, making the processing fees calculated based on the recycling rate of a particular material type; the higher the recycling rate is for a particular material type, the lower the processing fee. Essentially, the higher the recycling rate, the larger the offset and the less the beverage manufacturer has to pay for a processing fee. SB 452, until the end of the year, would prohibit CalRecycle from imposing a processing fee that is higher than what would be imposed if not for the changes to the processing payment described in Comment #4. Because SB 452 affects the calculation of processing payments until 2021, the calculation of processing fees will also be affected until 2021. According to CalRecycle data, would equal approximately $5.5 million dollars of additional subsidies provided to beverage manufacturers under the provisions of SB 452.
- Redemption opportunities for the consumer. For many Californians, the CRV deposit paid when purchasing a beverage is considered a throwaway. It is included in the price of purchasing a beverage and the purchaser does not intend to redeem their deposit. These consumers often find other ways to recycle their beverage containers such as curbside and dropoff programs and public recycling receptacles.
There are consumers, however, whose income may not allow for them to consider the CRV to be built into the price of the beverage and rely on being able to redeem their containers for their deposit and some who want their deposit back. There are others that rely on redeeming CRVs for supplemental income. These consumers will be less able to access redemption opportunities that are located further away due to the exemptions granted under this bill.
SB 452 attempts to increase consumer redemption opportunities by making it easier for some recycling centers to qualify for handling fees. However, it is speculative how many new recycling centers will open and whether that number will offset the number of exemptions provided under this bill.
- At what point does a “deposit” become a “tax”? The required CRV of the Bottle Bill program has traditionally been viewed as “deposit” due to the consumers’ ability to redeem their empty beverage containers and get the amount of the CRV back. While many consumers may opt not to redeem their bottles and forfeit the CRV paid, there are some consumers that do exercise their right to redeem their CRVs.
The California Constitution defines a “tax” to mean “any levy, charge, or exaction of any kind imposed by the State,” except as specified. Those exceptions include charges such as those imposed for a specific benefit conferred or privilege granted, for specific government service or product, for reasonable regulatory costs, or for entrance to use of state property; and fines and penalties (Sec. 3, Art. XIII A, Cal Const.).
By significantly reducing consumer opportunities of redemption, does legislation such as SB 452 create an unreasonable hardship for some Californians, and essentially turn the CRV deposit into a de facto tax? - Senate Bill 60 (Glazer, 2017). Last year the Senate Environmental Quality Committee heard SB 60 on February 15, 2017, which proposed to provide temporary relief to dealers that is similar to some of the temporary relief provided in this bill. During the hearing, Senate Environmental Quality Committee members expressed a desire to have a comprehensive reform to the Bottle Bill program and discontinue the trend of “carve-out” and temporary relief legislation. Instead, the committee felt that a comprehensive reform was important.
At the hearing, commitments were made to the committee to work with the members and staff of the Environmental Quality Committee to come up with comprehensive reform that would include all stakeholders. As of the date of this analysis, no discussions have been had with this committee or its staff. SB 452 is not comprehensive reform, only provides a temporary fix to the problem, and does not do enough to address decreased consumer redemption opportunities.
- The big picture and future of the Bottle Bill. This bill would grant temporary relief to recycling centers in the form of adjusted processing payments and increased handling fees until 2021 and exemptions for some dealers from the obligation to either take back CRV containers in-store or pay an in-lieu fee of $100/day. What if there is no comprehensive Bottle Bill reform by then? Will there be another bill introduced to extend the sunsets? If so, for how long?
Since 2015, the state has seen an increase in closure of recycling centers and a decrease in recycling rates and redemption rates. Many assume that the two are related. Since 2015, the state has seen 1,770 recycling centers close, and only 830 open. Coincidently, both recycling rates and redemption rates have decreased; dropping from 84% to 78% for redemption rates and from 81% to 75% for recycling rates. These are the redemption rates with the 78% of dealers in unserved convenience zones agreeing to redeem beverage containers. It is likely that the exemptions provided under this bill will cause these rates to decrease further.
If the temporary relief for recycling centers sunsets and recycling centers continue to close, and redemption opportunities for consumers are decreased due to exemptions provided under this bill, will there be adequate redemption opportunities available for consumers? Will there be an influx of CRV available in the fund because consumers are not able to redeem their deposits? Does piecemeal legislation help address the broken system or does it make it worse? Does it encourage other stakeholders to introduce their own individual bills in order to protect themselves rather than work together on a comprehensive plan?
The Committee may wish to consider whether it is prudent to permanently accommodate a particular group of stakeholders to the detriment of the consumers in place of the comprehensive reform of the Bottle Bill program that is currently being discussed among all stakeholders.
- Referral to the Committee pursuant to Senate Rule 29.10. SB 452 was originally introduced by Senator Glazer on February 15, 2017, as a measure addressing cyberattacks as a state of emergency and local emergency.
On April 9, 2018, Assembly amendments changed the subject of the bill to make substantive changes to the Bottle Bill. The measure passed the Assembly Floor on August 29, 2018 by a vote of 74-1.
Consistent with Senate Rule 29.10 the Senate Rules Committee has referred the amended bill to the Senate Environmental Quality Committee for a hearing of the Assembly amendments.
Related/Prior Legislation
SB 854 (Committee on Budget, Chapter 51, Statutes of 2018) is the omnibus resources trailer bill and includes a provision that extends the sunset for the Plastic Market Development Payment Program from 2018 to 2022.
AB 2493 (Bloom) allows payments made under the California Beverage Container Recycling and Litter Reduction Act to be made electronically and authorizes a recycling center that is a reverse vending machine (RVM) that accepts all beverage containers, except as specified, to be considered “open for business” if the recycling center meets certain requirements. This bill is on the Senate Floor.
AB 2766 (Berman) extends the sunset for the Plastic Market Development Payment Program from 2018 to 2024 and provides for retroactive payments to eligible entities from January 1, 2018. This bill was held in the Senate Appropriations Committee.
SB 60 (Glazer and McGuire, 2017) would have provided a temporary exemption from the requirement that each convenience zone be served by at least one certified recycling center that meets specified criteria. This bill was held in the Senate Environmental Quality Committee on February 15, 2017.
SOURCE:
Author
SUPPORT:
3 Amigos Recycling
A-1 Hesperia Recycling Company
Alameda Recycling & Metals
Alejandrina #4 Recycling
Apple Valley Recycling
AS Recycling
ASCO Metals
Beach Street Farms
Blue Font Recycling, Co.
Blue Marble Recycling
Broga Fresh
Bulldog Recycling
California CRV Recyclers
California Farm Bureau Federation
California Grocers Association
California League of Conservation Voters
California Product Stewardship Council
California Recycling Services Corp
California Retailers Association
Californians Against Waste
Camarillo Recycling
Capital City Recycling
CarbonLite Industries
CB’s Wrightwood Recycling
CBS Farms
City of Los Angeles
Colton Recycling
CPG Recycling
Container Recycling Institute
Contreras Recycling
Dan Regan Recycling
D.C. Metals & Recycling
Delta Scrap and Salvage
E & C Recycling
Ebenezer Recycling Center
Echo Recycling
Ecology Center
El Gallo Recycling
Euclid Plaza Recycling
Evolution Recycling, Inc
Express Cross Interstate Inc
Express Recycling and Collections Inc
Four Brothers Recycling
Gina’s Recycling Center
Global Green USA
Greenday Recycling LLC
Greenfiber
Green Earth Recycling
Green Spot Recycling Corporation
Green Zone Recycling
Ironlife Inc
K&R Recycling
Josie’s Organics
LA Recycling
Lakeside Metals
Leader Recycling
Martinez Recycling Center #1, 2, 5, 6
Millenia Asset Management, Inc.
Ming’s Recycling Corp.
Ming’s Resource, East Bay
Modesto Junk
Mountain Communities Recycle Center
Natural Resources Defense Council
Neighborhood Recycling Center
New England Recycling
Northern California Recycling Association
NS Recycling Center
OG Recycling Corporation
Recology
Recycling Industries
Recycling Innovations
Recycling Pays
Recycling Zone, Inc.
rePET Inc
rePlanet
Republic Services
Rob’s Recycling
Roberto #39’s Recycling
Ruben’s Recycling
Rudy’s #39’s Metals
Rural County Representatives of California
S & L Recycling
Sage County Recycling
Save The Earth Recycling, Inc
SDR Company INC
San Lorenzo Valley Redemption and Recycling Centers
SDR Company, Inc
Sierra Club, California
Solorzano Recycling
SOS Recycling LLC
Surfside Organic
TOMRA Collection Solutions
Tri-CED Community Recycling
Tuxford Recycling
Universal Service Recycling
Vaca Recycling
Verdeco Recycling
Waste Management
Wilmington Recyclers
Work Training Center
OPPOSITION:
Association of California Recycling Industries
Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries, West Coast Chapter
-- END --
SENATE COMMITTEE ON ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY
Senator Wieckowski, Chair
2017 - 2018 Regular
Bill No: SB 452
Author: | Glazer | ||
Version: | 8/24/2018 | Hearing Date: | 8/30/18 |
Urgency: | Yes | Fiscal: | Yes |
Consultant: | Genevieve Wong | ||
SUBJECT: The California Beverage Container Recycling and Litter Reduction Act
ANALYSIS:
Existing law, the California Beverage Container Recycling and Litter Reduction Act (Bottle Bill):
- Requires beverage containers, as defined, sold in-state to have a California redemption value (CRV) of 5 cents for containers that hold fewer than 24 ounces and 10 cents for containers that hold 24 ounces or more (Public Resources Code (PRC §14560).
- Requires distributors to pay a redemption payment to the Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery (CalRecycle) for every beverage container sold in the state (PRC §14575).
- Provides that these funds are continuously appropriated to CalRecycle for, among other things, the payment of refund values and processing fees (PRC §14581).
- Requires CalRecycle to annually designate all “convenience zones,” defined as either the area within one-half mile radius of a supermarket or the area designated by CalRecycle in a rural region that meets specified criteria pursuant to PRC §14571.5 (PRC §§14509.4, 14571.1).
- Requires, in a convenience zone where a recycling center or location does not exist and until one has been established in that zone, all dealers in the zone to either: a) redeem empty beverage containers; or, b) pay CalRecycle an in-lieu fee of $100/day until a recycling location is established (PRC §14571.6).
- Defines “dealer” as a retail establishment which offers the sale of beverages in beverage containers to consumers. However, any lodging, eating, or drinking establishment, or soft drink vending machine operator who engages in the sale of beverages in beverage containers to consumers are not deemed a dealer for purposes of the Bottle Bill (PRC §14510).
- Defines “recycling center” as an operation which is certified by CalRecycle and which accepts from consumers, and pays or provides the refund value for empty beverage containers intended to be recycled (PRC §14520).
- Defines “supermarket” as a full-line self-service retail store with gross annual sales of $2 million or more, and which sells a line of dry grocery, canned goods, or nonfood items and some perishable items (PRC §14526.5).
- Authorizes CalRecycle to grant an exemption for a convenience zone based on specified conditions, such as whether the zone is within a curbside service area which collects CRV containers at least twice a month, whether there is a sufficient number of recycling centers in the area, and whether the volume collected by the last recycler in the zone was below 60,000 containers in the past 12 months and a certified recycling center is located within one mile (PRC §14571.8).
- Limits the number of exemptions granted to 35 percent of the total number of convenience zones (PRC §14571.8).
- Requires CalRecycle to establish a processing payment for a beverage container covered under the program that has a scrap value less than the cost of recycling, to be determined as specified, that is at least equal to the difference between the scrap value of the material and the sum of the cost of recycling and a reasonable financial return (PRC §14575(b)).
- Requires beverage manufacturers to pay a processing fee that is set at specified percentages of the processing payment which are reduced as the container type recycling rate increases. This percentage ranges from 65% of the processing payment for a container type with a recycling rate of 30% or less to 10% of the processing payment for a container type with a recycling rate of greater than 75% (PRC §14575(d)).
- Requires CalRecycle to pay handling fees to supermarket sites, non-profit convenience zone recyclers, and rural region recyclers to provide an incentive for the redemption of empty beverage containers in a convenience zone (PRC §14585).
- Authorizes CalRecycle to expend $15,000,000 annually for payments to curbside programs and neighborhood dropoff programs (PRC §14581(a)(2)).
- Authorizes CalRecycle to expend $10,500,000 annually to cities and counties for beverage container recycling and clean up activities, and authorizes CalRecycle to withhold payment to a city, county, or city and county that has prohibited the siting of a supermarket site, caused a supermarket site to close, or adopted a land use policy that restricts or prohibits the siting of a supermarket site (PRC §§14581(a)(3)(A), (a)(3)(F)).
- Authorizes, until July 1, 2022, CalRecycle to award up to $10 million annually for market development payments for empty plastic beverage containers to a reclaimer for empty plastic beverage containers collected and managed and to a product manufacturer for plastic flake, pellet, sheet, or any other form of plastic purchased from a reclaimer (PRC §14581(b).
This bill:
- Exempts specified dealers from the requirement that dealers within an unserved zone either (1) redeem empty beverage containers or (2) pay a per day fee.
- Exempts specified dealers that are located in specific recently unserved convenience zones from Bottle Bill redemption requirements until 2021 (PRC §14575.2).
- Limits, instead, the number of convenience zone exemptions to 50% of the total number of zones identified as eligible (PRC §14571.8(d)).
- Creates an automatic exemption for a convenience zone if there is a certified recycling center located within one mile of an unserved convenience zone (PRC §14571.8(h)).
- Requires, for purposes of calculating processing payments, CalRecycle to use the costs of recycling that were in effect on December 30, 2015, and to use a certain formula in calculating the reasonable financial return for recycling centers (PRC §14575.2(a)(3)).
- Prohibits, until December 31, 2018, CalRecycle from imposing a processing fee on beverage manufacturers that is higher than what would be imposed under existing law (PRC §14575.2(b)).
- Requires CalRecycle to offer a handling fee to a recycler that begins operating a certified recycling center within an unserved zone after the date of the bill, regardless of physical location of the recycling center (PRC §14585(c)(3)).
- Authorizes up to $3,000,000 annually for supplemental handling fee payments to low-volume recycling centers and recyclers willing to open a recycling center in a recently unserved convenience zone (PRC §14585(i)).
- Requires CalRecycle to submit recommendations to the Legislature on handling fees by July 1, 2021 (PRC §14585(j)).
- Authorizes CalRecycle to withhold payments to curbside programs and neighborhood dropoff programs in any city, county, or city and county that has prohibited the siting of a certified recycling center, caused a certified recycling center to close its business, or adopted a land use policy that restricts or prohibits the siting of a certified recycling center within its jurisdiction (PRC §14585).
- Requires CalRecycle to convene a public hearing to discuss the development of guidelines for evaluating circumstances underwhich CalRecycle could withhold payment to a city, county, or city and county that prohibited the siting of a supermarket site, caused a supermarket site to close its business, or adopted a land use policy that restricts or prohibits the siting of a supermarket site within its jurisdiction (PRC §14585(a)(3)(F)).
