California Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery

Last updated
California Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery
CalRecycle logo.png
CalRecycle logo
Agency overview
Formed1989
Preceding agencies
  • California State Solid Waste Management Board
  • California Integrated Waste Management Board (CIWMB)
Headquarters Cal/EPA Building, Sacramento, California
Parent agency California Environmental Protection Agency
Website www.calrecycle.ca.gov

The California Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery (also known as CalRecycle) is a branch of the California Environmental Protection Agency that oversees the state's waste management, recycling, and waste reduction programs. CalRecycle was established in 2010 to replace the California Integrated Waste Management Board. It is known for administering the California Redemption Value (CRV) program, among other responsibilities.

Contents

History

State Solid Waste Management Board

The original waste management agency, the State Solid Waste Management Board, was established in 1972. It was renamed the California Waste Management Board in 1982. [1]

California Integrated Waste Management Board

Logo of the California Integrated Waste Management Board CIWMBlogo.png
Logo of the California Integrated Waste Management Board

The California Integrated Waste Management Board (CIWMB) was established in 1989 under AB 939 introduced by Byron Sher of the California State Assembly and signed into law by Governor George Deukmejian. [1]

The CIWMB was one of six agencies under the California Environmental Protection Agency (abbreviated Cal/EPA, to distinguish it from the federal United States Environmental Protection Agency—EPA). The CIWMB was led by a six-member policy-making Board. Four members of the Board were appointed by the governor, and each branch of the Legislature made one appointment. Board terms ran for up to four years.

In 2005, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger proposed to eliminate the CIWMB as well as 87 other state boards and commissions. [2] California state senator Tony Strickland introduced Senate Bill (SB) 63 in January 2009 to dissolve the CIWMB; Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed SB 63 into law in July 2009. [3] The California Integrated Waste Management Board—CIWMB became defunct on January 1, 2010. [3]

California Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery

The CIWMB's duties and responsibilities were transferred to the California Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery (CalRecycle), another agency within the California Environmental Protection Agency, in January 2010. [4] [3] The functions of the beverage container recycling deposit/California Redemption Value (CRV) programs established by the California Beverage Container Recycling and Litter Reduction Act (AB 2020, Margolin - 1986), or "Bottle Bill," were consolidated from California Department of Conservation, Division of Recycling into the new CalRecycle.

CalRecycle Monthly Public Meetings provide an overview of many pending and recently-made decisions, updates about ongoing department projects and work activities, and a general report from the Director of CalRecycle. [5]

January 2010 – January 2011

Margo Reid Brown, who was board chair under the previous CIMWB structure, was appointed by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger as the first chief deputy director and acting director of CalRecycle. [6]

January 2011 – February 2012

CalRecycle deputy director Mark Leary (and Executive Director of the former CIWMB from 2001 to 2010 [7] ) served as Acting Chief Deputy Director and Acting Director of CalRecycle.

February 2012 – May 2012

Mark Leary was appointed by Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. as Chief Deputy Director of CalRecycle and continued to serve as Acting Director of CalRecycle until Caroll Mortensen was appointed. [8]

October 2011 – July 2015

Caroll Mortensen was the first director of CalRecycle appointed by Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. in October 2011, confirmed unanimously by the state senate in May 2012, and served until July 2015. [9] Both Mark Leary (2011-2012) and Margo Reid Brown (2010-2011) were acting directors, but Mortensen was the first to be appointed Director of CalRecycle by the governor. Mortensen continues as a senior environmental scientist within the Legislative and External Affairs Office at CalRecycle. [10]

July 2015 – December 2019

Scott Smithline served as the director of CalRecycle [11] from July 2015 to December 2019. [12] Director Smithline was appointed by Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. and confirmed unanimously by the state senate in July 2015. [13] As director, Smithline led efforts on waste reduction and recycling as well as oversight of waste disposal in order to protect public health and the environment. Before becoming director, he served as the department's assistant director for policy development since 2011, [14] and, previously as the Director of Legal and Regulatory Affairs at Californians Against Waste. [15] Ken DeRosa is current chief deputy director of CalRecycle and was appointed by Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. in November 2012. [16]

December 2020 - Current

Rachel Wagoner was appointed as the Director of CalRecycle by Governor Newsom in December 2020. [17]

Programs and current issues

When the CIWMB was established, California diverted only 10 percent of solid waste out of landfills and into recycling and/or reuse projects. By 2007, the waste diversion rate had increased to 58 percent. The CIWMB's cooperative efforts with California's local jurisdictions (counties and municipalities) in furtherance of AB 939's mandate to reach 50 percent waste diversion contributed to the rise.[ citation needed ]

