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California Legislators to make our State more environmentally healthy
by JANE BOGNER
SUNDAY, April 17, 2005

New environmental and recycling bills are beginning to circulate around our state capitol. Here are a few highlights.

SB 942 (Chesbro) and AB 1612 (Pavley) is officially called the Litter Reduction and Prevention Act of 2005. It will add a pollution reduction fee to each pack of cigarettes sold to help offset the enormous costs associated with cigarette pollution and litter. Officials calculate that 4,125 tons of cigarettes are discarded annually in California. These butts would fill a convoy of more than 450 garbage trucks.

Cigarette litter is the number one item found during beach cleanups and in storm drains. I can attest to that as VALCORE volunteers ‘litterly' gave up picking up butts on our last Adopt-a-street cleanup along Curtola Parkway. The money collected from this fee will be used for cleanup costs, for programs to discourage smoking, and to educate smokers on the pollution caused by cigarette litter.

Tire Recycling
AB 338 (Levine) has reintroduced a bill requiring Caltrans to increase their use of crumb rubber from recycled tires in asphalt pavements. The bill, AB 338, was vetoed last session due to concerns about international treaties such as NAFTA.

No More AOL CDs
AB 1193 (Hancock) would require any sender of a mass mailing of unsolicited compact disks to provide a postage paid return mailing envelope that would allow the recipient to return the disc.

Apartment Recycling
AB 399 (Montanez) will require the California Integrated Waste Management Board and local jurisdictions to increase recycling opportunities for residents living in multi-family dwellings.

Packaging
AB 1049 (Koretz) will require (in 2007) all rigid plastic packaging used for beverages and food to be labeled with the resin code and instructions on appropriate disposal method. I would have included in this bill that only recyclable resins can be used. If there is no market for recycling the packaging, then it shouldn't be allowed.

Bicycles 
AB 1103 (Karnette) will add a charge of $7 to each new bicycle sold. This fee will be returned to cities to establish certified recycling centers to reduce waste by recycling and reusing bicycles. One comment on this bill was to change it to just prohibit any scrap metal from going into landfills.

Household Batteries
AB 1125 (Pavley) will require a retailer of household batteries to collect used batteries for reuse, recycling or proper disposal including the take-back at no cost from the consumer of used household batteries. Currently, VALCORE Recycling accepts household batteries during regular business hours. Car Batteries can be taken to Vallejo Garbage on Thursday, Friday or Saturday.

Green Labels
SB 369 (Simitian) Requires the California EPA to establish criteria on Ecological Labeling of products and services.

Landfills
SB 411 (Alarcon) Makes a statement of the Legislature's intent to enact legislation that would reduce the expansion of landfills by reducing the use of materials that do not biodegrade.

Buy Recycled
SB 1106 (Committee on Environmental Quality) Among other things, this bill would require public entities to purchase recycled products instead of nonrecycled products.

For more information about these bills and to received e-mail updates, go to www.sen.ca.gov or www.assembly.ca.gov. Click on Legislation and enter the bill number or key work. 

We hope to see you at the Earth Day celebration downtown Vallejo on April 23 during Farmers Market or at the E-Waste recycling event at Vallejo Garbage the same day. Call 55-EARTH or go to www.recycle-guide.com for information.

VALCORE Recycling Vice President Jane Bogner's "A Sorted Affair" is published every other week in the Times-Herald, Community Outlook Section. For recycling information call Genie Kaggerud, VALCORE Recycling manager at 645-8258 or visit www.VALCORErecycling.org.

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