- Specifically makes a reclaimer or product manufacturer that uses the services of a third party to, in the instance of a reclaimer, process the empty plastic beverage containers into a form useable for the manufacturer for new plastic products or, in the instance of a product manufacturer, to process plastic purchased from a reclaimer in manufacturing the plastic product eligible for market development payments (PRC §14549.2).
- Declares this bill an urgency measure.
Background
- Background on the Bottle Bill program. The Bottle Bill was established by AB 2020 (Margolin, Chapter 1290, Statutes of 1986) to be a self-funded program that encourages consumers to recycle beverage containers to prevent littering. The program accomplishes this goal by requiring consumers to pay a deposit CRVfor each eligible container purchased that is refunded when an eligible container is returned to a certified recycler. Statute includes two main goals for the program: (1) reducing litter; and, (2) achieving a recycling rate of 80% for eligible containers.
Over the years, various concerns about the program have been raised such as the structural deficit, the effectiveness of some supplemental programs supported by the program, fraud, and whether some offsets support the goals of the program.
- Recycling convenience zones. Convenience zones are intended to provide consumers opportunities to redeem containers near where beverages are purchased. According to CalRecycle, a convenience zone is typically a half-mile radius with the center point originating at a supermarket that: a) Is identified in the Progressive Grocer Marketing Guidebook; b) Has gross annual sales of $2 million or more; and, c) Is considered a “full-line” store that sells a line of dry groceries, canned goods, or non-food items and perishable items.
In some instances, a convenience zone may be larger than a half mile. For example, an interested person may petition CalRecycle for a three-mile convenience zone to be created in a rural region when there are at least two dealers within three miles of a singular recycling center, and where the dealers are a mile or less apart and have an aggregate sales volume of at least $2 million gross annual sales.
Recycling centers are privately owned and operated by individuals, profit, and nonprofit organizations. They are certified by CalRecycle and must adhere to standards to help provide the public the service they need, e.g. operating at least 30 hours per week and signs depicting prices paid for beverage containers.
Overlapping convenience zones are common in commercial zoning areas throughout the state. If a recycler is on-site at one convenience zone where one or more convenience zones overlap, each of these zones are served by this recycler. Accordingly, it is not necessary in such cases for each convenience zone to support its own recycling center.
A convenience zone may be exempt from the requirement to have a recycling center within its boundaries if one or more conditions are met, including: ease of access to redemption center by consumers, reasonable distance to next closest recycling center, consumers in area predominantly use curbside program for recycling, and recycling centers in the area fail to meet a sufficient volume for economic viability.
- Handling fees. Handling fees are monthly payments made by CalRecycle to recycling centers that meet certain eligibility requirements. A recycler can receive a monthly handling fee payment for each eligible container redeemed at an eligible center. CalRecycle makes handling fee payments to recyclers to provide incentives for the convenient redemption of beverage containers. These payments encourage redemption and reward operational efficiency at supermarket site recycling centers, nonprofit convenience zone recycling centers, and rural region recycling centers operating within convenience zones. The amount of the base handling fee is determined by a cost survey to determine recycling costs per container. Due to a number of factors, including the closure of many of the smaller volume recycling centers, increasing labor costs, and low oil prices, which puts recycled plastic at an economic disadvantage, handling fees have been too low to maintain California's recycling center infrastructure.
- Processing payments and recent recycling center closures. Various causes may have attributed to the closure of these recyclers. One reason may be attributed to the drop in commodity prices, which have been declining over several years. Also, oil prices have declined significantly and reached historically low levels in 2016. In 2011, PET plastic scrap prices were at a peak of $500/ton and have steadily dropped to $200 in 2016; a decline of 60%. New plastic is manufactured from oil, so when the price of oil is very low, using recycled plastic can be more expensive because it has to be sorted and cleaned.
Lastly, changes to processing payments have not kept pace with the decline in scrap values. According to the Legislative Analyst’s Office, the state subsidizes recycling by making “processing payments” to recyclers and processors. Processing payments are intended to cover the difference between a container’s scrap value and the cost of recycling it (including a reasonable rate of return). Both the costs of recycling and the scrap value of beverage containers can fluctuate significantly based on changing market prices. As a result, processing payments vary over time. Some contend that they have failed to keep up with real time pricing and includes a minimum three-month gap – this gap results in recycling centers receiving insufficient state payments to make up for the income they may lose from the decline in scrap value.
According to the Container Recycling Institute, in 2015, California’s approximately 2,100 certified beverage container redemption centers lost $20 million from inadequate state payments received, for a total of $42.7 million lost since 2012 as a result of the compensation method for processing payments.
rePlanet runs the largest recycling network in California. On January 31, 2016, the company announced that it closed 191 of its 350 recycling centers and laid off 278 of its 800 employees throughout the state. In an announcement on February 1, 2016, rePlanet stated, “[f]ollowing the most recent reduction in State fees on January 1 2016, and after enduring twelve months of unprecedented declines in commodities pricing of aluminum and PET plastic, coupled with the mandated rise in operating costs as a result of minimum wage increases and required health and workers compensation insurance, the Company has concluded that operation of these recycling centers is no longer sustainable.”
- Unserved convenience zones: Option A & Option B. When a recycling center closes, the convenience zone in which it was located becomes “unserved.” In recent years, hundreds of recycling centers have closed. It is hard to determine exact numbers because when a center closes it rarely notifies CalRecycle of the closure. However, based on CalRecycle data, the closure of recycling centers has outpaced the opening of new ones with 1,770 centers having closed since 2015 in comparison to the 830 centers that opened. Some areas continue to do well. Los Angeles County has one recycling center per 21,000 residents. However, other areas have lost nearly all of their recycling centers. Marin County has one recycling center per 131,000 residents.
When a dealer finds itself in an unserved convenience zone, the dealer has 2 choices: Option A, in which the dealer agrees to take back beverage containers in-store; or, Option B, in which the dealer agrees to pay an in-lieu fee of $100/day if they choose not to take back beverage containers in-store. These options serve as alternatives for fulfilling a duty to provide redemption opportunities to consumers.
According to CalRecycle, as of August 27, 2018, 3,502 dealers have chosen Option A and agreed to take back beverage containers in store.
Comments
- Purpose of Bill. According to the author, “The Beverage Container Recycling Act was enacted in 1986 in order to reduce litter and establish a beverage container recycling system in California.
This system—known as the Beverage Container Recycling Program—suffered a significant setback in January 2016 stemming from a reduction in fees paid by the state to recyclers and a precipitous decline in global commodities prices.
This led to the closure of nearly 1,000 recycling centers in the last two years—roughly 38% of the statewide total—leaving consumers in many communities without a local redemption opportunity. There are now 129 California cities and two counties with no operating redemption centers.
Subsequently, recycling rates have dropped, falling below 80% for the first time since 2008, consumers are failing to redeem $3 million per month in California Redemption Value when compared to 2015, and several thousand beverage dealers—from large grocery stores to small “mom & pop” shops—now face a new obligation to redeem containers in-store or pay a $100 per day fine.
This bill would stabilize the recycling marketplace, provide immediate, temporary relief to California’s retailers and grocers affected by the 2016 recycling center closures, and ensure consumers have local redemption opportunities.”
- Intent of the Bottle Bill. Providing adequate consumer redemption opportunites has always been an integral component of the Bottle Bill. AB 2020 contained the following findings:
“(a) Experience in this state and others demonstrates that financial incentives and convenient return systems assure the efficient and large-scale recycling of beverage containers. Accordingly, it is the intent of the Legislature to encourage increased, and more convenient, beverage container redemption opportunities for all consumers (emphasis added). These redemption opportunities shall consist of dealer and other shopping center locations, … recycling centers, curbside programs, … and other recycling systems that assure all consumers, in every region of the state, the opportunity to return beverage containers conveniently, efficiently, and economically.
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(f) The purpose of this [division] is to create and maintain a marketplace where it is profitable to establish sufficient recycling centers and locations to provide consumers with convenient recycling opportunities through the establishment of minimum redemption values, bonuses, processing fees, and through the proper application of these elements, to enhance the profitability of recycling centers, recycling locations, and other beverage container recycling programs (emphasis added).”
- Temporary relief for recycling centers. One way SB 452 seeks to help improve consumer redemption opportunities is by preventing the closure of additional recycling centers through providing temporary relief to those centers, as follows:
- Fixing the cost of recycling. SB 452, for purposes of calculating processing payments, fixes the costs of recycling that were in effect in 2015 until January 1, 2021. In general, fixing the recycling costs at 2015 rates will affect the processing payment made to recycling centers.
- Fixing the handling fee rate. Handling fees have dropped significantly in recent years. In 2015, the handling fee was $0.01046. In 2016, it dropped in $0.00950. In 2017, it was $0.00978. By July 1, 2018, the handling fee was $0.00833. SB 452 freezes handling fees at the 2015 amount until 2021 with the intent of preventing additional recycling center closures.
- Supplemental handling fees. SB 452 also authorizes, until July 1, 2021, the payment of supplemental handling fees to low-volume recyclers and recyclers willing to open a recycling center in an unserved convenience zone. CalRecycle would be limited to providing these supplemental handling fees to no more than 400 recycling centers, no more than 100 of which for recycling centers with the lowest volume that are located in rural areas.
However, these temporary fixes are only until 2021. At that point, the normal recycling cost would be applied (which could be higher or lower), the handling fees will be adjusted, and the supplemental handling fees will no longer be available. Because the processing payment is equal to the difference between recycling costs and the scrap value of material, this could potentially lead to a lower processing payment. SB 452 would also require CalRecycle, by 2021, to submit recommendations on adequate handling fee calculations to maintain the state’s recycling center infrastructure.
Will smaller or newer recycling centers be able to adjust to the potentially lower processing payment once the recycling costs are reverted back? Will recycling centers that receive the adjusted handling fees or supplemental handling fees be able to adjust after 2021? Will an adequate handling fee solution be available? Or will the Legislature and stakeholders find themselves in the same predicament as they do now, ultimately resulting in the closure of recycling centers?
- Punishment or responsibility? Current law provides that when a convenience zone does not have a recycling center operating, the responsibility to redeem then falls on the dealer, i.e. retail establishments that sell the beverage containers. Most commonly, these are grocers but other dealers include gas stations, liquor stores, Targets, and membership bulk stores that sell beverages that are subject to a CRV. A dealer is required to either redeem CRV beverage containers in-store (Option A) or pay a daily fee of $100 to CalRecycle in order to opt out of redeeming CRV containers in-store (Option B).
In the author’s statement, the fee is referred to as a “fine” and each option as a “sanction.” However, a “fee” pays for a service, or in this case, an in-lieu fee to compensate for waiving the responsibility of performing a service. A fee is not a fine. A fine is levied as an enforcement measure and may be considered a form of punishment.
Instead, the requirement for stores to either take back CRV containers or pay a daily fee when a recycling center is not operating in a convenience zone is a statutory obligation pursuant to the act. The system of convenience zones and dealer responsibility was set up to give consumers an opportunity to redeem the CRV near the same location of the beverage purchase. The options of the dealers serve as alternatives for fulfilling a duty to provide redemption opportunities to consumers.
To characterize the duty of a store to fulfill an obligation to provide consumers an opportunity to redeem their CRV as a form of punishment is not accurate.
The option for a dealer to pay the $100/day fee in lieu of taking back containers has been in statute since the Bottle Bill’s enactment and is not “new,” as characterized in the author’s statement. The amount of the fee has not been adjusted for inflation, which in today’s dollars is the equivalent of nearly $220. This bill proposes to exempt a large number of dealers from having to comply with this provision of the Bottle Bill. Considering $100 was worth significantly more in 1986, it is not an unreasonable burden for a dealer, with gross annual sales of $2 million or more (as would be exempt under this bill), to pay a $100 per day fee in lieu of taking back CRV beverage containers.
Additionally SB 452 would not apply these requirements to a dealer that is not a supermarket and has less than 5,000 square feet of interior retail space, but has gross annual sales of $2,000,000 or more. Does it make sense to exempt these types of dealers when it would appear that they have the means to comply? - Are the options feasible for stores? As of August 27, 2018, there are 4,480 dealers without a certified recycling center in their convenience zone. Of those dealers, 3,502 have opted for Option A, thereby agreeing to redeem CRV in-store. One hundred sixty-three dealers have opted to pay the in-lieu fee and 280 dealers were nonresponsive, making them subject to Option B by default. Therefore, approximately 78% have signed and sent back to CalRecycle an affidavit choosing to fulfill their obligation by providing consumers the opportunity to redeem their CRV in-store; and about 4.6% have chosen to pay the in-lieu fee.
The Bottle Bill designates the dealers as the backstop for providing consumers a convenient opportunity to redeem their CRV and has done so for multiple decades. Based on the numbers above, a substantial majority of dealers affirmatively agreeing to take back beverage containers in-store, in order to fulfill their responsibility as that backstop, seems to indicate that the options are feasible.
Moreover, any dealers that are currently redeeming containers located in a convenience zone that would be exempted by this bill would no longer be required to take-back those containers, further reducing existing redemption opportunities for consumers.
- Dealer exemptions. SB 452 provides various forms of relief to dealers from the requirements described in Comment 4, above. Those exemptions are as follows:
- An exemption due to size. Under SB 452 dealers that are within an unserved convenience zone and that either (1) have gross annual sales that is less than $2,000,000 or (2) are not a supermarket and have less than 5,000 square feet, would be exempt from the requirement to choose between either Option A or Option B. Common examples of these types of dealers would be gas stations and convenience stores.
While it is unknown how many dealers in a convenience zone would be exempt due to these provisions, it is certain that exempting additional dealers from the take-back requirements will impact the ability of a consumer to redeem their empty beverage containers. - An exemption due to being located within an exempt convenience zone. If a convenience zone is deemed exempt, ultimately the dealers within that zone are also exempt. SB 452 exempts unserved convenience zones that have a certified recycling center located within one mile of the unserved zone. According to CalRecycle, 1,896 dealers would be impacted by this 1 mile exemption and would be exempt. This is not taking into account dealers that may be exempt from the requirements due to their size.
Additionally, instead of limiting the number of convenience zone exemptions that may be granted by CalRecycle to 35% of the total number of zones identified, SB 452 limits the number of exemptions to 50% of the total number of convenience zones that are eligible. Under SB 452, there would be 2,442 zones eligible for exemption, therefore CalREcycle would be limited to granting 1,221 exemptions.
However, under proposed Section 14571.8(h), CalRecycle is required to grant an exemption for an unserved zone if there is a recycling center located within one mile. As of June 27, 2018, there are an estimated 1,686 convenience zones that would qualify for the automatic exemption under subdivision (h), exceeding the maximum 1,221 number of exemptions CalRecycle would be authorized to grant under subdivision (d).
It is unclear how CalRecycle will be able to implement these conflicting provisions and resolve this paradox that both requires CalRecycle to grant an exemption but at the same time not grant an exemption.
