California Begins Formal Rulemaking on Changes to its Recycling and Disposal System

On January 27, 2023, CalRecycle, the California agency that oversees the state’s waste management, recycling, and waste reduction programs, published a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking regarding amendments to the Recycling and Disposal Reporting System (RDRS). The proposed regulations are intended to update the state’s RDRS to better comply with various state recycling and disposal laws and objectives, including California law SB 343, which restricts recyclability claims by narrowly defining what “consumer goods” and packaging are considered “recyclable” in California.

According to CalRecycle, the proposed amendments would revise RDRS to collect information on what material types and forms are actively recovered by facilities and how that material was collected and to classify exports of mixed plastic waste as disposal if the mixed waste stream excludes the “more recyclable plastics. Stakeholders are asked to weigh in on the proposed changes. Read more here.