The CIWMB worked to implement programs to seek "a higher and better use" for an estimated 92 million tons of waste generated each year in California. Specifically, the CIWMB provided grants and loans that helped California's recycling industry; used incentive grants and loans to help spur the private sector into developing new markets for recycled materials; cleaned up solid waste disposal sites; and cleared illegal waste tire disposal sites. The CIWMB also regulated California landfills; promoted the proper disposal of used motor oil; promoted the reuse and recycling of electronic waste; coordinated the safe disposal of sharps waste; and encouraged the purchase of environmentally preferable devices.[ citation needed ]

In 2001, CIWMB became the first government agency to adopt "Zero Waste" as a strategic goal. [18]

By 2017, the recycling rates for bottles and cans in California had fallen to their lowest point in almost a decade, and critics alleged CalRecycle was not sufficiently adjusting its subsidiary processing payments to changing market conditions. [19]

Composting Goals and Regulations

According to CalRecycle, organic waste takes up about a third of California's landfills [20] with food waste alone taking up about 15.5 percent. [2] The decomposition of this organic waste in landfills contributes significantly to greenhouse gas emissions. [21] Organic waste must be diverted from landfills and to Compostable Material Handling Facilities and Operations that are permitted to compost under CalRecycle regulation Title 14, Natural Resources—Division 7, Chapter 3.1 approved April 4, 2003. This regulation was adopted as a means of implementing the provisions of the California Waste Management Act of 1989 relating to composting. [22] California operations that only compost agricultural material and sell or give away more than 2,500 cubic yards or more a year, and operations and facilities that use agricultural and clean green material and sell or give away 1,000 cubic yards or more a year are required to abide by the regulations of chapter 3.1 and obtain a Compostable Materials Handling Facility Permit under Article 2, Section 17854, unless they meet certain exclusions. [23] Handling of compostable materials during use as growth mediums on mushroom farms and Vermicomposting farms are not subject to these regulations. The regulations prohibit the composting of unprocessed mammalian tissue unless used for researching pathogen reduction, [5] treated or untreated medical waste, and hazardous waste, and require minimization of odor, impacts, litter, noise, dust, and pathogens, as well as emissions of the permitted facilities. [22]

Statewide Commission on Recycling Markets and Curbside Recycling

The California Recycling Market Development Act (AB 1583 by Assembly Member Susan Eggman) established the Statewide Commission on Recycling Markets and Curbside Recycling to advise the Department on issues related to market development, recyclability, and achieving the department's existing waste diversion goals. [24] The Director appointed 16 members to serve on the commission, and Chairwoman Heidi Sanborn stated that "the commission was created because there is a crisis in our industry, and our haulers, nonprofits and everyone in this space knows we are not achieving our goals. In fact, we are going backward, so we need to bring stakeholders together to publicly discuss problems. [25] " The commission issued 19 Preliminary Recommendations in December 2020. [26]

Nick Lapis of Californians Against Waste, a Commissioner and co-sponsor of the California Recycling Market Development Act, stated that, "China’s National Sword exposed that we thought we were recycling a lot that was going overseas that was not actually being recycled.  Now that we are forced to deal with it ourselves it puts an obligation on us to create markets. And it highlights that a lot of materials that were being shipped are not currently recyclable." [25]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Waste management</span> Activities and actions required to manage waste from its source to its final disposal

Waste management or waste disposal includes the processes and actions required to manage waste from its inception to its final disposal. This includes the collection, transport, treatment, and disposal of waste, together with monitoring and regulation of the waste management process and waste-related laws, technologies, and economic mechanisms.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zero waste</span> Philosophy that encourages the redesign of resource life cycles so that all products are reused

Zero waste, or waste minimization, is a set of principles focused on waste prevention that encourages redesigning resource life cycles so that all products are repurposed and/or reused. The goal of the movement is to avoid sending trash to landfills, incinerators, oceans, or any other part of the environment. Currently 9% of global plastic is recycled. In a zero waste system, all materials are reused until the optimum level of consumption is reached.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Waste hierarchy</span> Tool to evaluate processes protecting the environment

Waste hierarchy is a tool used in the evaluation of processes that protect the environment alongside resource and energy consumption from most favourable to least favourable actions. The hierarchy establishes preferred program priorities based on sustainability. To be sustainable, waste management cannot be solved only with technical end-of-pipe solutions and an integrated approach is necessary.

Articles related to waste management include:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Municipal solid waste</span> Type of waste consisting of everyday items discarded by the public

Municipal solid waste (MSW), commonly known as trash or garbage in the United States and rubbish in Britain, is a waste type consisting of everyday items that are discarded by the public. "Garbage" can also refer specifically to food waste, as in a garbage disposal; the two are sometimes collected separately. In the European Union, the semantic definition is 'mixed municipal waste,' given waste code 20 03 01 in the European Waste Catalog. Although the waste may originate from a number of sources that has nothing to do with a municipality, the traditional role of municipalities in collecting and managing these kinds of waste have produced the particular etymology 'municipal.'