There are 3,849 convenience zones in the state. Under existing law, CalRecycle would be permitted to grant 1,347 exemptions. The conflicting provisions of proposed subdivisions (d) and (h) aside, SB 452 would exempt 1,686 convenience zones under subdivision (h) alone, almost 44% of the total convenience zones and the dealers within it. This would not include any other convenience zones that may be eligible for exemption under other provisions of the Bottle Bill.
- An exemption due to meeting certain requirements as a dealer and being within a convenience zone that is unserved for certain reasons. SB 452 also provides an exemption, until December 31, 2020, to dealers that demonstrate that they complied with the take-back provisions and are located in a convenience zone that became unserved due the closing of a recycling center at the initiation of the recycler between January 1, 2016, and May 31, 2016, or as a result of an action by CalRcycle.
Under these provisions, 726 dealers would be exempt due to the closure of a recycling center at the initiation of the recycler. No recycling centers have closed due to an action by CalRecycle.
Knowing the hardships that recycling centers have been facing over several years, and knowing that the Bottle Bill, for multiple decades, has placed responsibility on the dealers to act as the backstop for ensuring consumers have a place to redeem their CRV, should these dealers have prepared for the possibility of the current situation?
In total, 2,622 dealers will be exempted due to being within 1 mile of a recycling center or due to the closure of a recycling center between January and May 2016. This number does not include those dealers that would be exempt due to size or those located within a convenience zone exempted for reasons other than being within 1 mile of a recycling center. As noted by proponents and supporters, it is not the dealers’ fault for the closures of recycling centers. However, Bottle Bill has never guaranteed the dealers that they would be located within a served convenience zone and would never be subject to these redemption requirements. It is a system that was purposely set up as a way to ensure convenient consumer redemption opportunities.
Why should the Legislature remove the backstop for consumer redemption – a requirement which is the core of the Bottle Bill and has been a part of it since its enactment? Is it prudent to cut off the last convenient opportunity for consumers to get back their CRV if a dealer would have chosen to take back containers in-store if not for this bill – like the 78% of such dealers who have already committed to doing so?
- Processing fees. Processing fees are paid by beverage manufacturers and directly correlate to the amount of the processing payment. Offsets or subsidies are provided to the beverage manufacturers for these processing fees, making the processing fees calculated based on the recycling rate of a particular material type; the higher the recycling rate is for a particular material type, the lower the processing fee. Essentially, the higher the recycling rate, the larger the offset and the less the beverage manufacturer has to pay for a processing fee. SB 452, until the end of the year, would prohibit CalRecycle from imposing a processing fee that is higher than what would be imposed if not for the changes to the processing payment described in Comment #4. Because SB 452 affects the calculation of processing payments until 2021, the calculation of processing fees will also be affected until 2021. According to CalRecycle data, would equal approximately $5.5 million dollars of additional subsidies provided to beverage manufacturers under the provisions of SB 452.
- Redemption opportunities for the consumer. For many Californians, the CRV deposit paid when purchasing a beverage is considered a throwaway. It is included in the price of purchasing a beverage and the purchaser does not intend to redeem their deposit. These consumers often find other ways to recycle their beverage containers such as curbside and dropoff programs and public recycling receptacles.
There are consumers, however, whose income may not allow for them to consider the CRV to be built into the price of the beverage and rely on being able to redeem their containers for their deposit and some who want their deposit back. There are others that rely on redeeming CRVs for supplemental income. These consumers will be less able to access redemption opportunities that are located further away due to the exemptions granted under this bill.
SB 452 attempts to increase consumer redemption opportunities by making it easier for some recycling centers to qualify for handling fees. However, it is speculative how many new recycling centers will open and whether that number will offset the number of exemptions provided under this bill.
- At what point does a “deposit” become a “tax”? The required CRV of the Bottle Bill program has traditionally been viewed as “deposit” due to the consumers’ ability to redeem their empty beverage containers and get the amount of the CRV back. While many consumers may opt not to redeem their bottles and forfeit the CRV paid, there are some consumers that do exercise their right to redeem their CRVs.
The California Constitution defines a “tax” to mean “any levy, charge, or exaction of any kind imposed by the State,” except as specified. Those exceptions include charges such as those imposed for a specific benefit conferred or privilege granted, for specific government service or product, for reasonable regulatory costs, or for entrance to use of state property; and fines and penalties (Sec. 3, Art. XIII A, Cal Const.).
By significantly reducing consumer opportunities of redemption, does legislation such as SB 452 create an unreasonable hardship for some Californians, and essentially turn the CRV deposit into a de facto tax? - Senate Bill 60 (Glazer, 2017). Last year the Senate Environmental Quality Committee heard SB 60 on February 15, 2017, which proposed to provide temporary relief to dealers that is similar to some of the temporary relief provided in this bill. During the hearing, Senate Environmental Quality Committee members expressed a desire to have a comprehensive reform to the Bottle Bill program and discontinue the trend of “carve-out” and temporary relief legislation. Instead, the committee felt that a comprehensive reform was important.
At the hearing, commitments were made to the committee to work with the members and staff of the Environmental Quality Committee to come up with comprehensive reform that would include all stakeholders. As of the date of this analysis, no discussions have been had with this committee or its staff. SB 452 is not comprehensive reform, only provides a temporary fix to the problem, and does not do enough to address decreased consumer redemption opportunities.
- The big picture and future of the Bottle Bill. This bill would grant temporary relief to recycling centers in the form of adjusted processing payments and increased handling fees until 2021 and exemptions for some dealers from the obligation to either take back CRV containers in-store or pay an in-lieu fee of $100/day. What if there is no comprehensive Bottle Bill reform by then? Will there be another bill introduced to extend the sunsets? If so, for how long?
Since 2015, the state has seen an increase in closure of recycling centers and a decrease in recycling rates and redemption rates. Many assume that the two are related. Since 2015, the state has seen 1,770 recycling centers close, and only 830 open. Coincidently, both recycling rates and redemption rates have decreased; dropping from 84% to 78% for redemption rates and from 81% to 75% for recycling rates. These are the redemption rates with the 78% of dealers in unserved convenience zones agreeing to redeem beverage containers. It is likely that the exemptions provided under this bill will cause these rates to decrease further.
If the temporary relief for recycling centers sunsets and recycling centers continue to close, and redemption opportunities for consumers are decreased due to exemptions provided under this bill, will there be adequate redemption opportunities available for consumers? Will there be an influx of CRV available in the fund because consumers are not able to redeem their deposits? Does piecemeal legislation help address the broken system or does it make it worse? Does it encourage other stakeholders to introduce their own individual bills in order to protect themselves rather than work together on a comprehensive plan?
The Committee may wish to consider whether it is prudent to permanently accommodate a particular group of stakeholders to the detriment of the consumers in place of the comprehensive reform of the Bottle Bill program that is currently being discussed among all stakeholders.
- Referral to the Committee pursuant to Senate Rule 29.10. SB 452 was originally introduced by Senator Glazer on February 15, 2017, as a measure addressing cyberattacks as a state of emergency and local emergency.
On April 9, 2018, Assembly amendments changed the subject of the bill to make substantive changes to the Bottle Bill. The measure passed the Assembly Floor on August _, 2018 by a vote of __-__.
Consistent with Senate Rule 29.10 the Senate Rules Committee has referred the amended bill to the Senate Environmental Quality Committee for a hearing of the Assembly amendments.
Related/Prior Legislation
SB 854 (Committee on Budget, Chapter 51, Statutes of 2018) is the omnibus resources trailer bill and includes a provision that extends the sunset for the Plastic Market Development Payment Program from 2018 to 2022.
AB 2493 (Bloom) allows payments made under the California Beverage Container Recycling and Litter Reduction Act to be made electronically and authorizes a recycling center that is a reverse vending machine (RVM) that accepts all beverage containers, except as specified, to be considered “open for business” if the recycling center meets certain requirements. This bill is on the Senate Floor.
AB 2766 (Berman) extends the sunset for the Plastic Market Development Payment Program from 2018 to 2024 and provides for retroactive payments to eligible entities from January 1, 2018. This bill was held in the Senate Appropriations Committee.
SB 60 (Glazer and McGuire, 2017) would have provided a temporary exemption from the requirement that each convenience zone be served by at least one certified recycling center that meets specified criteria. This bill was held in the Senate Environmental Quality Committee on February 15, 2017.
SOURCE:
Author
SUPPORT:
3 Amigos Recycling
A-1 Hesperia Recycling Company
Alameda Recycling & Metals
Alejandrina #4 Recycling
Apple Valley Recycling
AS Recycling
ASCO Metals
Beach Street Farms
Blue Font Recycling, Co.
Blue Marble Recycling
Broga Fresh
Bulldog Recycling
California CRV Recyclers
California Farm Bureau Federation
California Grocers Association
California League of Conservation Voters
California Product Stewardship Council
California Recycling Services Corp
California Retailers Association
Californians Against Waste
Camarillo Recycling
Capital City Recycling
CarbonLite Industries
CB’s Wrightwood Recycling
CBS Farms
City of Los Angeles
Colton Recycling
CPG Recycling
Container Recycling Institute
Contreras Recycling
Dan Regan Recycling
D.C. Metals & Recycling
Delta Scrap and Salvage
E & C Recycling
Ebenezer Recycling Center
Echo Recycling
Ecology Center
El Gallo Recycling
Euclid Plaza Recycling
Evolution Recycling, Inc
Express Cross Interstate Inc
Express Recycling and Collections Inc
Four Brothers Recycling
Gina’s Recycling Center
Global Green USA
Greenday Recycling LLC
Greenfiber
Green Earth Recycling
Green Spot Recycling Corporation
Green Zone Recycling
Ironlife Inc
K&R Recycling
Josie’s Organics
LA Recycling
Lakeside Metals
Leader Recycling
Martinez Recycling Center #1, 2, 5, 6
Millenia Asset Management, Inc.
Ming’s Recycling Corp.
Ming’s Resource, East Bay
Modesto Junk
Mountain Communities Recycle Center
Natural Resources Defense Council
Neighborhood Recycling Center
New England Recycling
Northern California Recycling Association
NS Recycling Center
OG Recycling Corporation
Recology
Recycling Industries
Recycling Innovations
Recycling Pays
Recycling Zone, Inc.
rePET Inc
rePlanet
Republic Services
Rob’s Recycling
Roberto #39’s Recycling
Ruben’s Recycling
Rudy’s #39’s Metals
Rural County Representatives of California
S & L Recycling
Sage County Recycling
Save The Earth Recycling, Inc
SDR Company INC
San Lorenzo Valley Redemption and Recycling Centers
SDR Company, Inc
Sierra Club, California
Solorzano Recycling
SOS Recycling LLC
Surfside Organic
TOMRA Collection Solutions
Tri-CED Community Recycling
Tuxford Recycling
Universal Service Recycling
Vaca Recycling
Verdeco Recycling
Waste Management
Wilmington Recyclers
Work Training Center
OPPOSITION:
Association of California Recycling Industries
Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries, West Coast Chapter
-- END --
Office of Senate Floor Analyses (916) 651-1520 Fax: (916) 327-4478 | SB |
UNFINISHED BUSINESS
Bill No: SB 452
:
PRIOR SENATE VOTES NOT RELEVANT
SENATE ENVIRONMENTAL QUAL. COMMITTEE: 6-0, 8/30/18 (Pursuant to Senate Rule 29.10)
AYES: Wieckowski, Stone, Gaines, Hill, Skinner, Stern
NO VOTE RECORDED: Lara
ASSEMBLY FLOOR: 74-1, 8/29/18 - See last page for vote
DIGEST:
This bill amends California’s Bottle Bill program to provide temporary financial assistance to recycling centers while providing exemptions to dealers from various consumer redemption opportunities.
Assembly Amendments
delete the contents of SB 452 and insert contents that would provide temporary financial assistance to recycling centers until 2021 while providing exemptions to dealers from various consumer redemption opportunities.
ANALYSIS: Existing law, the California Beverage Container Recycling and Litter Reduction Act (Bottle Bill):
- Requires beverage containers, as defined, sold in-state to have a California redemption value (CRV), as specified (PRC §14560).
- Requires the California Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery (CalRecycle) to annually designate all “convenience zones.” (PRC §§14509.4, 14571.1) and requires, in a unserved convenience zone, dealers in the zone to either: a) redeem empty beverage containers; or, b) pay CalRecycle an in-lieu fee of $100/day until a recycling location is established (PRC §14571.6).
- Authorizes CalRecycle to grant an exemption for a convenience zone based on specified conditions (PRC §14571.8).
- Requires CalRecycle to establish a processing fees and processing payments (PRC §14575).
- Requires CalRecycle to pay handling fees to certain types of recyclers to provide an incentive for the redemption of empty beverage containers in a convenience zone (PRC §14585).
This bill:
- Exempts specified dealers from the requirement that dealers within an unserved zone either (a) redeem empty beverage containers or (b) pay a per day fee.
- Exempts specified dealers that are located in specific recently unserved convenience zones from redemption requirements until 2021 (PRC §14575.2).
- Creates an automatic exemption for a convenience zone that has a certified recycling center located within one mile of the zone and limits the number of exemptions that can be granted to 50% of the total number of eligible zones. (PRC §14571.8).
- Requires, for purposes of calculating processing payments, CalRecycle to use the costs of recycling that were in effect on December 30, 2015, and to use a certain formula in calculating the reasonable financial return (PRC §14575.2(a)(3)). Prohibits, until December 31, 2018, CalRecycle from imposing a processing fee on beverage manufacturers that is higher than what would be imposed under existing law (PRC §14575.2(b)).
- Requires CalRecycle to offer a handling fee to a recycler that begins operating a recycling center within an unserved zone, regardless of physical location of the recycling center (PRC §14585(c)(3)).
- Authorizes supplemental handling fee payments to low-volume recycling centers and recyclers willing to open a recycling center in a recently unserved convenience zone (PRC §14585(i)).
- Authorizes CalRecycle to withhold payments to curbside programs and neighborhood dropoff programs in local jurisdictions that have prohibited the siting of a recycling center, caused a recycling center to close, or adopted a land use policy that restricts or prohibits the siting of a recycling center within its jurisdiction (PRC §14585).
- Requires CalRecycle to convene a public hearing to discuss guidelines for when CalRecycle could withhold payment to a local jurisdiction that prohibited the siting of a supermarket site, caused a supermarket site to close its business, or adopted a land use policy that restricts or prohibits the siting of a supermarket site (PRC §14585(a)(3)(F)).
Background
- Bottle Bill program. The Bottle Bill was established by AB 2020 (Margolin, Chapter 1290, Statutes of 1986) to be a self-funded program that encourages consumers to recycle beverage containers to prevent littering. The program accomplishes this goal by requiring consumers to pay a deposit CRV for each eligible container purchased that is refunded when an eligible container is returned to a certified recycler. Over the years, various concerns about the program have been raised such as the structural deficit, the effectiveness of some supplemental programs supported by the program, fraud, and whether some offsets support the goals of the program.
- Handling fees. Handling fees are monthly payments made by CalRecycle to supermarket site recycling centers, nonprofit convenience zone recycling centers, and rural region recycling centers to provide incentives for the convenient redemption of beverage containers.
