California Recycling Commission Urges Policy Changes

March 5, 2021

With an attempt to bolster California’s dwindling recycle program, the state’s recycling commission recently offered 19 policy recommendations which would encourage Californians to become better educated with recycling, while aiming to reach the goal of consistently streamlining unwanted waste out of landfills.

Going as far back as 1989, California legislation has continually sought to reduce the amount of waste generated at the landfills through a series of bills. The goal was to reduce tonnage by 75% in 2020. In 2019, the state’s recovery rate was at 37%.

Facing such hurdles over the years such as contamination in the recycling stream, public confusion over what can and cannot be recycled, and the lack of a retail market for certain items, California state legislature currently seeks to establish a system-wide approach to recycling.

Comprising of representatives from large and small city governments from across the state, the 17-member commission is actively addressing some important issues within the recycling framework. Key recommendations made were addressing landfill fires caused by improper battery disposal, enacting extended producer responsibility (EPR), and finding ways to disincentivize or ban the sale of items that cannot be recycled or safely composted.

Staying ahead of the curve and taking on a more pro-active approach at the local level, OC Waste & Recycling has adopted the philosophy of pivoting strictly from simply a waste disposal entity, to a resource recovery model of disposal. Some exciting updates we are happy to report include the completion of 2 new compost facilities located in Irvine and San Juan Capistrano, with mattress recovery and metals recycling located at all 3 active sites.

At OC Waste and Recycling, we constantly strive to maintain the vision of safely managing waste, recycling resources, while protecting the environment for Orange County residents and businesses.

Please visit OC Landfills for more information or refer to our OC Recycle Guide for questions regarding recycling.