Californians Against Waste 2007 Legislation Wrap-Up

AB 48 was in response the California Department of Toxic Substances Control's (DTSC's), ban on the disposal of most consumer electronics due to the presence of toxic heavy metals.

It's been more than 5 years since DTSC identified consumer electronics as toxic and announced their plan to ban disposal. California continues to dispose of more than 500,000 tons of toxic electronics annually due to lack of awareness and opportunity.

I'm afraid that at this point we've exhausted our administrative and legislative remedies in trying to curb the illegal disposal of toxic electronics. For the foreseeable future it will have to be up to consumers and the courts to sort out what electronic products are safe and what products should be prohibited from sale.

Energy Efficiency and Pollution Prevention Bill Signed

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed into law groundbreaking legislation creating a comprehensive strategy to increase energy efficiency and reduce the amount of hazardous waste in today's lighting.

AB 1109 by Assemblymember Jared Huffman (D-San Rafael) will substantially reduce California's energy consumption over the next ten years, while also bringing the state forward in the fight on global warming with the potential to reduce CO2 emissions by more than 6 million tons.

Governor Signs Pharmaceutical Disposal Bill

Governor Schwarzenegger signed SB 966 (Simitian), which will allow local governments, retail pharmacies and other organizations, in consultation with various state agencies, to develop programs for the take back and proper disposal of unused or expired pharmaceutical drugs.

Beverage Container Recycling Funding Legislation Signed

SB 1021 by Senator Padilla was signed by the Governor into law. The bill, aimed at increasing recycling opportunities in multifamily dwellings, will use unclaimed bottle bill deposits to help fund multifamily recycling programs.

Other Significant Legislative Actions

-AB 1108 (Ma) - Prohibits the use of specified phthalate chemicals in toys and childcare products designed for children up to 3 years old; prohibits the use of chemicals known to cause cancer or reproductive toxicity as a replacement for banned phthalates. Signed by Governor Schwarzenegger.

-AB 888 (Lieu and Laird) - Requires large commercial buildings built after 2013 to meet minimum green building standards adopted by the state or, if no standards are adopted, the LEED Gold standard. LEED is the internationally recognized green building guideline established by the U.S. Green Building Council and already used by the Governor in his green building executive order. Vetoed by Governor Schwarzenegger.

-AB 258 (Krekorian) - Sets up a task force to monitor and regulate the release of preproducution plastic pellets released into the marine environment. Signed by Governor Schwarzenegger.

Some Recycling News Updates

Oct 10 - Officials Not Doing Enough to Regulate Toxins in Consumer Products

Oct 10 - Zero Waste Starts in the Supermarket

Oct 8 - PG&E Observes National Energy Awareness Month, Gives Away CFLs

Oct 1 - Easy Access to Recycling Not Uniform in California
Sept 25 - Millbrae Adopts Polystyrene Ban

Sept 21 - Efforts to Recycle Polystyrene Leave Out Problematic Food Packaging

Mark Murray is the Executive Director of the environmental group Californians Against Waste (CAW). He lobbies for CAW and is recognized as one of the environmental communities leading experts on waste prevention and recycling policies. CAW has been actively involved in the development, negotiation and passage of virtually every piece of waste reduction and recycling legislation enacted in California.