2001 Annual Report: Waste Prevention and Market Development

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• Recycling Business Loans
• Reuse Assistance Grants
• Sustainable Building Executive Order
• Green Building
• Waste Reduction Program
• State Agency Buy Recycled Campaign
• Recycled Product Trade Show
• Rigid Plastic Packaging Containers
• Plastic Trash Bags
• Plastics Analysis

Recycling Business Loans
Financial barriers stymie full market development for salvageable goods in California and deeply concern the Board. Funding worthwhile projects is a goal that continues to attract Board attention. During 2001, the Board funded recycling market development loans to seven recycling businesses totaling $4.2 million. Approximately $8 million remains available in the Board’s 2001/02 budget for new loans.

In 2002, with assistance from a contractor, staff will identify and implement the most effective leveraging options to obtain outside long-term funding for its Recycling Market Development Zone loan program.

Reuse Assistance Grants
Reuse Assistance Grants provide incentives to local public agencies to promote and apply the concept of reuse to their business communities. In April 2001, the Board completed the second grant cycle, awarding a total of $250,000 to six recipients. Twenty applications were submitted in November 2001 for the third grant cycle, funded in the Board’s fiscal year 2001-02 budget at $250,000; the Board will announce the awards in early 2002.

Sustainable Building Executive Order
Executive Order D-16-00, the Governor's Sustainable Building Executive Order, established a goal for State agencies to site, design, deconstruct, construct, renovate, operate, and maintain State buildings that are models of energy, water, and materials efficiency, while providing healthy, productive, and comfortable indoor environments and long-term benefits to Californians. In response to this goal, Building Better Buildings: A Blueprint for Sustainable State Facilities was prepared by the interdisciplinary Sustainable Building Task Force to implement the executive order. The Blueprint was approved by the Governor’s Office in 2001.

The Blueprint demonstrates a strong commitment to architectural sustainability and advances many goals of the Board and Cal/EPA, including greater use of recycled-content products; more efficient use of construction and demolition materials; better landscaping designs that require less water, fewer pesticides, and incorporate mulches and compost; improved indoor air quality; and greater energy efficiency.

The Board continues to play a vital role in this effort, updating the Sustainable Building Task Force Web site as new information becomes available, and participating in the implementation of specific Blueprint recommendations. Completed action items include the following tasks:

• Conducted training sessions for the Department of General Services and other State entities.
• Developed the LEED Supplement for California State Facilities (performance standards) and assisted with the development of a Best Practices Manual for schools (through the Collaborative for High Performance Schools).
• Developed reference specifications for State buildings incorporating environmental performance standards.
• Developed a checklist of Department of Finance-approved green building features that are attached to each DGS architecture and engineering contract for new construction.
• Encouraged the ongoing activities of the California Green Building Collaborative, a network of local governments with green building activities.

Green Building
Green buildings are an environmentally conscientious approach embraced by knowledgeable parties—including the Board—who concede the time is ripe for such architectural innovation. With Board approval in 2001, $500,000 is available to provide green building contracts to local government and State agencies. These funds advance sustainable building concepts and products and the incorporation of used and waste tires in building and educational projects throughout the state. Requests for proposals will be distributed in January 2002; contracts should be finalized by the second quarter.

Waste Reduction Program
With the cooperation of the Cal/EPA's boards, departments, and offices and the Thomas Properties Group, an innovative waste reduction program was implemented in the Cal/EPA headquarters building in March 2001 with the Board’s guidance. This model waste prevention and recycling program showcases new and unique techniques that State agencies and other large building occupants can use to substantially reduce waste.

The Board-administered Waste Reduction Awards Program (WRAP), which recognizes the immense voluntary efforts private businesses make towards local diversion goals, set a record for participation in 2001. With more than 2,300 individual awards awarded to outstanding California businesses, this year’s efforts resulted in a 25 percent increase of waste reducing/recycling WRAP winners from the previous record-setting year.

