California to add wine, liquor bottles to recycling program
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a new law is about to take effect here in California. That changes the way we deal with some of our trash starting this saturday, we're going to have to separate organic material from other garbage. That means things like banana peels, your coffee grounds eggshells and other food products will have to be thrown in the bins that we use for green waste until now. We've only used those bins for things like your leaves and your yard waste. And the director of calorie cycle Rachel, Maki Wagner joins us now and she heads up the state department that will be overseeing this waste management. So Rachel, this is going to be a big change for a lot of families so talk to us about the reasons for it. Yeah, this is a really important, I've listened to a couple of the stories you've had tonight and then the unfortunate affairs that happening in Boulder and we're all crucially aware of what the impacts of climate change are on our environment, on our communities, the extreme weather that we are seeing across our state, across our country across our globe because of climate change is really pointing to the need for us to act now and act quickly to fight climate change. And one of the fastest and easiest things that each and every one of us can do to fight climate change is get our organic waste out of the landfills. Organic waste breaks down to methane which is a climate super pollutant, meaning that it is a super warmer in our environment and causes climate change at a very fast rate, it is 84 times more potent than carbon dioxide. So the sooner we get all of our organic waste out of landfills, the sooner we remove that methane from the environment. So people may be wondering Rachel, what, what's gonna happen to all of that stuff, our kitchen waste once it is hauled away? Well, depending on there are a number of different tools that we can use, but they're all really exciting. So one of the most exciting um that we see here in sacramento is our yard waste currently gets turned into compost and our food waste will be joining our yard waste and compost is amazing. It goes back into the soil and helps retain water, it helps to feed our plants and it helps to prevent pests so that we need less chemical pesticide. So we are taking what would have otherwise than a contaminant in our environment and turning it into a new resource that helps us fight climate change and fight droughts in the future um and feed our plants and our agricultural crops. It's really exciting, you know, in some of the recycling streams, there's no end users. So let's talk about who will be using this compost the mulch, the natural gas that all of our kitchen trash produces. Yeah. So from the local governments who will be uh contributing to this new resource dream um to each and every one of us um and the industries that come out of um of these new commodities, so we can't right now in California create enough compost to keep up with demand. So there is everybody from our farmers in the Central valley to our parks in Los Angeles and san Francisco and here in sacramento um to our government agencies and our private industry who have the opportunity to use these resources. It sounds like there could be a market willing and able to take all that. So real quick, what happens if people don't change their habits and they keep throwing out their food stuff with the regular trash? Well, I think I am very optimistic that Californians want to do the right thing. We have been recycling here in California since the 19 eighties and this is a big change to trash, just like when we first started recycling and every conversation I've had with every Californian about this is how do I do the right thing. So my job and our government jobs are all about providing Californians the resources so they can do the right thing um in a couple of years if local governments are not seeing that change in behavior that we need to see there can be fines and penalties, but I don't think that that's gonna be necessary. All right, we'll just see how things start to play out after this weekend Rachel Maki Wagner, thanks for talking with us. Thank you so much for having me. It's an absolute pleasure. Alright. Happy new year to you. Well, this is just one of the new laws going into effect on Saturday, everything from a $15 minimum wage here in California to easing criminal penalties, to