2003 Annual Report: Cross-Media Coordination

In 2003, the Board continued its collaboration with Cal/EPA boards, departments, and offices as well as with other State agencies on issues and problems that bridge environmental strata and traditional agency responsibilities.

On this page...

• Electronics Waste
• Environmental Justice
• Nonpoint Source Pollution
• Biodiesel Fuel
• Organics Regulatory Issues
• Stormwater Oil Mitigation
• Landfill Study

Electronics Waste

In September 2003, former Governor Gray Davis signed the Electronic Waste Recycling Act (SB 20, Sher, Chapter 526, Statutes of 2003). The law enacts an advance recycling fee to finance an electronic waste collection and recycling program. Board staff is working closely with DTSC to implement the act. Emergency regulations will be promulgated by June 2004. The Board has established an electronics website to keep stakeholders updated on implementation efforts. Interactive workshops were held with more than 200 stakeholders in late 2003 to discuss issues that will be addressed in the emergency regulations.

Key elements of the Electronic Waste Recycling Act include:

• Collection of an electronic waste recycling fee at the point of sale of certain products beginning July 1, 2004.
• Distribution by the Board of recovery and recycling payments to qualified entities covering the cost of electronic waste collection and recycling.
• Reporting by manufacturers on sales, use of hazardous materials, use of recycled-content materials, and design-for-recycling efforts.
• Reduction in hazardous substances used in certain electronic products sold in California.
• Directive to establish environmentally preferred purchasing criteria for State agency purchases of certain electronic equipment.

E-waste is the fastest growing component of the municipal waste stream, and it presents challenges and opportunities for government and industry. E-waste generation is increasing due to advances in technology, reductions in price to consumers, and the general pervasiveness of electronic products in modern life. An estimated one-half billion computers in the U.S. will become obsolete and require disposal options within the next five years.

In addition to implementing the Electronic Waste Recycling Act, the Board continued to support other e-waste efforts:

• Participated in the National Electronic Product Stewardship Initiative (NEPSI), which seeks a national solution and possible federal legislation for e-waste management.
• Completed and published guidelines for procurement, use, and end-of-life management to improve environmental performance of State agencies with regard to electronic equipment consumption.
• Completed and published “Best Management Practices for the Collection of Electronic Waste” guidelines.

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Environmental Justice

The Cal/EPA external advisory committee on environmental justice finalized its recommendations on environmental justice strategies to the Cal/EPA interagency work group as mandated by Public Resource Code 71113. The Board continues to participate in this work group. The recommendations document was finalized on September 30, 2003. Based on the Cal/EPA strategy and recommendations, staff will review and analyze gaps in Board program information and services. In conjunction with the interagency work group, the legal task force will identify legal impediments to implementing environmental justice tenets at the boards, departments, and offices of Cal/EPA.

The Board has revised its standard grant agreements to require that all grantees comply with environmental justice principles. In addition, the Board approved a $200,000 contract with California State University, Sacramento, to develop an environmental justice guide for local jurisdictions. The guide will identify service gaps and address enhanced recycling and collection of used oil and household hazardous waste programs in minority communities.

This document will cover baseline siting requirements for local facilities and assessment efforts by local government programs for incorporation of environmental justice tenets. The document will identify underserved populations and provide successful program attributes for programs targeted to minority populations. This information will assist local government in delivering collection programs to meet the needs of their minority communities.

The Board also approved a $100,000 environmental justice study by the University of California, Santa Cruz, to assess methods of increasing public and community participation in Board processes. This study will identify the priorities of key community-based environmental justice organizations throughout California relative to the Board’s programs. The Board will also receive presentations by community-based groups and appropriate information on best environmental justice practices of federal, State, and local government and private businesses.

To provide Board members with background and context on environmental justice concerns, the Board in 2003 incorporated information on environmental justice as a part of each item. Agenda items now include a description of the community setting, including land uses, demographics, population density, and race and ethnic origin. Also covered are known environmental justice issues in the area. Agenda items also address efforts made by the Board and local government/project proponents to ensure accessibility to public information and technical assistance, as well as meaningful participation in Board public meetings. Finally, each item includes a description of positive impacts of actions being proposed.

The Board conducted several workshops for local enforcement agencies (LEA) and industry representatives to foster greater awareness of environmental justice issues.

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Nonpoint Source Pollution

Nonpoint source pollution of surface and groundwater remains a challenging environmental problem. The Board is addressing this problem by promoting sustainable landscaping and agricultural practices. These practices accomplish multiple cross-media objectives, including landfill diversion, increased efficiency of water use, erosion control, and decreased runoff. In 2003, the Board completed the following tasks:

• Worked with the City of Sacramento to adopt the “North Natomas Landscape Plant Guidelines” to reduce green waste, conserve water, and prevent water pollution as part of a Pollution Prevention Incentives for States (PPIS) grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
• Coordinated a public outreach campaign directed at homeowners and professional landscapers on utilizing resource-efficient landscaping practices to protect water quality in the stormwater detention basins in the ’City of Sacramento's North Natomas area.
• Participated in the planning and organization of the “Eco-Landscaping: Profiting From a Green Future” seminar that was held in Sacramento on January 10, 2004. This event featured speakers, workshops, and a trade show that promoted sustainable landscape design, installation, and maintenance concepts.
• Participated in working groups on manure and biosolids management issues regarding nonpoint source pollution with industry associations.
• Participated in the Interagency Coordinating Committee to implement the California Nonpoint Source Pollution Control Program to encourage a watershed approach in addressing nonpoint source pollution.
• Made presentations and exhibited educational displays at several Pesticide Applicators Professional Association (PAPA) seminars in Northern California to promote resource-efficient landscaping practices that reduce green waste, conserve water, and minimize nonpoint source pollution.