- Processing payments and recent recycling center closures. According to the Legislative Analyst’s Office, the state subsidizes recycling by making “processing payments” to recyclers and processors. Processing payments are intended to cover the difference between a container’s scrap value and the cost of recycling it (including a reasonable rate of return). Both the costs of recycling and the scrap value of beverage containers can fluctuate significantly based on changing market prices, making processing payments vary over time. Some contend that they have failed to keep up with real time pricing and includes a minimum three-month gap – this gap results in recycling centers receiving insufficient state payments to make up for the income they may lose from the decline in scrap value.
Comments
- Purpose of bill. According to the author, “The Beverage Container Recycling Act was enacted in 1986 in order to reduce litter and establish a beverage container recycling system in California.
“This system—known as the Beverage Container Recycling Program—suffered a significant setback in January 2016 stemming from a reduction in fees paid by the state to recyclers and a precipitous decline in global commodities prices.
This led to the closure of nearly 1,000 recycling centers in the last two years—roughly 38% of the statewide total—leaving consumers in many communities without a local redemption opportunity. There are now 129 California cities and two counties with no operating redemption centers.
“Subsequently, recycling rates have dropped, falling below 80% for the first time since 2008, consumers are failing to redeem $3 million per month in California Redemption Value when compared to 2015, and several thousand beverage dealers—from large grocery stores to small “mom & pop” shops—now face a new obligation to redeem containers in-store or pay a $100 per day fine.
“This bill would stabilize the recycling marketplace, provide immediate, temporary relief to California’s retailers and grocers affected by the 2016 recycling center closures, and ensure consumers have local redemption opportunities.”
- Temporary relief for recycling centers. SB 452 seeks to help improve consumer redemption opportunities and prevent recycling center closures through providing temporary relief to those centers until 2021. These includes (a) fixing the cost of recycling at 2015 rates, which will affect the processing payment made to recycling centers, (b) fixing the handling fee rate at the 2015 amount, which has dropped from $0.01046 in 2015 to $0.00833 in 2018., and (c) providing supplemental handling fees for low-volume recyclers and recyclers willing to open a recycling center in an unserved convenience zone.
Will smaller or newer recycling centers that receive these payments be able to adjust after 2021? Will an adequate handling fee solution be available? Or will the Legislature and stakeholders find themselves facing the same issues?
- Dealer exemptions. SB 452 provides various forms of relief to dealers from the redemption requirements. Those exemptions are as follows:
- An exemption due to size, exempting dealers that are within an unserved convenience zone and that either (1) have gross annual sales that is less than $2,000,000 or (2) are not a supermarket and have less than 5,000 square feet. It is unknown how many dealers would be exempt due to these provisions, but it is likely that these additional exemptions will impact the ability of a consumer to redeem CRV.
- An exemption due to being located within an exempt convenience zone. If a convenience zone is exempt, the dealers within that zone are also exempt. SB 452 exempts unserved convenience zones that are located within one mile of a recycling center. As of August 27, 2018, 1,896 dealers would be exempt. This is not taking into account dealers that may be exempt due to their size.
Additionally, SB 452 limits the number of exemptions to 50% of the total number of convenience zones that are eligible. Under SB 452, there would be 2,442 zones eligible for exemption; therefore limiting exemptions granted to 1,221 exemptions. However, also under SB 452, CalRecycle is required to grant an exemption for an unserved zone location within one mile of a recycling center. As of June 27, 2018, there are an estimated 1,686 convenience zones that would qualify for this automatic exemption, exceeding the maximum 1,221 number of exemptions CalRecycle is limited to granting.
It is unclear how CalRecycle will be able to implement these conflicting provisions and resolve this paradox.
There are 3,849 convenience zones in the state. The conflicting provisions described above aside, the automatic exemption would exempt 1,686 convenience zones alone, almost 44% of the total convenience zones and the dealers within it. This would not include any other convenience zones that may be eligible for exemption under other provisions of the Bottle Bill.
- Other exemption. SB 452 also exempts certain dealers that are in a convenience zone that is unserved for certain reasons. This would exempt 726 dealers.
Knowing the hardships that recycling centers have been facing over several years, and knowing that the Bottle Bill places responsibility on the dealers to act as the backstop for ensuring consumers redemption opportunity, should the dealers have prepared for the possibility of the current situation?
In total, a minimum of 2,622 dealers will be exempt due to being within 1 mile of a recycling center or due to the closure of a recycling center between January and May 2016. This number does not include those dealers that would be exempt due to size or those located within a convenience zone exempted for reasons other than being within 1 mile of a recycling center. As noted by proponents and supporters, it is not the dealers’ fault for the closures of recycling centers. However, Bottle Bill has never guaranteed the dealers that they would be located within a served convenience zone and would never be subject to these redemption requirements. It is a system that was purposely set up as a way to ensure convenient consumer redemption opportunities.
Is it prudent to cut off the last convenient opportunity for consumers to get back their CRV if a dealer would have chosen to take back containers in-store if not for this bill?
- Redemption opportunities for the consumer. For many Californians, the CRV deposit is considered included in the price of purchasing a beverage and there is no intention to redeem the deposit. There are consumers, however, who want their deposit back. SB 452 makes it harder for those consumers to access redemption opportunities by making those opportunities further away.
SB 452 attempts to increase redemption opportunities by making it easier for some recycling centers to qualify for handling fees. However, it is speculative how many new recycling centers will open and whether that number will offset the number of exemptions provided under this bill.
- At what point does a “deposit” become a “tax”? The required CRV has traditionally been viewed as “deposit” due to the consumers’ ability to redeem their empty beverage containers and get the CRV back.
By significantly reducing consumer opportunities of redemption, does SB 452 create an unreasonable hardship for redemption, and essentially turn the CRV deposit into a de facto tax?
- SB 60 (Glazer, 2017). Last year the Senate Environmental Quality Committee heard SB 60, which proposed to provide temporary relief to dealers that is similar to some of the provisions provided in this bill. During the hearing, Senate Environmental Quality Committee members expressed a desire to have a comprehensive reform to the Bottle Bill program and discontinue the trend of “carve-out” and temporary relief legislation. Instead, the Committee felt that a comprehensive reform was important.
At the hearing, commitments were made to work with the members and staff of the Committee to come up with comprehensive reform that would include all stakeholders. As of the date of this analysis, no discussions have been had with this committee or its staff. SB 452 is not comprehensive reform, only provides a temporary fix to the problem, and does not do enough to address decreased consumer redemption opportunities.
- The big picture and future of the Bottle Bill. Since 2015, the state has seen an increase in closure of recycling centers and a decrease in recycling rates and redemption rates. Since 2015, 1,770 recycling centers have closed and only 830 opened. Recycling rates and redemption rates have decreased; dropping from 84% to 78% for redemption rates and from 81% to 75% for recycling rates. These are the redemption rates with the 78% of dealers in unserved convenience zones agreeing to redeem beverage containers. It is likely that the exemptions provided under this bill will cause these rates to decrease further.
If, following 2021, the recycling centers continue to close and consumer redemption opportunities are decreased due to exemptions provided under this bill, will there be adequate redemption opportunities available for consumers? Will there be an influx of CRV available in the fund because consumers are not able to redeem their deposits? Does piecemeal legislation help address the broken system or does it make it worse? Does it encourage other stakeholders to introduce their own individual bills in order to protect themselves rather than work together on a comprehensive plan?
The Legislature may wish to consider whether it is prudent to permanently accommodate a particular group of stakeholders to the detriment of the consumers in place of the comprehensive reform of the Bottle Bill program.
FISCAL EFFECT: Appropriation: Fiscal Com.: Local:
According to the Assembly Appropriations Committee:
- CalRecycle estimates a need for three Program Years (PYs) with a cost of $323,000 initially and $217,000 ongoing from the Beverage Container Recycling Fund (BCRF).
- Approximately $976,000 in one-time payments to pilot projects for Fiscal Year (FY) 2018/19 or upon implementation of the pilot projects (from the 50% of dealer payments from the previous 24 months).
- $800,000 BCRF annual revenue loss resulting from the convenience zone exemptions mandated in this bill.
- Additional annual BCRF revenue expenditures resulting from payments and offsets ranging between $22 million and $42 million annually.
3 Amigos Recycling
A-1 Hesperia Recycling Company
Alameda Recycling & Metals
Alejandrina #4 Recycling
Apple Valley Recycling
AS Recycling
ASCO Metals
Beach Street Farms
Blue Font Recycling, Co.
Blue Marble Recycling
Broga Fresh
Bulldog Recycling
California CRV Recyclers
California Farm Bureau Federation
California Grocers Association
California League of Conservation Voters
California Product Stewardship Council
California Recycling Services Corp
California Retailers Association
Californians Against Waste
Camarillo Recycling
Capital City Recycling
CarbonLite Industries
CB’s Wrightwood Recycling
CBS Farms
City of Los Angeles
Colton Recycling
Container Recycling Institute
Contreras Recycling
CPG Recycling
D.C. Metals & Recycling
Dan Regan Recycling
Delta Scrap and Salvage
E & C Recycling
Ebenezer Recycling Center
Echo Recycling
Ecology Center
El Gallo Recycling
Euclid Plaza Recycling
Evolution Recycling, Inc
Express Cross Interstate Inc
Express Recycling and Collections Inc
Four Brothers Recycling
Gina’s Recycling Center
Global Green USA
Green Earth Recycling
Green Spot Recycling Corporation
Green Zone Recycling
Greenday Recycling LLC
Greenfiber
Ironlife Inc
Josie’s Organics
K&R Recycling
LA Recycling
Lakeside Metals
Leader Recycling
Martinez Recycling Center #1, 2, 5, 6
Millenia Asset Management, Inc.
Ming’s Recycling Corp.
Ming’s Resource, East Bay
Modesto Junk
Mountain Communities Recycle Center
Natural Resources Defense Council
Neighborhood Recycling Center
New England Recycling
Northern California Recycling Association
NS Recycling Center
OG Recycling Corporation
Recology
Recycling Industries
Recycling Innovations
Recycling Pays
Recycling Zone, Inc.
rePET Inc
rePlanet
Republic Services
Rob’s Recycling
Roberto #39’s Recycling
Ruben’s Recycling
Rudy’s #39’s Metals
Rural County Representatives of California
S & L Recycling
Sage County Recycling
San Lorenzo Valley Redemption and Recycling Centers
Save The Earth Recycling, Inc
SDR Company INC
SDR Company, Inc
Sierra Club, California
Solorzano Recycling
SOS Recycling LLC
Surfside Organic
TOMRA Collection Solutions
Tri-CED Community Recycling
Tuxford Recycling
Universal Service Recycling
Vaca Recycling
Verdeco Recycling
Waste Management
Wilmington Recyclers
Work Training Center
OPPOSITION: (Verified 8/28/18)
Association of California Recycling Industries
Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries, West Coast Chapter
ASSEMBLY FLOOR: 74-1, 8/29/18
AYES: Acosta, Aguiar-Curry, Arambula, Baker, Berman, Bigelow, Bloom, Bonta, Brough, Burke, Caballero, Calderon, Carrillo, Cervantes, Chau, Chávez, Chen, Chiu, Choi, Chu, Cooley, Cooper, Cunningham, Dahle, Daly, Eggman, Flora, Fong, Frazier, Friedman, Gabriel, Gallagher, Cristina Garcia, Eduardo Garcia, Gipson, Gloria, Gonzalez Fletcher, Gray, Grayson, Holden, Irwin, Jones-Sawyer, Kalra, Kamlager-Dove, Kiley, Lackey, Levine, Limón, Low, Maienschein, Mayes, McCarty, Medina, Mullin, Muratsuchi, Nazarian, Obernolte, O'Donnell, Quirk, Quirk-Silva, Reyes, Rivas, Rodriguez, Rubio, Salas, Santiago, Steinorth, Mark Stone, Thurmond, Ting, Waldron, Weber, Wood, Rendon
NOES: Travis Allen
NO VOTE RECORDED: Harper, Mathis, Melendez, Patterson, Voepel
8/30/18 19:47:42
**** END ****
SENATE THIRD READING
STR Bill Id:SB 452
Author:(Glazer)
As Amended Ver:August 24, 2018
2/3 vote. Urgency
SENATE VOTE: 37-0
Committee | Votes | Ayes | Noes |
Natural Resources | 8-0 | Muratsuchi, Chau, Eggman, Flora, Limón, McCarty, Mark Stone, Reyes | |
Appropriations | 12-0 | Gonzalez Fletcher, Bloom, Bonta, Calderon, Carrillo, Chau, Eggman, Friedman, Eduardo Garcia, Nazarian, Quirk, Reyes | |
Appropriations | 12-0 | Gonzalez Fletcher, Bloom, Bonta, Calderon, Carrillo, Chau, Eggman, Friedman, Eduardo Garcia, Nazarian, Quirk, Reyes |
SUMMARY: This urgency bill makes a number of revisions to the Beverage Container Recycling and Litter Reduction Act (Bottle Bill). Specifically, this bill:
- Revises the requirements for supermarkets to redeem beverage containers when they are located within a convenience zone (CZ) not served by a recycling center, as follows:
- Specifies that dealers are not required to redeem more than 50 beverage containers of any one type per customer per day; and,
- Exempts dealers with less than $2 million in annual sales and supermarkets with less than 5,000 square feet of retail space.
- Exempts any dealer from the requirement to take back containers or pay a convenience fee (CZ exemption) to CalRecycle if it is located in a CZ that became unserved between January 1, 2016, and May 31, 2016, or that became unserved because a recycling center closed as a result of an action taken by CalRecycle on or after January 1, 2018. Sunsets this provision, but not the exemptions granted, on January 1, 2021.
- Repeals the requirement that a recycling center must be located within one mile of a CZ eligible for a CZ exemption, and instead only requires that the nearest recycling center must be located within "a reasonable distance" from the exempted CZ.
- Increases the total number of allowable CZ exemptions from 35% to 50% of the total number of CZs in the state. Requires CalRecycle to review exemptions every five years.
- Requires CalRecycle to exempt all unserved zones located within one mile of a recycling center.
- Requires CalRecycle to use the actual costs of recycling that were in effect on December 30, 2015, for the purpose of calculating processing payments.
- Suspends the usage of surveys and calculations of recycling costs until at least January 1, 2020, and authorizes the use of any contract funds already approved for cost surveys and calculations to provide CalRecycle with an assessment of variations in the average cost of recycling. Sunsets this provision on January 1, 2021.
- Authorizes the use of any unused contract funds for the analysis and development of the recommendations to the Legislature, as specified. Sunsets this provision on January 1, 2021.
- Authorizes CalRecycle to withhold payments to curbside programs and neighborhood dropoff programs in any local jurisdiction that has prohibited the siting of a certified recycling center, caused a recycling center to close, or adopted a land use policy that restricts or prohibits the siting of a certified recycling center within its jurisdiction.
- Authorizes CalRecycle to withhold payment for beverage container recycling and litter cleanup activities to local jurisdictions that have prohibited the siting of a supermarket site, caused a site to close, or adopted a land use policy that restricts or prohibits the siting of a supermarket site with its jurisdiction.
