Governor Newsom yesterday issued an Executive Order (EO) containing a number of provisions that suspend key requirements regarding recycling operations. The primary purpose of the order is to provide relief to all levels of the recycling infrastructure during the COVID-19 pandemic. The provisions include:
- A 60-day suspension of the statewide ban on one-time use bags, including the 10-cent charge to consumers for one-time use bags. Note that this provision does not apply to local jurisdictions that had bans in place before 2015.
- A 60-day suspension of provisions in the bottle bill that mandate certain facility operation hours, along with new guidelines for accepting handling fees that CalRecycle is required to develop by April 27, 2020.
- A 60-day suspension of provisions in the bottle bill related to operational mandates surrounding convenience zones.
The provisions of the EO will take effect immediately and were issued in concert with several provisions relating to CEQA modifications. RCRC’s ESJPA (which addresses a number of solid waste-related issues) is closely monitoring this development including requests to the Administration to consider other easing of municipal solid waste requirements.