Entering its 10th year in 2002, WRAP will herald a new phase by recognizing improvements to business waste reduction efforts-steps that go beyond adopting a recycling program. While still intent on increasing the number of businesses applying for the program, WRAP’s new emphasis will be on enhancing the quality of information secured through the application and the programs being featured.

State Agency Buy Recycled Campaign
The State Agency Buy Recycled Campaign (SABRC) is a joint effort between the Board and the Department of General Services (DGS) to implement California law requiring State agencies and the Legislature to purchase products with recycled content. Each year, agencies report their recycled-content purchases to the Board. Reports for fiscal year 2000-01 show $260.3 million in total reportable purchases, of which $216.7 million was spent on recycled-content products (RCP). This is a dramatic improvement over the fiscal year 1999-2000, when $210.8 million in total reportable purchases and $167.2 million in RCP purchases were reported. That increase in total RCP purchases, accomplished over a one-year period, indicates that State agencies are embracing recycled-content product procurement practices with good success.

The Board will continue to increase outreach efforts to State agencies with the dual goals of improving reporting and increasing RCP procurement. Additionally, the Board will look to the DGS for an increase in the number of RCPs available on statewide procurement contracts, increased use of the recycled-content certification form, and increased SABRC presence in DGS training, outreach, Web site, and promotional activities and publications.

Recycled Product Trade Show
The Second Annual Recycled Product Trade Show in 2001 was another huge success. This premiere venue continues to attract State agency, local government, and private sector procurement personnel to learn about RCPs. Approximately 1,500 attendees enjoyed 140 exhibits of a wide variety of recycled-content products and supplies. Evaluations from attendees and exhibitors promise another strong showing at the two-day 2002 Trade Show in April at the Disneyland Hotel in Anaheim.

Intended to link the power of public agency purchasing programs to RCP suppliers, the trade show has dual purposes: to increase RCP procurement and to strengthen markets for secondary materials being diverted in California's local jurisdictions.

Rigid Plastic Packaging Containers
The Board filed emergency regulations in September 2001 aimed at enhancing industry compliance with the rigid plastic packaging container (RPPC) program. The regulations allow companies that package products in RPPCs to more effectively plan their future compliance with the law by giving companies advance notice of any potential compliance options.

In 2002, the Board will conduct RPPC law compliance certifications for the years 2000 and 2001. These certifications will determine whether regulated companies complied with the rigid plastic packaging container law in those years. The Board will also survey plastic processors, in cooperation with the Department of Conservation, in order to calculate the 2001 recycling rates for all RPPCs and for polyethylene terephthalate (PET) containers covered under the law.

Plastic Trash Bags
California law requires plastic trash bag manufacturers and wholesalers to use at least 10 percent recycled plastic in their trash bags or 30 percent recycled plastic in all of their other products. In 2001 the Board prepared a report to the Legislature on this minimum-content law. The Board surveyed plastic trash bag manufacturers, prepared a report of the findings, and made recommendations on requirements to use recycled plastic in trash bags. Workshops are planned in 2002 to solicit comments from trash bag manufacturers and other stakeholders on the report’s recommendations.

Plastics Analysis
The Board, in cooperation with the Department of Conservation, has embarked on a systematic analysis of the manufacturing, use, disposal, and recycling of plastics in California. Through this effort, a “ white paper” will explore innovative solutions for overcoming obstacles faced by local jurisdictions, waste haulers, and recyclers attempting to collect more plastic from the waste stream, and assist manufacturers in using more postconsumer plastic resin in products and packaging. Such acts enable the Board to refocus efforts in managing plastics from RPPC to all types of plastics within the waste stream. The ultimate goal is to increase the recycling of plastic, increase the use of recycled plastic, and conserve resources.

The Board held issue-framing sessions for several stakeholder groups, including environmental organizations, waste management firms, beverage and container manufacturers, and recycling market development zone administrators, in 2001. These framing sessions will be used to prepare a background paper for two statewide workshops in the spring of 2002.

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