- If a CZ is unserved for at least six months, requires CalRecycle to offer handling fee payments to a recycler located anywhere in the CZ that is certified by January 1, 2019.
- Requires from January 1, 2019, until July 1, 2021, handling fees to be set at the rate they were on July 1, 2015.
- Authorizes CalRecycle to expend up to $3 million annually for supplemental handling fee payments to low-volume recycling centers and recyclers willing to open a center in a CZ that has recently become unserved. Requires CalRecycle to allocate the amount authorized for these supplemental handling fee payments into 12 monthly payments. Requires the supplemental handling fee payments to be distributed in equal amounts to eligible recycling centers, as specified.
- Requires CalRecycle to develop recommendations to the Legislature for revisions to the handling fee guideline to ensure that handling fee calculations are adequate to maintain the state's recycling center infrastructure by January 1, 2021.
- Revises the plastic market development payment program to authorize CalRecycle to make payments to reclaimers that use a third party to process empty plastic beverage containers.
EXISTING LAW establishes the Bottle Bill, which:
- Requires beverage containers sold in this state to have a California redemption value (CRV) of five cents for containers that hold fewer than 24 ounces and 10 cents for containers that hold 24 ounces or more and requires a distributor to pay a redemption payment to CalRecycle. Continuously appropriates these funds to CalRecycle for the payment of refund values and processing fees.
- Requires CalRecycle to:
- Certify recycling centers and promulgate regulations establishing a procedure for certification of recycling centers. Specifies that these regulations shall include, as a condition for certification, that if one or more certified entities have operated at the same location within the past five years, the recycling center must demonstrate to CalRecycle that its operations exhibit a pattern of compliance with the Bottle Bill and its related regulations.
- Pay handling fees to supermarket site recycling centers, nonprofit convenience zone recyclers, or rural region recyclers to provide an incentive for the redemption of empty beverage containers in convenience zones, and adopt guidelines and methods specifying a procedure for the payment of these fees.
- After deducting refund values, administrative fees, and a reserve for contingencies, appropriate remaining monies to designated programs, grants, and fee payments.
- Requires dealers (stores that sell beverage containers) to do one of the following if they are located in a convenience zone (CZ) that is unserved by a recycling center (unserved zone):
- Redeem all beverage containers for CRV; or,
- Pay CalRecycle a convenience fee of $100 per day until the zone becomes served or the dealer opts to redeem beverage containers.
FISCAL EFFECT: According to the Assembly Appropriations Committee:
- CalRecycle estimates a need for 3 Program Years (PYs) with a cost of $323,000 initially and $217,000 ongoing from the Beverage Container Recycling Fund (BCRF).
- Approximately $976,000 in one-time payments to pilot projects for Fiscal Year (FY) 2018/19 or upon implementation of the pilot projects (from the 50% of dealer payments from the previous 24 months).
- $800,000 BCRF annual revenue loss resulting from the convenience zone exemptions mandated in the bill.
- Additional annual BCRF revenue expenditures resulting from payments and offsets ranging between $22 million and $42 million annually.
COMMENTS: The Bottle Bill was established by AB 2020 (Margolin), Chapter 1290, Statutes of 1986). The purpose of the program is to be a self-funded program that encourages consumers to recycle beverage containers to prevent littering. The program accomplishes this goal by requiring consumers to pay a deposit for each eligible container purchased. Then the program guarantees consumers repayment of that deposit, the CRV, for each eligible container returned to a certified recycler. Statute includes two main goals for the program: 1) reducing litter; and, 2) achieving a recycling rate of 80% for eligible containers.
Over the last few years, various concerns about the program have been raised, such as the structural deficit, the effectiveness of some supplemental programs supported by the program, fraud, and whether some offsets support the goals of the program. Falling scrap values have created financial challenges for recyclers. Since 2013, nearly 1,000 recycling centers have closed, roughly 38% of the statewide total, leaving many Californians without redemption opportunities.
The Administration has attempted to collaborate with stakeholders on a comprehensive reform of the Bottle Bill that is intended to align with the state's climate change goals and the state's 75% solid waste reduction, recycling, and composting goal, as well as creating long-term fiscal sustainability. CalRecycle has proposed a policy framework for modernizing the program based on the following principles: 1) Improving recycling and remanufacturing; 2) Sharing responsibility; and, 3) Enhancing adaptability and sustainability. However, CalRecycle has not sponsored legislation to accomplish these goals and several legislative policy and budget proposals have failed.
Only certain beverage containers containing certain beverages are part of the CRV program. Most containers made from glass, plastic, aluminum, and bimetal (consisting of one or more metals) are eligible. Wine, spirits, milk, fruit juices over 46 ounces, vegetable juices over 16 ounces, and soy drinks are not eligible for CRV. Container types that are not included in the CRV program are cartons, pouches, and any container that holds 64 ounces or more.
The Plastic Market Development Payment uses Bottle Bill funds to make payments of up to $150 per ton to California-based processors and manufacturers that recycle and utilize post-consumer plastic beverage containers. In 2007-09, the total amount of funds authorized was $5 million. Beginning in 2010, the Legislature increased this payment authority to $10 million annually.
According to CalRecycle, a convenience zone is typically a half-mile radius within the center point originating at a supermarket that: 1) Is identified in the Progressive Grocer Marketing Guidebook; 2) Has gross annual sales of $2 million or more; and, 3) Is considered a "full-line" store that sells a line of dry groceries, canned goods, or non-food items and perishable items.
In some instances, a convenience zone may be larger than a half mile. For example, an interested person may petition CalRecycle for a three-mile convenience zone to be created in a rural region when there are at least two dealers within three miles of a singular recycling center, and where the dealers are a mile or less apart and have an aggregate sales volume of at least $2 million gross annual sales. Convenience zones are intended to provide consumers opportunities to redeem containers near where beverages are purchased.
Recycling centers are privately owned and operated by individuals, profit, and nonprofit organizations. They are certified by CalRecycle and must adhere to standards to help provide the public the service they need (e.g., operating at least 30 hours per week and signs depicting prices paid for beverage containers).
Overlapping convenience zones are common in commercial zoning areas throughout the state. If a recycler is on-site at one convenience zone where one or more convenience zones overlap, each of these zones are served by this recycler. Accordingly, it is not necessary in such cases for each convenience zone to support its own recycling center.
A convenience zone may be exempt from the requirement to have a recycling center within its boundaries if one or more conditions are met, including ease of access to redemption center by consumers, reasonable distance to next closest recycling center, consumers in area predominantly use curbside program for recycling, and recycling centers in the area fail to meet a sufficient volume for economic viability.
Handling fees are monthly payments made by CalRecycle to recycling centers that meet certain eligibility requirements. A recycler can receive a monthly handling fee payment for each eligible container redeemed at an eligible center. CalRecycle makes handling fee payments to recyclers to provide incentives for the convenient redemption of beverage containers. These payments encourage redemption and reward operational efficiency at supermarket site recycling centers, nonprofit convenience zone recycling centers, and rural region recycling centers operating within convenience zones. The amount of the base handling fee is determined by a cost survey to determine recycling costs per container. Due to a number of factors, including the closure of many of the state's smaller volume recycling centers, increasing labor costs, and low oil prices, which puts recycled plastic at an economic disadvantage, handling fees have been too low to maintain California's recycling center infrastructure.
Handling fees have dropped significantly in recent years. In July, 2015, the handling fee was $0.01046. In 2016, it dropped to $0.00950. On June 15th, CalRecycle announced that on July 1, 2018, the handling fee will drop again to $0.00833. This bill freezes handling fees at the 2015 amount until 2021 with the intent of preventing additional recycling center closures.
When a recycling center closes, the convenience zone in which it was located becomes "unserved." In recent years, hundreds of recycling centers have closed. It is hard to determine exact numbers, because when a center closes it rarely notifies CalRecycle of the closure. However, based on CalRecycle data, over 900 centers have closed since 2013. Some areas continue to do well. Los Angeles County has one recycling center per 21,000 residents. However, other areas have lost nearly all of their recycling centers. Marin County has one recycling center per 131,000 residents.
Current law provides that when a convenience zone is unserved, the responsibility to redeem then falls on the dealer, i.e., a supermarket. A supermarket is required to either redeem CRV beverage containers in-store (Option A) or pay a daily fee of $100 to CalRecycle in order to opt out of redeeming CRV containers in-store (Option B). These options serve as alternatives for fulfilling a duty to provide redemption opportunities to consumers. According to CalRecycle, approximately 74% of dealers located in unserved convenience zones have agreed to redeem CRV in-store. Option B was selected by approximately 100 dealers, and CalRecycle has begun charging the in lieu fee to another ~200 dealers who have not selected Option A or Option B.
The Bottle Bill has a large and effective number of stakeholders that are engaged in efforts to update and improve the program. However, there is no entity representing the interests of consumers. This bill would provide a temporary relief for some dealers, but may negatively impact consumers who will be unable to redeem their CRV. This creates a hardship for some Californians, and essentially turns the CRV for those consumers into a fee rather than a deposit. Moreover, if CRV redemption is not conveniently available, the incentive to not litter beverage containers is eliminated.
This bill attempts to preserve the state's recycling center infrastructure while scaling back the in-store take back requirements.
Analysis Prepared by: Elizabeth MacMillan / NAT. RES. / (916) 319-2092 FN: 0004718
SENATE THIRD READING
STR Bill Id:SB 452
Author:(Glazer)
As Amended Ver:August 20, 2018
2/3 vote. Urgency
SENATE VOTE: 37-0
Committee | Votes | Ayes | Noes |
Natural Resources | 8-0 | Muratsuchi, Chau, Eggman, Flora, Limón, McCarty, Mark Stone, Reyes | |
Appropriations | 12-0 | Gonzalez Fletcher, Bloom, Bonta, Calderon, Carrillo, Chau, Eggman, Friedman, Eduardo Garcia, Nazarian, Quirk, Reyes |
SUBJECT: The California Beverage Container Recycling and Litter Reduction Act
SUMMARY: This urgency bill makes a number of revisions to the Beverage Container Recycling and Litter Reduction Act (Bottle Bill). Specifically, this bill:
- Extends the sunset for the Plastic Market Development Payment Program from 2018 to 2024.
- Revises the requirements for supermarkets to redeem beverage containers when they are located within a convenience zone (CZ) not served by a recycling center, as follows:
- Specifies that dealers are not required to redeem more than 50 beverage containers of any one type per customer per day; and,
- Exempts dealers with less than $2 million in annual sales.
- Exempts any dealer from the requirement to take back containers or pay a convenience fee (CZ exemption) to CalRecycle if it is located in a CZ that became unserved between January 1, 2016, and May 31, 2016, or that became unserved because a recycling center closed as a result of an action taken by CalRecycle on or after January 1, 2018. Sunsets this provision, but not the exemptions granted, on January 1, 2021.
- Repeals the requirement that a recycling center must be located within one mile of a CZ eligible for a CZ exemption, and instead only requires that the nearest recycling center must be located within "a reasonable distance" from the exempted CZ.
- Increases the total number of allowable CZ exemptions from 35% to 50% of the total number of CZs in the state. Requires CalRecycle to review exemptions every five years.
- Requires CalRecycle to exempt all unserved zones located within one mile of a recycling center.
- Requires CalRecycle to use the actual costs of recycling that were in effect on December 30, 2015, for the purpose of calculating processing payments.
- Suspends the usage of surveys and calculations of recycling costs until at least January 1, 2020, and authorizes the use of any contract funds already approved for cost surveys and calculations to provide CalRecycle with an assessment of variations in the average cost of recycling. Sunsets this provision on January 1, 2021.
- Authorizes the use of any unused contract funds for the analysis and development of the recommendations to the Legislature, as specified. Sunsets this provision on January 1, 2021.
- Authorizes CalRecycle to withhold payments to curbside programs and neighborhood dropoff programs in any local jurisdiction that has prohibited the siting of a certified recycling center, caused a recycling center to close, or adopted a land use policy that restricts or prohibits the siting of a certified recycling center within its jurisdiction.
- Requires CalRecycle to withhold payment for beverage container recycling and litter cleanup activities to local jurisdictions that have prohibited the siting of a supermarket site, caused a site to close, or adopted a land use policy that restricts or prohibits the siting of a supermarket site with its jurisdiction.
- If a CZ is unserved for at least six months, requires CalRecycle to offer handling fee payments to a recycler located anywhere in the CZ that is certified by January 1, 2019.
- Requires from January 1, 2019, until July 1, 2021, handling fees to be set at the rate they were on July 1, 2015.
- Authorizes CalRecycle to expend up to $3 million annually for supplemental handling fee payments to low-volume recycling centers and recyclers willing to open a center in a CZ that has recently become unserved. Requires CalRecycle to allocate the amount authorized for these supplemental handling fee payments into 12 monthly payments. Requires the supplemental handling fee payments to be distributed in equal amounts to eligible recycling centers, as specified.
- Requires CalRecycle to develop recommendations to the Legislature for revisions to the handling fee guideline to ensure that handling fee calculations are adequate to maintain the state's recycling center infrastructure by January 1, 2021.
EXISTING LAW establishes the Bottle Bill, which:
- Requires beverage containers sold in this state to have a California redemption value (CRV) of five cents for containers that hold fewer than 24 ounces and 10 cents for containers that hold 24 ounces or more and requires a distributor to pay a redemption payment to CalRecycle. Continuously appropriates these funds to CalRecycle for the payment of refund values and processing fees.
- Requires CalRecycle to:
- Certify recycling centers and promulgate regulations establishing a procedure for certification of recycling centers. Specifies that these regulations shall include, as a condition for certification, that if one or more certified entities have operated at the same location within the past five years, the recycling center must demonstrate to CalRecycle that its operations exhibit a pattern of compliance with the Bottle Bill and its related regulations.
- Pay handling fees to supermarket site recycling centers, nonprofit convenience zone recyclers, or rural region recyclers to provide an incentive for the redemption of empty beverage containers in convenience zones, and adopt guidelines and methods specifying a procedure for the payment of these fees.
- After deducting refund values, administrative fees, and a reserve for contingencies, appropriate remaining monies to designated programs, grants, and fee payments.
- Requires dealers (stores that sell beverage containers) to do one of the following if they are located in a convenience zone (CZ) that is unserved by a recycling center (unserved zone):
- Redeem all beverage containers for CRV; or,
- Pay CalRecycle a convenience fee of $100 per day until the zone becomes served or the dealer opts to redeem beverage containers.
FISCAL EFFECT: According to the Assembly Appropriations Committee:
- CalRecycle estimates a need for 3 PYs with a cost of $323,000 initially and $217,000 ongoing from the Beverage Container Recycling Fund (BCRF).
- $800,000 BCRF annual revenue loss resulting from the convenience zone exemptions mandated in the bill.
- Additional annual BCRF revenue expenditures resulting from payments and offsets ranging between $22 million and $42 million annually.