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Greater Manchester Waste Disposal Authority</span> Former waste disposal authority for Greater Manchester

The Greater Manchester Waste Disposal Authority (GMWDA) was England's largest waste disposal authority, responsible for the management and disposal of municipal waste from Greater Manchester. It dealt with 1.1 million tonnes of waste produced each year, from approximately 1 million households and a population of over 2.27 million in the metropolitan districts of Bolton, Bury, Manchester, Oldham, Rochdale, Salford, Stockport, Tameside and Trafford — though part of Greater Manchester, the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan administers its own waste disposal operations, however they were represented on the authority for administration purposes. The waste came primarily from household waste collections and 20 household waste recycling centres (HWRCs) provided and serviced by the GMWDA. It handled around 4% of the nation's municipal waste.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Green waste</span> Biodegradable waste

Green waste, also known as "biological waste", is any organic waste that can be composted. It is most usually composed of refuse from gardens such as grass clippings or leaves, and domestic or industrial kitchen wastes. Green waste does not include things such as dried leaves, pine straw, or hay. Such materials are rich in carbon and considered "brown wastes," while green wastes contain high concentrations of nitrogen. Green waste can be used to increase the efficiency of many composting operations and can be added to soil to sustain local nutrient cycling.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Landfill diversion</span>

Waste diversion or landfill diversion is the process of diverting waste from landfills. The success of landfill diversion can be measured by comparison of the size of the landfill from one year to the next. If the landfill grows minimally or remains the same, then policies covering landfill diversion are successful. For example, currently in the United States there are 3000 landfills. A measure of the success of landfill diversion would be if that number remains the same or is reduced. In 2015 it was recorded that the national average of landfill diversion in the United States was 33.8%, while San Francisco had implemented the most effective policies and had recorded a landfill diversion rate of 77%.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Construction waste</span> Unwanted material produced directly or incidentally by the construction industries

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There is no national law in the United States that mandates recycling. State and local governments often introduce their own recycling requirements. In 2014, the recycling/composting rate for municipal solid waste in the U.S. was 34.6%. A number of U.S. states, including California, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, New York, Oregon, and Vermont have passed laws that establish deposits or refund values on beverage containers while other jurisdictions rely on recycling goals or landfill bans of recyclable materials.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">California Environmental Protection Agency</span> Environmental agency in California

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The National Waste Strategy is a policy of the Parliament of the United Kingdom as well as the devolved administrations in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. The development of national waste strategies is intended to foster a move to sustainability in waste management within the United Kingdom.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Waste</span> Unwanted or unusable materials

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Source-separated organics</span>

Source-separated organics (SSO) is the system by which waste generators segregate compostable materials from other waste streams at the source for separate collection.

The City of Oakland, California, adopted a Zero Waste Strategic Plan in 2006, detailing a road map for the city to follow toward the implementation of a Zero Waste System by 2020. As stated in a City Resolution, introduced by then Mayor Jerry Brown, Zero Waste principles:

The San Francisco Mandatory Recycling and Composting Ordinance is a local municipal ordinance requiring all persons located in San Francisco to separate their recyclables, compostables and landfilled trash and to participate in recycling and composting programs. Passed by the San Francisco Board of Supervisors in 2009, it became the first local municipal ordinance in the United States to universally require source separation of all organic material, including food residuals.

Resource recovery is using wastes as an input material to create valuable products as new outputs. The aim is to reduce the amount of waste generated, thereby reducing the need for landfill space, and optimising the values created from waste. Resource recovery delays the need to use raw materials in the manufacturing process. Materials found in municipal solid waste, construction and demolition waste, commercial waste and industrial wastes can be used to recover resources for the manufacturing of new materials and products. Plastic, paper, aluminium, glass and metal are examples of where value can be found in waste.

The Newby Island Landfill (NISL) is one of the largest active landfills on the shores of the San Francisco Bay. It is located in Santa Clara County, California in the United States. The site is located within the city limits of San Jose, California at the western terminus of Dixon Landing Road. The address is 1601 Dixon Landing Road, Milpitas. Although the address and public street access to the site are both in the City of Milpitas, the landfill property is entirely within the City of San Jose. Newby Island Landfill has a length of 5.07 km (3.15 mi). It is located West of the City of Milpitas near Dixon Landing Road and Interstate 880. It is the terminus for waste for all of San Jose (62%), Santa Clara (14%), Milpitas (10%), Cupertino (5%), Los Altos (2%) and other cities (7%). The 342-acre pile is currently permitted to operate until 2041 and may extend up to 245 feet. The landfill is an island surrounded by a levee which keeps its runoff from directly entering the bay, and the water that drains from it is treated in the landfill's own treatment plant. Electricity for the landfill is generated by burning the methane collected from the decomposition of the waste. Dried sewage sludge from the nearby San José–Santa Clara Regional Wastewater Facility is the material used as cover, mixed in with the trash, blending San Jose's waste streams. It is operated by Republic Services (Republic), which, along with Waste Management Incorporated, transports and disposes of most of the household trash in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Food waste recycling in Hong Kong</span>

