California Assembly Bill AB2579 Introduced / Bill

 BILL NUMBER: AB 2579INTRODUCED BILL TEXT INTRODUCED BY Assembly Member Low FEBRUARY 19, 2016 An act to amend Section 14501 of the Public Resources Code, relating to recycling. LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST AB 2579, as introduced, Low. California Beverage Container Recycling and Litter Reduction Act. Under existing law, the Division of Recycling within the Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery administers the California Beverage Container Recycling and Litter Reduction Act. This bill would make nonsubstantive changes to the Legislature's findings and declarations relating to the act. Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: no. State-mandated local program: no. THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS: SECTION 1. Section 14501 of the Public Resources Code is amended to read: 14501. The Legislature finds and declares as follows: (a) Experience in this state and others demonstrates that financial incentives and convenient return systems ensure 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. These redemption opportunities shall consist of dealer and other shopping center locations, independent and industry operated recycling centers, curbside programs, and other recycling systems that  assure   ensure  all consumers, in every region of the state, the opportunity to return beverage containers conveniently, efficiently, and economically. (b) California grocery, beer, soft drink, container manufacturing, labor, agricultural, consumer, environmental, government, citizen, recreational, taxpayer, and recycling groups have joined together in calling for an innovative program to generate large-scale redemption and recycling of beverage containers. (c) This division establishes a beverage container recycling goal of 80 percent. (d) It is the intent of the Legislature to ensure that every container type proves its own recyclability. (e) It is the intent of the Legislature to make redemption and recycling convenient to consumers, and the Legislature hereby urges cities and counties, when exercising their zoning authority, to act favorably on the siting of multimaterial recycling centers, reverse vending machines, mobile recycling units, or other types of recycling opportunities, as necessary for consumer convenience, and the overall success of litter abatement and beverage container recycling in the state. (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 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. (g) The responsibility to provide convenient, efficient, and economical redemption opportunities rests jointly with manufacturers, distributors, dealers, recyclers, processors, and the  Division of Recycling in the  Department of  Conservation.   Resources Recycling and Recovery.  (h) It is the intent of the Legislature, in enacting this division, that all empty beverage containers redeemed shall be recycled, and that the responsibilities and regulations of the department shall be determined and implemented in a manner that favors the recycling of redeemed containers, as opposed to their disposal. (i)  Nothing in this   This  division shall  not  be interpreted as affecting the current business practices of scrap dealers or recycling centers, except that, to the extent they function as a recycling center or processor, they shall do so in accordance with this division. (j) The program established by this division will contribute significantly to the reduction of the beverage container component of litter in this state.