Legislation and regulations

California governor signs carpet recycling bill

California Gov. Jerry Brown signed Assembly Bill (AB) 1158 into law Oct. 14. The state legislature passed the bill in mid-September 2017.

The bill requires carpet manufacturers to submit a carpet stewardship plan that meets specified requirements from the Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery (CalRecycle). A coalition of local governments, environmental, public health, carpet industry and union organizations supported the legislation.

The legislation says manufacturers must achieve a 24 percent carpet recycling rate for postconsumer carpet by Jan. 1, 2020. Manufacturers can partner with carpet stewardship organizations to create their plans and achieve compliance with the new law. The bill says plans must include quantifiable five-year goals and annual goals that will be reviewed by CalRecycle starting Jan. 1, 2020, and every three years thereafter.

The bill also creates an advisory committee, appointed by the CalRecycle director, the speaker of the Assembly and the Senate Committee on Rules, that would provide comments and recommendations on carpet stewardship plans and require manufacturers to incorporate the committee’s recommendations and comments into any updated plans.

New York finalizes revisions to solid waste management regulations

New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) Commissioner Basil Seggos has announced New York has finalized revisions to the state’s solid waste management regulations, commonly referred to as Part 360. In the first major overhaul of the program in 20 years, the regulations became effective Nov. 4.

DEC’s comprehensive revisions include the addition of solid waste management facilities, activities and waste streams that are not currently addressed within Part 360 to institute a level of control necessary to ensure protection of human health and the environment.

In addition, these amendments relax or eliminate existing requirements that have proven to be burdensome to the regulated community with little or no environmental benefit, the NYSDEC says.

The Part 360 series rule making process formally began in February 2016.

Following extensive public outreach that included two public comment periods, five public hearings, more than 25 workshops and technical meetings with stakeholders and careful consideration of thousands of comments, the revised Part 360 series regulations are now final.

The final regulations contain comprehensive revisions to the state’s existing solid waste management regulations, including:

• enhanced regulatory controls on wastes from oil and gas production by strengthening existing prohibitions on the disposal of flowback water and production brine from oil and gas production;
• improved construction and demolition debris and fill material management by combating the threat of illegal dumping;
• improved management of compost and mulch by strengthening oversight of previously unregulated mulch processing facilities; and
• enhanced support for recycling by changing how grants are provided to municipalities and how organic processors are given appropriate environmental protections.