regulations and programs affecting home homelessness and housing. So scan the QR code there if you want to get caught up on some of the laws that will start in the new year. WORKING TO GET HALF A BILLION OUT TO THE AMERICAN PEOPLE STARTING IN JANUARY. EDIE: A NEW LAW IS ABOUT TO TAKE EFFECT IN CALIFORNIA. PTHAT CHANGES THE WAY WE DEAL WITH SOME OF OUR TRASH. GULSTAN: STARTING THIS SATURDAY WE WILL HAVE TO SEPARATE ORGANIC MATERIALRO FM OTHER GARBAGE. THINGS LIKE BANANA PEELS, YOUR COFFEE GROUNDS AND EGGSHELLS AND OTHER FOOD PRODUCTS WILL HAVE TO BE THROWN IN THE BINS THAT WE USE FOR GREEN WASTE. UNTIL NOW WE’VE ONLY USE THOSE NSBIOR F YARD WASTE. THE DIRECTOR OF CAL RECLEYC WLIL BE OVERSEEING THIS WASTE MANAGEMENT ISSUE JOINS US NOW. EDIE: TSHI IS GOING TO BE A BIG CHANGE FOR A LOT OF FAMILIES. TALK TO US ABOUT THE REASONS FOR IT. >> THIS IS REALLY IMPORTANT. I HAVE LISTENED TO A COUPLE OF THE STORIES HE HAD TONIGHT AND THE UNFORTUNATE THINGS HAPPENING IN BOULDER. AND WE ARE ALL CRUCIALLY AWARE OF WHAT THE IMPACTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE ARE ON OUR ENVIRONMENT, ARE IN OUR COMMUNITIES, THE EXTREME WEATHER THAT WE ARE SEEING ACROSS OUR STATE, ACROSS OUR COUNTRY AND ACROSS OUR GLOBE BE CAUSE OF CLIMATE CHANGE IS REALLY POINTING TO THE NEED FOR US TO ACT NOW AND ACT QUICKLY TO FITGH CLIMATE CHANGE A ONDNE OF THE FASTEST AND EASIEST THINGS THAT EACH AND EVERYONE OF US CAN DO TO FIGHT CLIMATE CHANGE IS GET OUR ORGANIC WASTE OUT OF THE LANDFILLS. ORGANIC WASTE BREAKS DOWN TO METHANE, WHICH IS A SUPER POLLUTANT. ME IT IS A SUPER WARMER IN THE ENVIRONMENT AND CAUSES CLIMATE CHANGE AT A FAST RATE. IT IS 84 TIMES MORE POTENT THAN CARBON DIOXIDE. SO, THE SOONER WE GET ALL OF OUR ORGANIC WASTE AOUT OF LANDFILLS, THE SOONER WE REMOVE THAT METHANE FROM THE ENVINMROENT. GULSN:TA PEOPLE MAY BE WONDERING WHAT IS GOING TO HAPPEN TO THE KITCHEN WASTE ONCE ITS IAU HLED AWAY? >> DEPENDING ON, THERE ARE NUMBER OF DIFFERENT TOOLS WE CAN USE BUT THEY ARE ALL REALLY EXCITING. ONE OF THE MTOS EXCITING THAT WE SEE IN SACRAMENTO IS OUR YARD WA STE GETS TURNED INTO COMPOST AND OUR FOOD WASTE WILL BE JOINING OUR YARD WASTE AND COMPOST IS AMAZING. IT GOES BACK INTOHE T SOIL AND HELPS RETAIN WATER. IT HELPS TO FEED OUR PLANS. AND IT HELPS TO PREVENT PESTS. SO THAT WE NEED LESS PESTICIDE. SO, WERE A TAKING WHAT WOULD’VE OTHERWISE BEEN A CONTAMINANT IN OUR ENVIRONMENT AND TURNING IT INTO A NEW RESOURCE THAT HELPS US FLY CLIMATE CHAENG AND FIGHT DROUGHTS IN THE FUTURE -- AND FIGHT CLIMATE CHANGE AND FEED OUR PLANTS. IT’S REALLY EXCITING. EDIE: IN SOMEF O THE RECYCLE ING STREAMS THERE IS NO END USER P LET’S TALK ABOUT WHO WILL BE USING THE COMPOST, THE MULCH THAT ALL OF OUR KITCHEN TRASH PRODUCES. >> SO, FROM THE LOCAL GOVERNMENTS WHO WILL BE CONTRIBUTING TO THIS NEW RESOURCE STREAM TO EACH AND EVERY ONE OF US IN THE INDUSTRIES THAT COME OUTF O THESE WNE. COMMODITIES WEAN C’T RIGHT NOW IN CALIFORNIA CREATE ENOUGH COMPOST TO KEEP UP WITH DEMAND. THERE IS EVEBORYDY FROM OUR FARMERS IN THE CENTRAL VALLEY TO OUR PARKS IN LOS ANGELES AND SAN FRANCISCO AND HERE IN SACRAMTOEN. TO OUR GOVERNMENT AGENCIES AND ROU PRIVATE INDUSTRY WHO HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO USE THESE. RESOURCES GULSTAN: SOUNDS LIKE THE CREOULD BE A MARKET WILLING AND ABLE TO TAKE ALL OF THAT. WHAT HAPPENS IF PEOEPL DON’T CHANGE THEIR HABITS AND THEY KEEP THROWING OUT THEIR FOODSTUFF WITH THE REGULAR TRASH? >> WL,EL I THINK, I AM VERY OPTIMISTIC THAT CALIFORNIANS WANT TO DO THE RIGHT THING. WE HAVE BEEN RECYCLING IN CALIFORNIA SINCE THE 1980’S. AND THIS IS A BIG CHANGE TO TRASH, JUST LIKE WHEN WE FIRST STARTED RECYCLING IN ERYVE CONVERSATION I HAD WITH EVERY CALIFORNIAN ABOUT THIS IS HOW DO I DO THE RIGHT THING? MY JOB AND OUR GOVERNMENT’S JOB IS ALL AUTBO PROVIDING CALIFORNIANS THE RESOURCES SO THEY CAN DO THE RIGHT THING. IN A COUPLE OF YEARS, IF LOCAL GOVEMERNNTS ARE NOT SENGEI THAT CHANGE IN BEHAVIOR THAT WE NEED TO SEE, THERE CAN BE FINES. BUT I DO NOT THINK THAT WILL BE NECESSARY. GULSN:TA WE WILL SEE HOW THINGS START TO PLAY OUT AFTER THIS WEEKEND. THANKS FOR TALKING WHIT US. >> THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR HAVING ME. IT IS AN ABSOLUTE PLEASURE. GULSTAN: HAPPY NEW YEAR. THIS IS JUST ONE OF THE NEW LAWS GOING INTO EFFECT ON SATURDAY. EVERYTHING FROM THE $15 MINIMUM WAGEO T EASING CRIMINAL PENALTIES TO PROGRAMS AFFECTING HOMELESSNESS AND HOUSING, SCAN THE
