SB 551: Beverage containers: recycling.

The California Beverage Container Recycling and Litter Reduction Act requires plastic beverage containers sold by a beverage manufacturer, as specified, to contain a specified average percentage of postconsumer recycled plastic per year. The act requires the manufacturer of a beverage sold in a plastic beverage container subject to the California Redemption Value to report to the Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery certain information about the amounts of virgin plastic and postconsumer recycled plastic used for plastic beverage containers subject to the California Redemption Value for sale in the state in the previous calendar year. Existing law provides that a violation of the act or a regulation adopted pursuant to the act is a crime.

This bill would authorize certain beverage manufacturers to submit with other beverage manufacturers a consolidated report, in lieu of individual reports, that identifies the postconsumer recycled plastic content for beverage containers and the amounts of virgin plastic and postconsumer recycled plastic used in beverage containers, as specified. The bill would require the consolidated report to be submitted under penalty of perjury and pursuant to standardized forms prescribed by the department. The bill would authorize the department to adopt regulations to implement the bills provisions, as specified. Because these provisions would expand the scope of a crime and would create a new perjury crime, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program.

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.

This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.