June 9, 2025 (Waste Dive) –
Several waste and recycling bills in
The crossover deadline is a significant date by which bills must pass out of their chamber of origin to proceed through the rest of the legislative session. California’s session ends
A range of bills respectively aim to create a stewardship program for marine flares, establish a tax exemption for certain
Bill Number | Highlights | Bill Status |
SB 561 | Marine flare stewardship | Passed
|
AB 27 |
|
|
SB 279 | Compost rules for growers | Passed
|
SB 501 | EPR for household hazardous waste | Two-year bill |
AB 762 | Disposable vape ban | Two-year bill |
Creating a stewardship program for marine flares
The bill, SB 561, would require manufacturers of marine flares to establish and operate a convenient collection system for expired or unwanted flares. Supporters say the bill will help avoid stockpiling or improper disposal of expired flares, which they say can cause fires and injuries.
The bill is similar to one that the
The bill has broad support from numerous waste and recycling organizations, but it faces opposition from Orion, a flare manufacturer, and the
Providing tax exemptions for
The bill, AB 27, would provide a tax exemption for compensation that certain
Those reimbursement payments are currently considered taxable income because the ETLE was not declared a disaster by the
Bill authors argued that a tax exemption is necessary because some residents were afraid to accept compensation in case it changed their tax bracket. Climate Action California supports the bill. No opposition has been filed for the bill, according to committee analysis.
The bill is similar to a federal bill introduced this year, which would have included the payments issued by
Expanding composting capacity for farmers and growers
SB 279 aims to expand composting capacity for certain farmers and growers to compost large amounts of agricultural material on-site without needing to comply with regulations usually required for large-scale composting operations.
According to state law, as of
SB 279 would allow farmers and growers to instead expand their on-farm composting operations without having to follow certain permitting and regulatory requirements that the state requires for locations that have over 100 cubic yards of material.
The bill would allow growers to have up to 500 cubic yards of feedstock and compost on site at any one time. It would also allow such farms and growers to give away or sell up to 5,000 cubic yards of compost each year without raising the regulatory tier needed to carry out those composting activities.
Supporters say the bill helps farmers comply with the state’s organics diversion goals set in SB 1383, a wide-ranging bill passed in 2016 that requires numerous jurisdictions in the state to curb how much organic waste ends up in landfills.
The bill also aims to keep compost operations local, a move meant to drive down emissions and costs associated with transporting organic waste and compost, said bill supporter Californians Against Waste.
Two-year bills
These bills were converted to two-year bills, which supporters say will give more time to craft bill language and negotiate with stakeholders. The bills are expected to continue through the legislative process sometime next session.
-- SB 501: EPR for household hazardous waste.The bill aimed to require certain producers to fund and provide collection and management systems for certain products, such as pesticides, pool chemicals, gas cylinders and vaping devices. There was a hearing for the bill in May. NSAC, Rural County Representatives of
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