Biodiesel Fuel

Disposal of fats, oils, and grease is a waste of valuable resources, and it reduces landfill capacity. The use of biodiesel fuel reduces emissions of carbon monoxide, particulates, total hydrocarbons, and sulfates. In 2003, the Board funded a study examining the feasibility of converting grease trap waste generated at Yosemite National Park into biodiesel fuel for use in the park’s fleet of buses and other vehicles. The Board and the Air Resources Board (ARB) have developed an emissions testing plan for these vehicles that will involve the use of ARB and private industry testing equipment.

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Organics Regulatory Issues

In 2003, the Board remained actively engaged in many key regulatory issues related to organic materials management. The Board continued to work with the South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD) on proposed rule (PR) 1133 (regarding emissions from composting facilities) which became regulation in 2003. The Board coordinated compost facility emissions testing with industry; this proved essential in rule development.

These efforts helped achieve a regulatory position with alternative control strategies in PR 1133 that protect the multimedia interests of both air quality and waste management. These efforts also maintain California diversion efforts to meet the Integrated Waste Management Act requirements. The Board is conducting additional tests and working with SCAQMD and industry to develop more cost-affordable ways to reduce air emissions through best management practices.

Continuing its lead role on organics regulatory issues, the Board continued to work with herbicide manufacturers, the composting industry, and the Department of Pesticide Regulation (DPR) on the issue of persistent herbicides in compost. The Board is coordinating with compost operators to gather information on pesticides in compost and about the potential effects of clopyralid on California compost markets. DPR is examining the information and will be pursuing regulatory changes to limit clopyralid use on lawn and turf. The Board and DPR continue to monitor long-lasting herbicide residues in compost to ensure that their use does not adversely impact diversion of organic materials in California.

The Board is also involved with the Sudden Oak Death (SOD) issue in central coastal California. Staff participated in various committees of the California Oak Mortality Task Force to make sure disposal, biomass utilization, composting, and other uses of organic materials are not interrupted. The Board funded University of California, Berkeley (UCB) research to determine the effectiveness of composting as a method for recycling/treating SOD-contaminated material. This UCB research has helped provide alternatives for organics processors receiving host material from the quarantined area, thereby protecting markets for organic materials. As a result, markets throughout California for organic materials processed within the 12 quarantined counties remains viable in 2004.

Another issue that became a major challenge was tree mortality associated with bark beetles in southern California. This has become a significant burden to the organics infrastructure and federal, State and local government, as well as a threat to the environment as witnessed by the devastating fire siege in the fall of 2003. Of the more than 600,000 acres manifesting tree mortality in San Bernardino, Riverside, and San Diego Counties, roughly 50,000 acres burned during the fire siege. This leaves a significant threat.

CIWMB continues to support local government representatives and the strained organics infrastructure in this region. This includes exploring the possible use of local dead trees for beneficial use, such as erosion control. Transportation of the logs or processed chips can easily double the cost of removing dead trees from the threatened mountain communities and the national forest areas.

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Stormwater Oil Mitigation

The Board is funding three research, testing, and demonstration projects to determine how effectively various storm drain filter models remove suspended oil from stormwater. One project is comparing the oil absorption of several different types of storm drain filters installed in catch basins adjacent to urban commercial sites in Los Angeles to the absorption of those same models tested in a UCLA lab.

The city of La Mirada is determining both the oil absorption performance and public works costs of installing and maintaining four different installed storm drain filter models. California State University, Sacramento, is testing the oil absorption capacity of four different storm drain filters by installing them in a test facility and introducing simulated oily stormwater runoff and illegally dumped oil to the filters.

Landfill Study

To provide a comprehensive picture of landfill environmental performance across all environmental media (water, air, and gas), the Board has undertaken a unique, cross-media study of municipal solid waste (MSW) landfills in the state. The study involves multiple regulatory agencies and consists of two phases. Phase I is a cross-media inventory and assessment of environmental performance of MSW landfills; Phase II is an assessment of current MSW landfill regulatory effectiveness in protecting the environment in the immediate and long-term future.

In April 2003, the Board’s contractor (GeoSyntec Consultants, Inc., of Walnut Creek, CA) completed, as part of Phase I, an extensive inventory on 224 MSW landfills. The inventory databank includes the physical features of each facility, the environmental protection systems in place, and facility compliance with environmental requirements.

In June 2003, the contractor identified, as part of the Phase II regulatory assessment, 40 MSW landfills from the cross-media inventory. Staff will conduct a more in-depth examination to determine the reasons for noncompliance by these landfills, including possible relation to current regulation. The Phase II regulatory assessment will also look at landfills that handled waste before federal regulatory changes in 1993 in order to assess regulatory effectiveness in controlling environmental impacts over time.

At the Board’s October 2003 meeting, the contractor presented the Phase I Report. The report summarizes the results of screening analyses performed by the contractor on the cross-media inventory to better understand environmental performance. Part of the analyses consisted of a statistical analysis to evaluate whether correlations could be drawn between various data categories (such as liner type, landfill size, annual precipitation, and landfill performance).

At the Board’s November 2003 meeting, the contractor presented a report on emerging technologies that could possibly improve and/or enhance the operation of California’s MSW landfills across the environmental media of water, air, and gas.

The Board’s contractor continues to work on the landfill study. Upcoming work includes completing the Phase II assessment of current State regulatory effectiveness in protecting the environment in the immediate and long-term future. The contractor will also evaluate MSW regulations of other states and countries to learn beneficial applications to California’s regulations. The final project report will recommend ways to improve landfill operations and ensure greater environmental protection. The status of the landfill study is available on the Board’s website.

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