COMMENTS: The Bottle Bill was established by AB 2020 (Margolin, Chapter 1290, Statutes of 1986). The purpose of the program is to be a self-funded program that encourages consumers to recycle beverage containers to prevent littering. The program accomplishes this goal by requiring consumers to pay a deposit for each eligible container purchased. Then the program guarantees consumers repayment of that deposit, the CRV, for each eligible container returned to a certified recycler. Statute includes two main goals for the program: 1) reducing litter; and, 2) achieving a recycling rate of 80% for eligible containers.
Over the last few years, various concerns about the program have been raised, such as the structural deficit, the effectiveness of some supplemental programs supported by the program, fraud, and whether some offsets support the goals of the program. Falling scrap values have created financial challenges for recyclers. Since 2013, nearly 1,000 recycling centers have closed, roughly 38% of the statewide total, leaving many Californians without redemption opportunities.
The Administration has attempted to collaborate with stakeholders on a comprehensive reform of the Bottle Bill that is intended to align with the state's climate change goals and the state's 75% solid waste reduction, recycling, and composting goal, as well as creating long-term fiscal sustainability. CalRecycle has proposed a policy framework for modernizing the program based on the following principles: a) Improving recycling and remanufacturing; b) Sharing responsibility; and, c) Enhancing adaptability and sustainability. However, CalRecycle has not sponsored legislation to accomplish these goals and several legislative policy and budget proposals have failed.
Only certain beverage containers containing certain beverages are part of the CRV program. Most containers made from glass, plastic, aluminum, and bimetal (consisting of one or more metals) are eligible. Wine, spirits, milk, fruit juices over 46 ounces, vegetable juices over 16 ounces, and soy drinks are not eligible for CRV. Container types that are not included in the CRV program are cartons, pouches, and any container that holds 64 ounces or more.
The Plastic Market Development Payment uses Bottle Bill funds to make payments of up to $150 per ton to California-based processors and manufacturers that recycle and utilize post-consumer plastic beverage containers. In 2007-09, the total amount of funds authorized was $5 million. Beginning in 2010, the Legislature increased this payment authority to $10 million annually.
According to CalRecycle, a convenience zone is typically a half-mile radius within the center point originating at a supermarket that: a) Is identified in the Progressive Grocer Marketing Guidebook; b) Has gross annual sales of $2 million or more; and, c) Is considered a "full-line" store that sells a line of dry groceries, canned goods, or non-food items and perishable items.
In some instances, a convenience zone may be larger than a half mile. For example, an interested person may petition CalRecycle for a three-mile convenience zone to be created in a rural region when there are at least two dealers within three miles of a singular recycling center, and where the dealers are a mile or less apart and have an aggregate sales volume of at least $2 million gross annual sales. Convenience zones are intended to provide consumers opportunities to redeem containers near where beverages are purchased.
Recycling centers are privately owned and operated by individuals, profit, and nonprofit organizations. They are certified by CalRecycle and must adhere to standards to help provide the public the service they need (e.g., operating at least 30 hours per week and signs depicting prices paid for beverage containers).
Overlapping convenience zones are common in commercial zoning areas throughout the state. If a recycler is on-site at one convenience zone where one or more convenience zones overlap, each of these zones are served by this recycler. Accordingly, it is not necessary in such cases for each convenience zone to support its own recycling center.
A convenience zone may be exempt from the requirement to have a recycling center within its boundaries if one or more conditions are met, including ease of access to redemption center by consumers, reasonable distance to next closest recycling center, consumers in area predominantly use curbside program for recycling, and recycling centers in the area fail to meet a sufficient volume for economic viability.
Handling fees are monthly payments made by CalRecycle to recycling centers that meet certain eligibility requirements. A recycler can receive a monthly handling fee payment for each eligible container redeemed at an eligible center. CalRecycle makes handling fee payments to recyclers to provide incentives for the convenient redemption of beverage containers. These payments encourage redemption and reward operational efficiency at supermarket site recycling centers, nonprofit convenience zone recycling centers, and rural region recycling centers operating within convenience zones. The amount of the base handling fee is determined by a cost survey to determine recycling costs per container. Due to a number of factors, including the closure of many of the state's smaller volume recycling centers, increasing labor costs, and low oil prices, which puts recycled plastic at an economic disadvantage, handling fees have been too low to maintain California's recycling center infrastructure.
Handling fees have dropped significantly in recent years. In July, 2015, the handling fee was $0.01046. In 2016, it dropped to $0.00950. On June 15th, CalRecycle announced that on July 1, 2018, the handling fee will drop again to $0.00833. This bill freezes handling fees at the 2015 amount until 2021 with the intent of preventing additional recycling center closures.
When a recycling center closes, the convenience zone in which it was located becomes "unserved." In recent years, hundreds of recycling centers have closed. It is hard to determine exact numbers, because when a center closes it rarely notifies CalRecycle of the closure. However, based on CalRecycle data, over 900 centers have closed since 2013. Some areas continue to do well. Los Angeles County has one recycling center per 21,000 residents. However, other areas have lost nearly all of their recycling centers. Marin County has one recycling center per 131,000 residents.
Current law provides that when a convenience zone is unserved, the responsibility to redeem then falls on the dealer, i.e., a supermarket. A supermarket is required to either redeem CRV beverage containers in-store (Option A) or pay a daily fee of $100 to CalRecycle in order to opt out of redeeming CRV containers in-store (Option B). These options serve as alternatives for fulfilling a duty to provide redemption opportunities to consumers.
The fee has been referred to as a "fine" and each option as a "sanction." However, a "fee" pays for a service, or in this case, an in-lieu fee to compensate for waiving the responsibility of performing a service. A fee is not a fine. A fine is levied as an enforcement measure and may be considered a form of punishment. The Bottle Bill contains an entire chapter dedicated to enforcement that includes penalties as well as disciplinary actions; the in-lieu fee provision is located in the chapter that relates to beverage container returns.
According to CalRecycle, approximately 74% of dealers located in unserved convenience zones have agreed to redeem CRV in-store. Option B was selected by approximately 100 dealers, and CalRecycle has begun charging the in lieu fee to another ~200 dealers who have not selected Option A or Option B.
The Bottle Bill has a large and effective number of stakeholders that are engaged in efforts to update and improve the program. However, there is no entity representing the interests of consumers. This bill would provide a temporary relief for some dealers, but may negatively impact consumers who will be unable to redeem their CRV. This creates a hardship for some Californians, and essentially turns the CRV for those consumers into a fee rather than a deposit. Moreover, if CRV redemption is not conveniently available, the incentive to not litter beverage containers is eliminated.
This bill attempts to preserve the state's recycling center infrastructure while scaling back the in-store take back requirements.
Analysis Prepared by: Elizabeth MacMillan / NAT. RES. / (916) 319-2092 FN: 0004430
Date of Hearing: August 15, 2018
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
Lorena Gonzalez Fletcher, Chair
SBPCA Bill Id:SB 452
Author:(Glazer) – As Amended Ver:August 6, 2018
Policy Committee: | Natural Resources | Vote: | 8 - 0 |
|
|
Urgency: Yes State Mandated Local Program: Yes Reimbursable: No
SUMMARY:
This urgency bill makes a number of revisions to the Beverage Container Recycling and Litter Reduction Act (Bottle Bill). Specifically, this bill:
- Extends the sunset for the Plastic Market Development Payment Program from 2018 to 2024.
- Revises the requirements for supermarkets to redeem beverage containers when they are located within a convenience zone (CZ) not served by a recycling center, as follows:
- Specifies that dealers are not required to redeem more than 50 beverage containers of any one type per customer per day.
- Exempts dealers with less than $2 million in annual sales.
- Exempts any dealer from the requirement to take back containers or pay a convenience fee (CZ exemption) to CalRecycle if it is located in a CZ that became unserved between January 1, 2016, and May 31, 2016, or that became unserved because a recycling center closed as a result of an action taken by CalRecycle on or after January 1, 2018. Sunsets this provision, but not the exemptions granted, on January 1, 2021.
- Repeals the requirement that a recycling center must be located within one mile of a CZ eligible for a CZ exemption, and instead only requires that the nearest recycling center must be located within "a reasonable distance" from the exempted CZ.
- Increases the total number of allowable CZ exemptions from 35% to 50% of the total number of CZs in the state. Requires CalRecycle to review exemptions every five years.
- Requires CalRecycle to exempt all unserved zones located within one mile of a recycling center.
- Specifies recycling pilot projects may be located in unserved areas outside of CZs. Requires 50% of specified payments made by dealers in an approved pilot project area during the 24 months preceding the pilot project's approval to be appropriated to the applicant jurisdiction for the implementation of the pilot project.
- Requires CalRecycle to use the actual costs of recycling that were in effect on December 30, 2015, for the purpose of calculating processing payments.
- Suspends the usage of surveys and calculations of recycling costs until at least January 1, 2020, and authorizes the use of any contract funds already approved for cost surveys and calculations to provide CalRecycle with an assessment of variations in the average cost of recycling. Sunsets this provision on January 1, 2021.
- Authorizes the use of any unused contract funds for the analysis and development of the recommendations to the Legislature, as specified. Sunsets this provision on January 1, 2021.
- Authorizes CalRecycle to withhold payments to curbside programs and neighborhood dropoff programs in any local jurisdiction that has prohibited the siting of a certified recycling center, caused a recycling center to close, or adopted a land use policy that restricts or prohibits the siting of a certified recycling center within its jurisdiction.
- Requires CalRecycle to withhold payment for beverage container recycling and litter cleanup activities to local jurisdictions that have prohibited the siting of a supermarket site, caused a site to close, or adopted a land use policy that restricts or prohibits the siting of a supermarket site with its jurisdiction.
- If a CZ is unserved for at least six months, requires CalRecycle to offer handling fee payments to a recycler located anywhere in the CZ that is certified by January 1, 2019.
- Requires from January 1, 2019, until July 1, 2021, handling fees to be set at the rate they were on July 1, 2015.
- Authorizes CalRecycle to expend up to $3 million annually for supplemental handling fee payments to low-volume recycling centers and recyclers willing to open a center in a CZ that has recently become unserved. Requires CalRecycle to allocate the amount authorized for these supplemental handling fee payments into 12 monthly payments. Requires the supplemental handling fee payments to be distributed in equal amounts to eligible recycling centers, as specified.
- Requires CalRecycle to develop recommendations to the Legislature for revisions to the handling fee guideline to ensure that handling fee calculations are adequate to maintain the state's recycling center infrastructure by January 1, 2021.
FISCAL EFFECT:
- CalRecycle estimates a need for 3 PYs with a cost of $323,000 initially and $217,000 ongoing from the Beverage Container Recycling Fund (BCRF).
- Approximately $976,000 in one-time payments to pilot projects for FY 2018/19 or upon implementation of the pilot projects (from the 50% of dealer payments from the previous 24 months).
- $800,000 BCRF annual revenue loss resulting from the convenience zone exemptions mandated in the bill.
- Additional annual BCRF revenue expenditures resulting from payments and offsets ranging between $22 million and $42 million annually.
COMMENTS:
- Purpose. According to the author, “This bill would stabilize the recycling marketplace, provide immediate, temporary relief to California’s retailers and grocers affected by the 2016 recycling center closures, and ensure consumers have local redemption opportunities.”
- Bottle Bill. The Bottle Bill was established by AB 2020 (Margolin), Chapter 1290, Statutes of 1986. The purpose of the program is to be a self-funded program that encourages consumers to recycle beverage containers to prevent litter. The program accomplishes this goal by requiring consumers to pay a deposit for each eligible container purchased. The program guarantees consumers repayment of that deposit, the CRV, for each eligible container returned to a certified recycler. Statute includes two main goals for the program: (a) reducing litter; and, (b) achieving a recycling rate of 80% for eligible containers.
Over the last few years, various concerns about the program have been raised, such as the structural deficit, the effectiveness of some supplemental programs supported by the program, fraud, and whether some offsets support the goals of the program. Falling scrap values have created financial challenges for recyclers. Since 2013, nearly 1,000 recycling centers have closed, roughly 38% of the statewide total, leaving many Californians without redemption opportunities.
- PMDP. The Plastic Market Development Payment uses Bottle Bill funds to make payments of up to $150 per ton to California-based processors and manufacturers that recycle and utilize post-consumer plastic beverage containers. In 2007-09, the total amount of funds authorized was $5 million. Beginning in 2010, the Legislature increased this payment authority to $10 million annually. This program sunsetted on January 1, 2018. This bill would extend the sunset until 2024.
The committee may wish to consider amendments to require CalRecycle to ensure PMDP grants are given for the manufacture of materials with an end use that is also recyclable.
Analysis Prepared by: Jennifer Galehouse / APPR. / (916) 319-2081
Date of Hearing: June 25, 2018
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON NATURAL RESOURCES
Al Muratsuchi, Acting Chair
SBPCA Bill Id:SB 452
Author:(Glazer) – As Amended Ver:April 24, 2018
SENATE VOTE: Not relevant
SUBJECT: The California Beverage Container Recycling and Litter Reduction Act
SUMMARY: Makes a number of revisions to the Beverage Container Recycling and Litter Reduction Act (Bottle Bill).
EXISTING LAW establishes the Bottle Bill, which:
- Requires beverage containers sold in this state to have a California redemption value (CRV) of five cents for containers that hold fewer than 24 ounces and 10 cents for containers that hold 24 ounces or more and requires a distributor to pay a redemption payment to CalRecycle. Continuously appropriates these funds to CalRecycle for the payment of refund values and processing fees.
- Defines a number of terms, including:
- "Beverage" to include soda, beer and other malt beverages, wine and distilled spirit coolers, carbonated mineral and soda waters, noncarbonated fruit drinks, and vegetable juices in liquid form that are intended for human consumption. Excludes from the definition of beverage vegetable drinks in beverage containers of more than 16 ounces, milk, medical food, and any product sold in a container that is not an aluminum beverage container, a glass container, a plastic beverage container, or a bimetal container.
- “Convenience zone” to mean either an area within a one-half mile radius of a supermarket, or an area designated by CalRecycle at a location where there is no supermarket but there are two or more dealers located within a one-mile radius of each other, and meets certain specified criteria.
- "Beverage" to include soda, beer and other malt beverages, wine and distilled spirit coolers, carbonated mineral and soda waters, noncarbonated fruit drinks, and vegetable juices in liquid form that are intended for human consumption. Excludes from the definition of beverage vegetable drinks in beverage containers of more than 16 ounces, milk, medical food, and any product sold in a container that is not an aluminum beverage container, a glass container, a plastic beverage container, or a bimetal container.
- Requires CalRecycle to:
- Establish reporting periods of six months each for redemption rates and recycling rates for beverage containers and requires them to determine and report the redemption rates and recycling rates for those beverage containers for each reporting period.
- Certify recycling centers and promulgate regulations establishing a procedure for certification of recycling centers. Specifies that these regulations shall include, as a condition for certification, that if one or more certified entities have operated at the same location within the past five years, the recycling center must demonstrate to CalRecycle that its operations exhibit a pattern of compliance with the Bottle Bill and its related regulations.
