1999 Accomplishments and Priorities

California Integrated Waste Management Board

The six-member California Integrated Waste Management Board is responsible for protecting the public's health and safety and the environment through management of the estimated 56 million tons of solid waste generated in California each year.

Accomplishments during Second Half of 1999

1. Orphan Site Cleanup Program. The Board completed four cleanup projects: 1) surface trash at the Likely Disposal Site in Modoc County; 2) the Nicholson Site, a huge illegal disposal site located on the border of the cities of Long Beach and Los Angeles; 3) the Greenfield Burn Dump in Kern County; and 4) the Lynch Disposal Site in Contra Costa County.

2. Sustainable Building. The Board continues its leadership role in the development of sustainable building practices to ensure the optimum use of building products made with recycled and reusable materials. In September 1999, the Board approved a plan to establish: 1) an executive committee 2) a sustainable building grant program, and 3) an education program that were recommended in the conceptual plan. In December, the Board received 16 sustainable building grant proposals from local governments requesting a total of $926,000. Awards will be brought before the Board for approval in February 2000.

3. State Agency Buy-Recycled Campaign. All state agencies must report to the Board and to the Department of General Services their progress in meeting recycled content product procurement goals. Seventy-seven percent (107 out of 139 agencies) submitted reports for fiscal year 1998/99. The reports documented $102.4 million of reportable purchases made by all state agencies of which $75.9 million was spent on reportable purchases of products having recycled content. Staff revised and distributed the 1999/00 version of the campaign training manual and conducted numerous training sessions for state agencies.

4. East End Project and Other State Construction Projects. The East End Project "green team," with representatives of the Integrated Waste Management Board (IWMB), California Energy Commission (CEC), California Air Resources Board (ARB), and Department of Health Services (DHS), helped score design proposals for the 1.5 million square foot project. The Department of General Services (DGS) announced the award of the two contracts on December 7, 1999, to Hensel Phelps Construction and Clark/Gruen Design Build Inc. In addition, an informal state government green building task force began meeting in August 1999. This group is composed of representatives from the IWMB, ARB, DHS, DGS, Department of Water Resources and Department of Finance.

5. Disposal Reporting and Diversion Measurement. In November, the Board hosted a daylong examination of the Disposal Reporting System during which more than 40 stakeholders identified problems associated with the system as well as their ideas for its improvement. The Board will continue this effort by targeting improvements that may be implemented quickly and by providing forums for information sharing among the jurisdictions. Board staff also conducted all-day training sessions at four different locations around the state on measuring diversion. These sessions were energetic and attended by over 400 people representing more than 100 jurisdictions.

6. Used Oil Opportunity Grant awards. The Board awarded over $6.3 million to 22 applicants for used oil collection and education projects in the 5th annual awards cycle.

7. Filbin Tire Fire and Tire Cleanup. During the Filbin tire fire in Westley, Board staff remained on site to coordinate the efforts of the Cal/EPA boards and departments working with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA) emergency response team. After the fire was extinguished and the U.S. EPA team withdrew, IWMB staff remained on site to oversee the winterization work that had to be accomplished. The Board provided over $500,000 for building retention dams, piping and diversion dams to divert winter rainwater around the contaminants in the burned area.

   Since June 1999, enforcement actions by the Board have resulted in owner and operator cleanup of over 60,000 tires at eight locations around the state. Board-funded tire cleanups included the removal of over 200,000 tire equivalents from the White Rock Road site in Sacramento County.

8. Cal/EPA Building Carpet Purchase. To assist in "greening" of the Cal/EPA building, and demonstrate its commitment to helping generate markets for recycled content products, the Board purchased approximately 75,000 square yards of recycled content carpeting at a cost of $1.4 million in December. Collins and Aikman Floorcoverings was chosen through the California Master Award Schedule (CMAS) purchasing process by a selection panel that included representatives from the ARB, the IWMB, the City of Sacramento, Cal/EPA, the Department of General Services, the building contractors and the design team.

9. Rigid Plastic Packaging Container (RPPC) Compliance and Enforcement. The Board's enforcement actions against companies for failure to comply with the recycled content and source reduction requirements of California's RPPC law resulted in compliance agreements with six national firms, including The Toro Company and the Pennzoil-Quaker State Company. These agreements will ensure that these firms achieve compliance with the law in 2000.

10. Mather Housing Deconstruction. The Board, in partnership with the Sacramento Housing & Redevelopment Agency and Kaufman & Broad, conducted a deconstruction demonstration project as part of the redevelopment efforts at Mather Field Air Force Base. Thirty low-income workers from the Sacramento Housing and Redevelopment pre-apprenticeship program were trained in deconstruction techniques, and significant quantities of building materials were recovered from six homes during the project.

