Recycling to Play Critical Role in State's Landmark Global Warming Plan

Californians Against Waste
December 11, 2008

The California Air Resources Board voted to implement a mandatory
commercial recycling program as part of its adoption today of the AB 32
Scoping Plan, the blueprint for implementing California's landmark
global warming legislation. The ARB also highlighted the importance of
providing financial incentives and working with local governments to
implement recycling programs.

CAW spearheaded a two-year effort to ensure recycling was appropriately
represented in the Scoping Plan, and we were pleased to learn that the
state has identified recycling as one of the key strategies that will
help California achieve its goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions to
1990 levels by 2020 (a reduction of 174 million tons of CO2). CAW is
particularly proud of the leadership role that the ARB and CIWMB have
taken with regards to commercial recycling, specifically with the
following improvement that was made from earlier drafts of this plan:

More broadly, the state has prioritized the following greenhouse gas
reduction measures in the plan:

* The state will require commercial businesses, a sector of the
economy that has historically lacked adequate recycling services, to
recycle.

* The state will adopt landfill regulations that will reduce the
climate impact of these facilities and protect public health, safety,
and the environment.

* The state will provide direct incentives for the use of
compost and mulch in landscaping and agriculture, resulting in reduced
irrigation demand, less emissions at landfills, and decrease in
fertilizer and pesticide usage.

* The state will build on the innovative success of local
governments by encouraging food scrap composting and anaerobic digestion
statewide.

* The state will evaluate opportunities for climate benefits
from Extended Producer Responsibility.

* State agencies will also take a leadership role and reduce
their own climate impact through Environmentally Preferred Purchasing
and public education.

The ARB estimates that these measures will result in a reduction of at
least 10 million tons of carbon dioxide. CAW believes that the measures
adopted today clearly position California to continue to serve as a
national model for recycling policy.