Food waste recycling is a process to convert food waste into useful materials and products for achieving sustainability of the environment. Food waste is defined as all parts of food, inedible and edible, created before, during, and after food processing, production, and consumption. Greenhouse gases, especially methane can be reduced by food waste recycling. Food waste recycling can also alleviate the saturation of landfill sites in Hong Kong.

References

  1. 1 2 Edgar, Evan. An unusual obituary: the Integrated Waste Management Board. Archived 2011-07-17 at the Wayback Machine Capitol Weekly (Sacramento, CA), November 12, 2009.
  2. 1 2 (CalRecycle), California Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery. "Food Waste Composting: Regulations Review". www.calrecycle.ca.gov. Retrieved 2017-11-26.
  3. 1 2 3 Text of Senate Bill 63 as signed into law on July 28, 2009.
  4. ↑ California Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery—CalRecycle . accessed 2.14.2014.
  5. 1 2 (CalRecycle), California Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery. "Statutory and Regulatory Authority and Citations: Compostable Materials Resources". www.calrecycle.ca.gov. Retrieved 2017-11-26.
  6. ↑ "Ca. Gov. Schwarzenegger Announces Appointments to New Department of Resources, Recycling and Recovery; Appoints Margo Reid Brown Chief Deputy". California Newswire. 8 January 2010. Retrieved 2014-09-09.
  7. ↑ "Press Release: Waste Board Selects Executive Director". California Integrated Waste Management Board. Retrieved 2014-09-09.
  8. ↑ "Governor Brown Announces Appointments - February 2012". Office of Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. Archived from the original on 2014-10-20. Retrieved 2014-09-09.
  9. ↑ "Governor Brown Announces Appointments - October 2011". Office of Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. Archived from the original on 2014-10-20. Retrieved 2014-10-16.
  10. ↑ "Legislative & External Affairs Office". California Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery. Retrieved 2015-08-12.
  11. ↑ "Executive Team". California Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery. Retrieved 2015-08-12.
  12. ↑ "California recycling director to resign in December". Associated Press. Retrieved 2021-05-11.
  13. ↑ "Governor Brown Announces Appointments - July 2015". Office of Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. Archived from the original on 2015-07-22. Retrieved 2014-10-16.
  14. ↑ "Scott Smithline, Director - Meet the Executive Team". California Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery. Retrieved 2015-08-12.
  15. ↑ "Calrecycle Makes Change at the Top". MSW Management Magazine. Retrieved 2021-05-11.
  16. ↑ "Governor Brown Announces Appointments - November 2012". Office of Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. Archived from the original on 2014-10-20. Retrieved 2014-09-09.
  17. ↑ "Governor Newsom Announces Appointments 11.23.20". California Governor. 2020-11-24. Retrieved 2021-05-11.
  18. ↑ "California Adopts Zero Waste Goal in Strategic Plan". April 2002.
  19. ↑ "Recycling centers continue to struggle, driving California recycling rates down". The Mercury News. 2017-06-17. Retrieved 2019-03-21.
  20. ↑ (CalRecycle), California Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery. "Organic Materials Management: CalRecycle". www.calrecycle.ca.gov. Retrieved 2017-11-26.
  21. ↑ Taxin, Amy (2024-02-18). "California is forging ahead with food waste recycling. But is it too much, too fast?". AP News. Retrieved 2024-02-18.
  22. 1 2 "Chapter 3.1. Compostable Materials Handling Operations and Facilities Regulatory Requirements". May 28, 2009.
  23. ↑ Rice, Dorothy (March 20, 1998). "LEA Email: Composting Operations Regulatory Requirements".
  24. ↑ "Bill Text - AB-1583 The California Recycling Market Development Act". leginfo.legislature.ca.gov. Retrieved 2021-05-11.
  25. 1 2 "California Recycling Markets and Curbside Recycling Commission Works to Hammer Out Recycling Solutions". Waste360. 2020-10-16. Retrieved 2021-05-11.
  26. ↑ "Statewide Commission on Recycling Markets and Curbside Recycling". www.calrecycle.ca.gov. Retrieved 2021-05-11.
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