Beverage Container Recycling Rates Climb!
One of the most satisfying aspects of working on waste reduction and recycling policy is the immediacy of the results.
Last year CAW worked with Senator Don Perata, Assembly Member Loni Hancock, the Department of Conservation and dozens of stakeholder groups to craft an 'update' of the California Bottle Bill. AB 3056 emerged during the final weeks of the 2006 legislative session as a somewhat piecemeal, somewhat messy, and somewhat controversial update of the state's 20 year old Bottle and Can Recycling Law.
But there is nothing piecemeal, messy or controversial about the results: In the first 6 months of 2007, container recycling rates have increased by more than 6% overall, and the state is on track to recycle 15 billion containers in 2007--that's 1.7 billion more containers than were recycled in 2006.
Additionally, new recycling incentives and opportunities established by AB 3056 have increased the tonnage of plastic containers recycled by nearly 25%, to more than 187,000 tons of plastic containers recycled.