Senate Bill 54 and Assembly Bill 1080, collectively called the California Circular Economy and Plastic Pollution Reduction Act, are identical companion bills that aim to reduce single-use packaging and product waste in California by 75% by 2030. The two bills were proposed by Sen. Ben Allen, who represents parts of southern and western Los Angeles county, and Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez, who represents southern San Diego.

The Association of Oregon Recycler's Legislative Committee is recruiting new members!

The purpose of the committee, is to discuss materials management-related bills, provide feedback and make recommendations to the AOR Board to support, protest or remain neutral on bills introduced to the Oregon Legislature. The committee is comprised of 11 members and includes haulers, governments, consultants, processors/recyclers, businesses and non-profit representatives. There are currently 5 members of the committee with expired terms and we are seeking applications for the following spots:

It’s been a busy few weeks in Salem as legislators raced to meet the April 9 deadline for committees to hold work sessions on bills and move them out of committee for floor votes or consideration by joint House-Senate committees such as Ways and Means, Revenue or Rules.

Public hearings and work sessions were held on a number of bills of interest to AOR members. This update includes an action alert on a bill that would negatively impact Oregon’s Bottle Bill and updates on other bills of interest.

Legislators will discuss and consider a number of bills of interest to AOR's members. This update includes an overview of legislation that AOR's board will work to support or oppose in the coming weeks after considering recommendations from AOR's legislative committee. 

AOR Support:

Right to repair -- HB 2688 -- Support

Lawmakers in Indiana and Washington are evaluating proposals that would shift end-of-life packaging management responsibilities from municipalities to product producers.

The Product Stewardship Institute (PSI), which promotes extended producer responsibility (EPR) programs nationwide, tied the recent legislative interest directly to current recycling market disruptions.

CONTINUE READING AT RESOURCE RECYCLING

New legislation proposed by the Washington state Department of Ecology hopes to address some of those deficiencies in regional recycling and solid waste management. The ultimate goal is to attract more businesses to recycle and use materials in the state, and offer state help for waste managers at the county and city level as they better plan for how to manage the stuff they collect.

CONTINUE READING AT WASTE ADVANTAGE

The 2019 Oregon Legislative session begins January 22 and will likely include discussion of many issues of interest to AOR’s members. The legislative committee began review of legislative concepts in November. This update includes a summary of recent committee meetings and information about open positions on the committee and how to apply for those positions.

A California lawmaker introduced legislation this week that would make the state the first to bar retailers from giving out printed receipts unless a customer requests them.

The proposed measure — Assembly Bill 161 — would require stores to use electronic receipts as the default option. Stores that give out printed receipts without first being asked by the customer could be subject to fines. If passed, the bill could have implications far beyond California, according to experts.

The Oregon Legislature is reportedly mulling to enforce a statewide ban on plastic straws and a tax on plastic bags.

From Recycling Today by Kelly Maile