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California to add wine, liquor bottles to recycling program
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California will add wine and liquor bottles to its recycling rebate program under a law taking effect in July 2024.“California’s bottle bill recycling program has needed fixing for 40 years,” Senate President Pro Tempore Toni Atkins said Wednesday. “When you consider that California generates more than 1 billion wine and liquor bottles every year, that shows what major progress this legislation is and what an impact it will have.”California's recycling program includes beer cans and bottles, but not wine or spirits containers. Gov. Gavin Newsom announced late Tuesday that he had signed Atkins' bill into law.Consumers in California pay a nickel each time they buy a 12-ounce (355-milliliter) bottle or can, and a dime for containers over 24 ounces (709 milliliters). Aside from including bottles and cans containing wine or spirits, the new law adds a 25-cent deposit and refund for wine and distilled spirits sold in a box, bag or pouch.Hawaii, Iowa, Maine and Vermont already have deposit programs including those containers, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.“While spirits bottles are already recycled at a high rate in the state of California, it is our hope the new law’s incentive for consumers to participate will help increase that rate even more,” said Adam Smith, Distilled Spirits Council of the United States’ vice president of state government relations.Buyers are supposed to get their deposits back by returning the containers, so the containers don’t go into landfills but can be recycled into new products. But they've had more difficulty doing so in recent years because many neighborhood recycling centers closed.The law also attempts to address that problem by allowing dealers to form a cooperative organization to collect the containers as an alternative to the current law that requires stores to take back the empties.It passed the Legislature with no opposition votes, but several groups criticized the bill's inclusion of nearly $400 million over the next five years for market development and quality incentives, money that they contended is pork for already wealthy corporations.
California will add wine and liquor bottles to its recycling rebate program under a law taking effect in July 2024.
“California’s bottle bill recycling program has needed fixing for 40 years,” Senate President Pro Tempore Toni Atkins said Wednesday. “When you consider that California generates more than 1 billion wine and liquor bottles every year, that shows what major progress this legislation is and what an impact it will have.”
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California's recycling program includes beer cans and bottles, but not wine or spirits containers. Gov. Gavin Newsom announced late Tuesday that he had signed Atkins' bill into law.
Consumers in California pay a nickel each time they buy a 12-ounce (355-milliliter) bottle or can, and a dime for containers over 24 ounces (709 milliliters). Aside from including bottles and cans containing wine or spirits, the new law adds a 25-cent deposit and refund for wine and distilled spirits sold in a box, bag or pouch.
Hawaii, Iowa, Maine and Vermont already have deposit programs including those containers, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.
“While spirits bottles are already recycled at a high rate in the state of California, it is our hope the new law’s incentive for consumers to participate will help increase that rate even more,” said Adam Smith, Distilled Spirits Council of the United States’ vice president of state government relations.
Buyers are supposed to get their deposits back by returning the containers, so the containers don’t go into landfills but can be recycled into new products. But they've had more difficulty doing so in recent years because many neighborhood recycling centers closed.
The law also attempts to address that problem by allowing dealers to form a cooperative organization to collect the containers as an alternative to the current law that requires stores to take back the empties.
It passed the Legislature with no opposition votes, but several groups criticized the bill's inclusion of nearly $400 million over the next five years for market development and quality incentives, money that they contended is pork for already wealthy corporations.
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