CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2021–2022 REGULAR SESSION

Assembly Bill
No. 318

Introduced by Assembly Member Levine

January 26, 2021

An act to add Section 25141.4 to the Health and Safety Code, relating to hazardous waste.


LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST


AB 318, as introduced, Levine. Hazardous waste: classification: exclusions: green waste.
The hazardous waste control laws regulate the handling and management of hazardous materials and hazardous waste. Existing law requires the Department of Toxic Substances Control to develop and adopt by regulation criteria and guidelines for the identification of hazardous wastes and extremely hazardous wastes, as provided. Existing law exempts certain kinds of waste, including, among other things, wood waste, as defined, from regulation under the hazardous waste control laws under specified conditions. A violation of the hazardous waste control laws is a crime.
This bill would exclude from classification as a hazardous waste green waste, as defined, that has not been contaminated by a chemical that the department determines is hazardous or toxic during the production, harvest, or processing stage. The bill would require that green waste to be disposed of in a permitted class I, II, or III disposal unit or in a compostable materials handling operation, as defined. Because disposal of green waste in violation of this requirement would be a crime, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. The bill would authorize the department to adopt predisposal management standards for that green waste.
The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement.
This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason.
Vote: MAJORITY   Appropriation: NO   Fiscal Committee: YES   Local Program: YES  

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:


SECTION 1.

 Section 25141.4 is added to the Health and Safety Code, to read:

25141.4.
 (a) Green waste that has not been contaminated by a chemical that the department determines is hazardous or toxic during the production, harvest, or processing stage shall be excluded from classification as a hazardous waste for purposes of this chapter.
(b) Green waste that meets the description in subdivision (a) shall be disposed of in a permitted class I, II, or III disposal unit, pursuant to Section 2531 of Title 23 or Section 20250 or 20260 of Title 27 of the California Code of Regulations, or any successor regulations, or in a compostable materials handling operation, as defined in paragraph (12) of subdivision (a) of Section 17852 of Title 14 of the California Code of Regulations, or any successor regulation.
(c) The department may, at its discretion, adopt predisposal management standards for green waste that meets the description in subdivision (a).
(d) For purposes of this section, “green waste” means plant waste consisting of leaves, grass clippings, weeds, plant trimmings, agricultural plant waste, branches, stumps, and other plant material.

SEC. 2.

 No reimbursement is required by this act pursuant to Section 6 of Article XIII B of the California Constitution because the only costs that may be incurred by a local agency or school district will be incurred because this act creates a new crime or infraction, eliminates a crime or infraction, or changes the penalty for a crime or infraction, within the meaning of Section 17556 of the Government Code, or changes the definition of a crime within the meaning of Section 6 of Article XIII B of the California Constitution.