Established in 1977, Californians Against Waste is a nonprofit grassroots organization that has grown to represent the interests of more than 24,000 Californians. We rely on individual donations for over 90% of our operating funds, and therefore answer only to our activist citizen membership base.

We are the only environmental group in California with full-time staff lobbying exclusively in support of a recycling economy. We advocate policy initiatives at the local, state, and federal levels.

CAW sponsored or helped craft all of the major recycling legislation that has passed in California, include:

• Spearheading the passage of AB 2020, California's Bottle Bill, in 1986. This program provides consumers with a nickel refund value on virtually all beverage containers recycled;
• Lobbying for the passage of AB 939, California's Integrated Waste Management Act of 1989, which requires cities and counties to reduce the amount of waste going to landfills by 25% in 1995 and 50% by the year 2000;
• Enacting the nation's first, and still most expansive, e-waste recycling law, SB 20 (Sher);
• Adopting laws establishing retailer takeback and recycling requirements for a growing list of problem products, including: cellphones, rechargeable batteries, and plastic grocery bags;
• Establishing the nation's first Recycled Newsprint Act, AB 1305, in 1989, which requires all newsprint publishers to use increasing levels of recycled content newsprint.