- Pay handling fees to supermarket sites, nonprofit convenience zone recyclers, or rural region recyclers to provide an incentive for the redemption of empty beverage containers in convenience zones, and adopt guidelines and methods specifying a procedure for the payment of these fees.
- After deducting refund values, administrative fees, and a reserve for contingencies, appropriate remaining monies to designated programs, grants, and fee payments.
- Establish reporting periods of six months each for redemption rates and recycling rates for beverage containers and requires them to determine and report the redemption rates and recycling rates for those beverage containers for each reporting period.
- Prohibits a lease entered into by a dealer to contain a leasehold restriction that prohibits or results in the prohibition of the establishment of a recycling location and prohibits CalRecycle from making any payments, grants, or loans to a city, county, or city and county if that municipality has adopted or is enforcing a land use restriction that prevents the siting or operation of a certified recycling center at a supermarket site.
- Requires dealers (stores that sell beverage containers) to do one of the following if they are located in a convenience zone (CZ) that is unserved by a recycling center (unserved zone):
- Redeem all beverage containers for CRV; or,
- Pay CalRecycle a convenience fee of $100 per day until the zone becomes served or the dealer opts to redeem beverage containers.
- Redeem all beverage containers for CRV; or,
THIS BILL:
- Defines "direct redemption opportunity" as a recycling opportunity that meets both of the following conditions:
- Provides reasonable availability for a consumer to redeem empty beverage containers and directly receive the CRV for those containers; and,
- Provides sufficient overall redemption opportunities in the state whereby, in conjunction with other collection opportunities (i.e., curbside recycling) not less than 80% of beverage containers sold in the state can be consistently and sustainably recycled.
- Provides reasonable availability for a consumer to redeem empty beverage containers and directly receive the CRV for those containers; and,
- Extends the sunset for the Plastic Market Development Payment Program from 2018 to 2024.
- Revises the requirements for supermarkets to redeem beverage containers when they are located within a convenience zone that is not served by a recycling center, as follows:
- Specifies that dealers are not required to redeem more than 24 beverage containers or any one type per customer per day;
- Exempts dealers with less than $2 million in annual sales.
- Specifies that dealers are not required to redeem more than 24 beverage containers or any one type per customer per day;
Grants CalRecycle the authority to adopt emergency regulations to implement this provision and specifies that the regulations shall not be repealed by the Office of Administrative Law, and remain in effect until revised by the director.
- Exempts any dealer from the requirement to take-back containers or pay a convenience fee (CZ exemption) to CalRecycle if it is located in a convenience zone that became unserved between January 1, 2016 and December 31, 2017, or that became unserved because a recycling center closed as a result of an action taken by CalRecycle or the local government on or after January 1, 2018. Sunsets this provision, but not the exemptions granted, on January 1, 2021.
- On or before January 2, 2021 and after at least two stakeholder meetings, requires CalRecycle to evaluate and recommend to the Legislature policies, incentives, and standards for ensuring the establishment and maintenance of a network of cost-effective direct redemption opportunities in every community sufficient to support a recycling rate of not less than 80%. Requires CalRecycle to consider the following when developing the policies, incentives and standards:
- Population density;
- Distance between population centers and the recycler or other operation that redeems empty beverage containers;
- Total population of the community;
- Rural and nonrural areas;
- Alternative certified redemption opportunities;
- Best practices identified in a CalRecycle-sponsored convenience study;
- The role of dealers, including supermarkets, in providing direct redemption opportunities;
- Enforcement mechanisms for ensuring direct redemption opportunities;
- The role of local governments to support direct redemption opportunities;
- The process for providing exemptions to the direct redemption opportunity standards; and,
- Any other factors CalRecycle deems appropriate.
- Population density;
Grants CalRecycle the authority to adopt emergency regulations to implement this provision and specifies that the regulations shall not be repealed by the Office of Administrative Law, and remain in effect until revised by the director.
- Repeals the requirement that a recycling center must be located within one mile of a CZ eligible for a CZ exemption, and instead only requires that the nearest recycling center must be located within "a reasonable distance" from the exempted CZ.
- Increases the total number of CZ exemptions from 35% to 50% of the total number of CZs in the state.
- Exempts all unserved zones located within one mile of a recycling center.
- States legislative intent relating to curbside recycling programs and states the intent of the Legislature that nothing "shall prevent CalRecycle from certifying entities established to recover, recycle, and redeem" beverage containers from the curbside recycling stream.
- Specifies that for purposes of calculating processing payments, CalRecycle shall use the actual costs of recycling that were in effect on December 30, 2015.
- Requires CalRecycle to adjust recycling costs to reflect changes in the cost of living from December 30, 2015, as measured by the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the United States Department of Labor as of January 1, 2019 and at least annually thereafter.
- Suspends the usage of surveys and calculations of recycling costs until at least January 1, 2020 and authorizes the use of any contract funds already approved for cost surveys and calculations to provide CalRecycle with an assessment of variations in the average cost of recycling based on, at a minimum, the following:
- Recycling location monthly average volume;
- Recycling location geographic area; and,
- Recycling location distance to end-use market.
- Recycling location monthly average volume;
Sunsets this provision on January 1, 2021.
- Authorizes the use of any unused contract funds for the analysis and development of the recommendations to the Legislature of amendments to legislative findings and declarations of the Act, as specified. Sunsets this provision on January 1, 2021.
- Requires CalRecycle to withhold payments to curbside programs and neighborhood dropoff programs in any city, county, or city and county that has prohibited the siting of a certified recycling center, caused a recycling center to close, or adopted a land use policy that restricts or prohibits the siting of a certified recycling center within its jurisdiction.
- If a CZ is unserved for at least six months, requires CalRecycle to offer handling fee payments to a recycler located anywhere in the CZ that is certified on or after the January 1, 2019.
- Specifies that from January 1, 2019 until July 1, 2021, handling fees shall be set at the rate they were on July 1, 2015.
- Authorizes CalRecycle to expend up to $3 million annually for supplemental handling fee payments to low-volume recycling centers and recyclers willing to open a center in a CZ that has recently become unserved. Requires CalRecycle to allocate the amount authorized for these supplemental handling fee payments into 12 monthly payments. Specifies that the supplemental handling fee payments be distributed in equal amounts to eligible recycling centers, subject to the following:
- The recycling center processes no more than 600,000 beverage containers eligible for handling fees per month;
- Priority shall be given to recycling centers with the lowest volumes of beverage containers that are located in rural regions;
- Payments shall be distributed first to no more than 100 recycling centers with the lowest volumes of beverage containers that are located in rural regions, in order of lowest volume.
- After making the payments to the 100 lowest volume rural recycling centers, payments shall be distributed to other recycling centers with the lowest volumes of beverage containers, in order of lowest volume.
- Limits the number of supplemental handling fee payments to no more than 400 recycling centers.
- Requires CalRecycle to make the supplemental handling fee payments by augmenting the handling fees paid to recycling centers.
- The recycling center processes no more than 600,000 beverage containers eligible for handling fees per month;
- Makes related technical and clarifying changes.
FISCAL EFFECT: Unknown
COMMENTS:
- Author's statement:
The Beverage Container Recycling Act was enacted in 1986 in order to reduce litter and establish a beverage container recycling system in California.
This system—known as the Beverage Container Recycling Program—suffered a significant setback in January 2016 stemming from a reduction in fees paid by the state to recyclers and a precipitous decline in global commodities prices.
This led to the closure of nearly 1,000 recycling centers in the last two years—roughly 38% of the statewide total—leaving consumers in many communities without a local redemption opportunity. There are now 129 California cities and two counties with no operating redemption centers.
Subsequently, recycling rates have dropped, falling below 80% for the first time since 2008, consumers are failing to redeem $3 million per month in California Redemption Value when compared to 2015, and several thousand beverage dealers—from large grocery stores to small “mom & pop” shops—now face a new obligation to redeem containers in-store or pay a $100 per day fine.
This bill would stabilize the recycling marketplace, provide immediate, temporary relief to California’s retailers and grocers affected by the 2016 recycling center closures, and ensure consumers have local redemption opportunities.
- Bottle Bill. The Bottle Bill was established by AB 2020 (Margolin, Chapter 1290, Statutes of 1986). The purpose of the program is to be a self-funded program that encourages consumers to recycle beverage containers to prevent littering. The program accomplishes this goal by requiring consumers to pay a deposit for each eligible container purchased. Then the program guarantees consumers repayment of that deposit, the CRV, for each eligible container returned to a certified recycler. Statute includes two main goals for the program: (1) reducing litter; and, (2) achieving a recycling rate of 80% for eligible containers.
Over the last few years, various concerns about the program have been raised, such as the structural deficit, the effectiveness of some supplemental programs supported by the program, fraud, and whether some offsets support the goals of the program. Falling scrap values have created financial challenges for recyclers. Since 2013, nearly 1,000 recycling centers have closed, roughly 38% of the statewide total, leaving many Californians without redemption opportunities.
The Administration has attempted to collaborate with stakeholders on a comprehensive reform of the Bottle Bill that is intended to align with the state’s climate change goals and the state’s 75% solid waste reduction, recycling, and composting goal, as well as creating long-term fiscal sustainability. CalRecycle has proposed a policy framework for modernizing the program based on the following principles: a) Improving recycling and remanufacturing; b) Sharing responsibility; and, c) Enhancing adaptability and sustainability. However, CalRecycle has not sponsored legislation to accomplish these goals and several legislative policy and budget proposals have failed.
- Eligible containers. Only certain beverage containers containing certain beverages are part of the CRV program. Most containers made from glass, plastic, aluminum, and bimetal (consisting of one or more metals) are eligible. Wine, spirits, milk, fruit juices over 46 ounces, vegetable juices over 16 ounces, and soy drinks are not eligible for CRV. Container types that are not included in the CRV program are cartons, pouches, and any container that holds 64 ounces or more.
- PMDP. The Plastic Market Development Payment uses Bottle Bill funds to make payments of up to $150 per ton to California-based processors and manufacturers that recycle and utilize post-consumer plastic beverage containers. In 2007-09, the total amount of funds authorized was $5 million. Beginning in 2010, the Legislature increased this payment authority to $10 million annually. This program sunsetted on January 1, 2018. This bill would extend the sunset until 2024.
- Recycling convenience zones. According to CalRecycle, a convenience zone is typically a half-mile radius within the center point originating at a supermarket that: a) Is identified in the Progressive Grocer Marketing Guidebook; b) Has gross annual sales of $2 million or more; and, c) Is considered a "full-line" store that sells a line of dry groceries, canned goods, or non-food items and perishable items.
In some instances, a convenience zone may be larger than a half mile. For example, an interested person may petition CalRecycle for a three-mile convenience zone to be created in a rural region when there are at least two dealers within three miles of a singular recycling center, and where the dealers are a mile or less apart and have an aggregate sales volume of at least $2 million gross annual sales. Convenience zones are intended to provide consumers opportunities to redeem containers near where beverages are purchased.
Recycling centers are privately owned and operated by individuals, profit, and nonprofit organizations. They are certified by CalRecycle and must adhere to standards to help provide the public the service they need (e.g., operating at least 30 hours per week and signs depicting prices paid for beverage containers).
Overlapping convenience zones are common in commercial zoning areas throughout the state. If a recycler is on-site at one convenience zone where one or more convenience zones overlap, each of these zones are served by this recycler. Accordingly, it is not necessary in such cases for each convenience zone to support its own recycling center.
A convenience zone may be exempt from the requirement to have a recycling center within its boundaries if one or more conditions are met, including ease of access to redemption center by consumers, reasonable distance to next closest recycling center, consumers in area predominantly use curbside program for recycling, and recycling centers in the area fail to meet a sufficient volume for economic viability.
- Handling fees. Handling fees are monthly payments made by CalRecycle to recycling centers that meet certain eligibility requirements. A recycler can receive a monthly handling fee payment for each eligible container redeemed at an eligible center. CalRecycle makes handling fee payments to recyclers to provide incentives for the convenient redemption of beverage containers. These payments encourage redemption and reward operational efficiency at supermarket site recycling centers, nonprofit convenience zone recycling centers, and rural region recycling centers operating within convenience zones. The amount of the base handling fee is determined by a cost survey to determine recycling costs per container. Due to a number of factors, including the closure of many of the state's smaller volume recycling centers, increasing labor costs, and low oil prices, which puts recycled plastic at an economic disadvantage, handling fees have been too low to maintain California's recycling center infrastructure.
Handling fees have dropped significantly in recent years. In July, 2015, the handling fee was $0.01046. In 2016, it dropped to $0.00950. On June 15th, CalRecycle announced that on July 1, 2018, the handling fee will drop again to $0.00833. This bill freezes handling fees at the 2015 amount until 2021 with the intent of preventing additional recycling center closures. - Recycling centers and unserved zones. When a recycling center closes, the convenience zone in which it was located becomes "unserved." In recent years, hundreds of recycling centers have closed. It is hard to determine exact numbers, because when a center closes it rarely notifies CalRecycle of the closure. However, based on CalRecycle data, over 900 centers have closed since 2013. Some areas continue to do well. Los Angeles County has one recycling center per 21,000 residents. However, other areas have lost nearly all of their recycling centers. Marin County has one recycling center per 131,000 residents.
- Option A or Option B? Current law provides that when a convenience zone is unserved, the responsibility to redeem then falls on the dealer, i.e., a supermarket. A supermarket is required to either redeem CRV beverage containers in-store (Option A) or pay a daily fee of $100 to CalRecycle in order to opt out of redeeming CRV containers in-store (Option B). These options serve as alternatives for fulfilling a duty to provide redemption opportunities to consumers.
- Fine or fee? The fee has been referred to as a "fine" and each option as a "sanction." However, a "fee" pays for a service, or in this case, an in-lieu fee to compensate for waiving the responsibility of performing a service. A fee is not a fine. A fine is levied as an enforcement measure and may be considered a form of punishment. The Bottle Bill contains an entire chapter dedicated to enforcement that includes penalties as well as disciplinary actions; the in-lieu fee provision is located in the chapter that relates to beverage container returns.
To characterize the statutory requirement for a store to fulfill an obligation to provide consumers an opportunity to redeem their beverage containers as a form of punishment is not accurate.
The option for a dealer to pay the $100/day fee in lieu of taking back containers has been in statute since the enactment of the Bottle Bill in 1986 and has not been amended since 1994. The amount of the fee has not been adjusted for inflation, which in today's dollars is the equivalent of nearly $220. This bill proposes to exempt a large number of dealers from having to comply with this provision of the Bottle Bill. Considering $100 was worth significantly more in 1986, is it an unreasonable burden for a supermarket, with gross annual sales of $2 million or more, to pay a $100 per day fee in lieu of taking back CRV beverage containers, which is fairly common in other Bottle Bill programs?
- What about Option A? According to CalRecycle, 3,473 out of 4,116 dealers located in unserved convenience zones have agreed to redeem CRV in-store. Option B was selected by 102 dealers, and CalRecycle has begun charging the in lieu fee to another 219 dealers who have not selected Option A or Option B.