Priorities for First Half of 2000

1. Facility Compliance Loan Program. The 1999-2000 state budget provided for the establishment of the Landfill Cleanup Loan Program, which will offer approximately $1.44 million in competitive, interest-free loans in 2000 to owners and operators of small, rural solid waste landfills not currently in compliance with state laws or regulations. Authorized uses of interest-free loan funds include operating equipment, environmental monitoring and control systems, and closure plan preparation. The Board expects to make awards in spring 2000.

2. State-of-Landfills Contract. The 1999-2000 state budget provides funding for the Board to conduct a study quantifying and assessing the environmental performance of all municipal solid waste landfills active since 1984, looking at the impacts on air, groundwater, surface water, and production of explosive gas. Three hundred thousand dollars ($300,000) is available over each of two fiscal years. Staff is currently drafting the scope of work; the Board anticipates releasing a Request for Proposals to select a contractor in March 2000.

3. Rigid Plastic Packaging Container (RPPC) Recycling Rate Calculations for 1998 and 1999. Board staff is preparing to conduct a survey of plastic processors and a survey of plastic reclaimers for both 1998 and 1999. The data obtained from these surveys will be used to calculate the recycling rates for RPPCs in 1998 and 1999. These recycling rates will be presented to the Board for consideration at its March 2000 meeting.

4. Agreement Between IWMB and DGS on Increasing State Agency Purchases of Recycled-Content Products. The Department of General Services (DGS) and IWMB staffs have agreed to increase upper management involvement at targeted state agencies as part of the Program Action Plan presented to State and Consumer Services Agency Secretary Aileen Adams on August 5, 1999. Specifically, staff requested that Cal/EPA Secretary Winston Hickox, Secretary Adams and IWMB Chairman Dan Eaton meet with agency secretaries and department directors, beginning with Cal/EPA, Resources, Youth and Adult Corrections, and Business, Transportation and Housing agencies to heighten program awareness. Once these meetings occur, IWMB staff will immediately follow up with one-on-one meetings with appropriate department staff to reinforce the message.

5. State Agency Waste Reduction. AB 75 (Strom-Martin) requires a 25 percent reduction in state government waste sent to landfills by January 1, 2002, and 50 percent by January 1, 2004. The Board's primary focus in implementing AB 75 will involve the development of a "Model Integrated Waste Management Plan" and the review and approval of those plans submitted by state agencies, California State University campuses and community colleges as required by law. Board staff will also be providing technical assistance to these entities through workshops and individual assistance.

6. Time Extensions for Local Diversion Programs. Board staff will be conducting a series of workshops around the state through the first quarter of the calendar year. They will seek input from jurisdictions about both the contents of a time extension application or alternative diversion requirement as well as the criteria by which the Board should evaluate applications for extensions [allowed by SB 1066 (Sher, 1997)]. After evaluation of this input and the development of criteria as necessary, the Board will finalize the application and review process.

7. Used Oil Forum. Planning is underway for the annual Used Oil Forum in Pasadena, January 25-26. The Forum is designed to provide technical and program implementation tools to local government representatives, nonprofit organizations and private businesses associated with the collection of used oil.

8. Used Oil Block Grants. Pursuant to Public Resources Code section 48653, the IWMB awards grants to local jurisdictions on a per capita basis. At least $10 million from the Used Oil Recycling Fund is available each year. Over 525 local jurisdictions participate in the program by operating used oil collection programs, serving over 99 percent of the state's population. Staff recommendations for block grant awards will be made in May 2000.

9. Recycled Content Playground Equipment Program. Program development for this $2 million grant program created by AB 1055 (Villaraigosa) should be completed by June 2000. This will allow the grant application cycle for this year to begin in July 2000.

10. Filbin Tire Fire. Continuing the Board's involvement in post-fire activities at the site of the Filbin tire fire in Westley, the Board's contractor is completing work to divert winter rain runoff from the contaminated area of the tire site. This work should be completed in January 2000. The Board's contractor has also initiated cleanup of the unburned oversized tires remaining on the site. All unburned waste tires are expected to be removed from the site by June 2000.

11. Closing the Loop Training. In ongoing efforts, the IWMB continues working with the Baja California Department of Education in providing "reduce, reuse, and recycling" training for K-12 teachers in Baja California. This is done using the curriculum entitled "Closing the Loop" developed by IWMB and the California Department of Education. Efforts and resources are currently being devoted to incorporate "Closing the Loop" lessons into Baja California’s formal educational programs and daily lessons.

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