The Bottle Bill designates the dealers as the backstop for providing consumers a convenient opportunity to redeem their CRV and has done so for decades. Based on the numbers above, a substantial number of dealers are taking back beverage containers in-store in order to fulfill their responsibility as that backstop, seems to indicate that this option is feasible.
Moreover, any dealers that are currently redeeming containers located in a convenience zone that would be exempted by this bill would no longer be required to take-back those containers, further reducing existing redemption opportunities for consumers.
- What about the consumers? The Bottle Bill has a large and effective number of stakeholders that are engaged in efforts to update and improve the program. However, there is no entity representing the interests of consumers. This bill would provide a temporary relief for some dealers, but may negatively impact consumers who will be unable to redeem their CRV. This creates an unreasonable hardship for some Californians, and essentially turns the CRV into a fee rather than a deposit.
The core of the Bottle Bill is that this is a redemption program. Is it prudent to cut off the last convenient opportunity for consumers to get back their CRV if a dealer would have chosen to take back containers in-store if not for this bill – like so many dealers who have already committed to doing so? - What about the environment? As noted above, the core of the Bottle Bill is the CRV; this core factor is how the program prevents litter – its primary goal. Consumers have a financial incentive to redeem their containers rather than littering. If CRV redemption is not conveniently available, the incentive to not litter beverage containers is eliminated. Is it sound public policy to further reduce the Bottle Bill's incentive to reduce litter?
- State of emergency? The law requires that in order to adopt emergency regulations, they must be necessary for the "immediate preservation of the public peace, health and safety, and general welfare." The Office of Administrative Law (OAL) defines an emergency as "a situation that calls for immediate actions to avoid serious harm to the public peace, health, safety, or general welfare." Unlike many other emergency regulations, which remain in effect for only 180 days, emergency regulations adopted by CalRecycle under this bill remain in effect until revised by the director.
The regular rulemaking process generally involves workshops or public meetings to discuss the proposed regulations prior to noticing the formal rulemaking process. Once the regulations are noticed, the Administrative Procedures Act requires a minimum 45-day public comment period and additional 15-day public comment periods for any substantial modifications. In contrast, emergency regulations allow for very limited public involvement. Interested parties are provided five days' notice prior to filing, followed by five days to submit comments to OAL. If approved, emergency regulations go into effect 10 days after being submitted to OAL. - Related legislation.
SB 854 (Committee on Budget) is the omnibus resources trailer bill and includes a provision that would extend the sunset for the Plastic Market Development Payment Program from 2018 to 2022. At this analysis was drafted, this bill was enrolled.
AB 2493 (Bloom) requires CalRecycle to adopt regulations on or before December 1, 2020 to define "convenience zone." This bill is in Senate Appropriations Committee.
AB 2766 (Berman) extends the sunset for the Plastic Market Development Payment Program from 2018 to 2024 and provides for retroactive payments to eligible entities from January 1, 2018. This bill is in Senate Appropriations Committee.
REGISTERED SUPPORT / OPPOSITION:
Support
7-Eleven
Alameda Recycling and Metals
ASCO Metals
Bulldog Recycling
California Retailers Association
Californians Against Waste
Camarillo Recycling
D.C. Metals and Recycling
E&C Recycling
Euclid Plaza Recycling
Greenday
Mings Resources and Recycling
Mt. Communities Recycle Center
Recology
Recycling Zone
Republic Services
Roberto #39;s Recycling
Rob's Recycling
Rudy #39;s Metals
Sage County Recycling
Save the Earth Recycling
S.L.V. Redemption Recycling Centers
SOS Recycling
Vaca Recycling
Waste Management
Opposition
Glass Packaging Institute
Recycling Innovations
rePlanet
Analysis Prepared by: Elizabeth MacMillan / NAT. RES. /
Office of Senate Floor Analyses (916) 651-1520 Fax: (916) 327-4478 | SB |
CONSENT
Bill No: SB 452
:
SENATE GOVERNMENTAL ORG. COMMITTEE: 13-0, 4/25/17
AYES: Glazer, Berryhill, Bradford, Cannella, Dodd, Gaines, Galgiani, Hill, Hueso, Lara, Mendoza, Portantino, Vidak
SENATE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE: Senate Rule 28.8
DIGEST: This bill adds “cyberattacks” to the list of conditions that are named in the California Emergency Services Act (Act) that may be cited to support the proclamation of a state of emergency or local emergency.
ANALYSIS:
Existing law:
- Specifies those events constituting a state or local emergency for purposes of the Act and provides for specified activities in preparation for, or response to, those events.
- Defines “state of emergency” as a duly proclaimed existence of conditions of disaster or of extreme peril to the safety of persons and property within the state by such conditions as air pollution, fire, flood, storm, epidemic, riot, drought, sudden and severe energy shortage, plant or animal infestation or disease, the Governor’s warning of an earthquake or volcanic prediction, or an earthquake, or other conditions, other than conditions resulting from a labor controversy or conditions causing a “state of war emergency,” which, by reason of their magnitude, are or are likely to be beyond the control of the services, personnel, equipment, and facilities of any single county, city and county, or city and require the combined forces of a mutual aid region or regions to combat, or with respect to regulated energy utilities, a sudden and severe energy shortage requires extraordinary measures beyond the authority vested in the California Public Utilities Commission.
- Defines “local emergency” to mean a duly proclaimed existence of conditions of disaster or of extreme peril to the safety or persons and property within the territorial limits of a county, city and county, or city caused by such conditions as air pollution, fire, flood, storm, epidemic, riot, drought, sudden and severe energy shortage, plant or animal infestation or disease, the Governor’s warning of an earthquake or volcanic prediction, or an earthquake, or other conditions, other than conditions resulting from a labor controversy, which are or are likely to be beyond the control of services, personnel, equipment, and facilities of that political subdivision and require the combined forces of other political subdivisions to combat, or with respect to regulated energy utilities, a sudden and severe energy shortage requires extraordinary measures beyond the authority vested in the California Public Utilities Commission.
- Authorizes the Governor to proclaim a state of emergency in an area affected or likely to be affected when conditions of disaster or extreme peril exists, he or she is requested to do so upon request from a designated local government official, or when he or she finds that the local authority is inadequate to cope with the emergency.
- Provides the Governor, during a state of emergency, to have complete authority over all agencies of the state government and the right to exercise within the area designated all police power vested in the state by the Constitution and laws of the State of California in order to effectuate the purposes of the Act.
- Authorizes the Governor, during a state of emergency, to direct all agencies of the state government to utilize and employ state personnel, equipment, and facilities for the performance of any and all activities designed to prevent or alleviate actual and threatened damage due to the agency; and allows the Governor to direct such agencies to provide supplemental services and equipment to political subdivisions to restore any services which must be restored in order to provide for the health and safety of the citizens of the affected area.
- Provides that a local emergency may be called by the governing body of a city, county, or city and county, or by an official designated by ordinance adopted by that governing body. In periods of local emergency, political subdivisions have full power to provide mutual aid to any affected area in accordance with local ordinances, resolutions, emergency plans, or agreements. State agencies may provide mutual aid, including personnel, equipment, and or available resources, to assist political subdivisions during a local emergency or in accordance with mutual aid agreements or at the direction of the Governor.
- Authorizes, during a local emergency, the governing body of a political subdivision, or officials designated thereby, may promulgate orders and regulations necessary to provide for the protection of life and property, including orders of regulations imposing a curfew within designated boundaries where necessary to preserve the public order and safety.
This bill adds “cyberattacks” to the list of conditions that are named in the Act that may be cited to support the proclamation of a state of emergency or local emergency.
Comments
Purpose of the bill. The bill simply adds “cyberattacks” to the list of conditions that are named in the Act that may be cited to support the proclamation of a state of emergency or local emergency. The author states that, “with the increase of cyberattacks upon our governments and private businesses, it is crucial that cyberattacks be added to the list of conditions constituting a state of emergency and a local emergency.”
The author further states that, “by adding cyberattacks to the list of conditions constituting a state of emergency and a local emergency, this bill will provide the Governor and local governments with a necessary tool to quickly respond to cyberattacks.”
Related/Prior Legislation
SB 531 (Galgiani, 2017) revises the definition of a local emergency to include conditions of extreme peril to the safety of a person and property within the territorial limits of districts established by the Harbors and Navigation Code. (Pending on the Senate Floor)
AB 220 (Ridley-Thomas, 2017) adds “acute homelessness” to the list of conditions constituting a state of emergency and a local emergency. (Pending in the Assembly Governmental Organization Committee)
AB 1841 (Irwin, Chapter 508, Statutes of 2016) required the Department of Technology, in consultation with the Office of Emergency Services, to update the Technology Recovery Plan element of the State Administrative Manual to ensure the inclusion of cybersecurity strategy incident response standards for each state agency to secure its critical infrastructure controls and critical infrastructure information.
AB 2306 (Donnelly, 2012) would have added “border security” to the list of conditions constituting a state of emergency and a local emergency. (Failed passage in the Assembly Governmental Organization Committee)
FISCAL EFFECT: Appropriation: Fiscal Com.: Local:
None received
OPPOSITION: (Verified 5/16/17)
None received
5/19/17 10:10:13
**** END ****
SENATE COMMITTEE ON GOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATION
Senator Steven Glazer
Chair
2017 - 2018 Regular
Bill No: SB Hearing Date: 4/25/2017
Author: | Glazer | ||
Version: | Introduced | ||
Urgency: | Fiscal: | ||
Consultant: | |||
SUBJECT:
DIGEST: This bill adds “cyberattacks” to the list of conditions that are named in the California Emergency Services Act (Act) that may be cited to support the proclamation of a state of emergency or local emergency.
ANALYSIS:
Existing law:
- Specifies those events constituting a state or local emergency for purposes of the Act and provides for specified activities in preparation for, or response to, those events.
- Defines “state of emergency” as a duly proclaimed existence of conditions of disaster or of extreme peril to the safety of persons and property within the state by such conditions as air pollution, fire, flood, storm, epidemic, riot, drought, sudden and severe energy shortage, plant or animal infestation or disease, the Governor’s warning of an earthquake or volcanic prediction, or an earthquake, or other conditions, other than conditions resulting from a labor controversy or conditions causing a “state of war emergency,” which, by reason of their magnitude, are or are likely to be beyond the control of the services, personnel, equipment, and facilities of any single county, city and county, or city and require the combined forces of a mutual aid region or regions to combat, or with respect to regulated energy utilities, a sudden and severe energy shortage requires extraordinary measures beyond the authority vested in the California Public Utilities Commission.
- Defines “local emergency” to mean a duly proclaimed existence of conditions of disaster or of extreme peril to the safety or persons and property within the territorial limits of a county, city and county, or city caused by such conditions as air pollution, fire, flood, storm, epidemic, riot, drought, sudden and severe energy shortage, plant or animal infestation or disease, the Governor’s warning of an earthquake or volcanic prediction, or an earthquake, or other conditions, other than conditions resulting from a labor controversy, which are or are likely to be beyond the control of services, personnel, equipment, and facilities of that political subdivision and require the combined forces of other political subdivisions to combat, or with respect to regulated energy utilities, a sudden and severe energy shortage requires extraordinary measures beyond the authority vested in the California Public Utilities Commission.
- Authorizes the Governor to proclaim a state of emergency in an area affected or likely to be affected when conditions of disaster or extreme peril exists, he or she is requested to do so upon request from a designated local government official, or when he or she finds that the local authority is inadequate to cope with the emergency.
- Provides the Governor, during a state of emergency, to have complete authority over all agencies of the state government and the right to exercise within the area designated all police power vested in the state by the Constitution and laws of the State of California in order to effectuate the purposes of the Act.
- Authorizes the Governor, during a state of emergency, to direct all agencies of the state government to utilize and employ state personnel, equipment, and facilities for the performance of any and all activities designed to prevent or alleviate actual and threatened damage due to the agency; and allows the Governor to direct such agencies to provide supplemental services and equipment to political subdivisions to restore any services which must be restored in order to provide for the health and safety of the citizens of the affected area.
- Provides that a local emergency may be called by the governing body of a city, county, or city and county, or by an official designated by ordinance adopted by that governing body. In periods of local emergency, political subdivisions have full power to provide mutual aid to any affected area in accordance with local ordinances, resolutions, emergency plans, or agreements. State agencies may provide mutual aid, including personnel, equipment, and or available resources, to assist political subdivisions during a local emergency or in accordance with mutual aid agreements or at the direction of the Governor.
- Authorizes, during a local emergency, the governing body of a political subdivision, or officials designated thereby, may promulgate orders and regulations necessary to provide for the protection of life and property, including orders of regulations imposing a curfew within designated boundaries where necessary to preserve the public order and safety.
This bill adds “cyberattacks” to the list of conditions that are named in the Act that may be cited to support the proclamation of a state of emergency or local emergency.
Background
Purpose of the bill. The bill simply adds “cyberattacks” to the list of conditions that are named in the Act that may be cited to support the proclamation of a state of emergency or local emergency. The author states that, “with the increase of cyberattacks upon our governments and private businesses, it is crucial that cyberattacks be added to the list of conditions constituting a state of emergency and a local emergency.”
The author further states that, “by adding cyberattacks to the list of conditions constituting a state of emergency and a local emergency, this bill will provide the Governor and local governments with a necessary tool to quickly respond to cyberattacks.”
Cyber threats in California. According to the California Military Department (CMD), California's size and importance makes it vulnerable to cyber incidents that disrupt business, shutdown critical infrastructure and compromise intellectual property or national security.
CMD calls cybercrime "a growth industry" causing $400 billion in negative impacts annually on the global economy. Thirty percent of all cyberattacks and other malicious activity are targeted at the government, making these networks and systems the most vulnerable targets of cybercrime.
According to CMD, the threat to government networks has never been higher. “Hacktivists”, nation-states, cyber criminals and other threat groups are attacking government networks to steal sensitive information and make a political/economic statement. It is not known how many attacks, whether successful or unsuccessful, have been made against state agency computers over the past year.
Prior/Related Legislation
SB 531 (Galgiani, 2017) would authorize a district established under the Harbors and Navigation Code or by an official designated by ordinance adopted by that governing body to proclaim a local emergency. (Pending in Senate Governmental Organization Committee)
AB 220 (Ridley-Thomas, 2017) would add “acute homelessness” to the list of conditions constituting a state of emergency and a local emergency. (Pending in Assembly Governmental Organization Committee)
AB 1841 (Irwin, Chapter 508, Statutes of 2016) requires the Department of Technology, in consultation with the Office of Emergency Services, to update the Technology Recovery Plan element of the State Administrative Manual to ensure the inclusion of cybersecurity strategy incident response standards for each state agency to secure its critical infrastructure controls and critical infrastructure information.
AB 2306 (Donnelly, 2012) would have added “border security” to the list of conditions constituting a state of emergency and a local emergency. (Failed passage in Assembly Governmental Organization Committee)
FISCAL EFFECT: Appropriation: No Fiscal Com.: Yes Local: No
SUPPORT:
None received
OPPOSITION:
None received
Bill Author
Bill Co-Author(s):