CalRecycle Upcoming Workshop - Thursday, December 14; 10:00AM - 12:00PM

This is a reminder that CalRecycle will hold the next SB 54 public workshop to consult with the public, the regulated community, third-party contractors and other interested parties to solicit feedback on some of the requirements outlined in SB 54 (Allen, Chapter 75, Statutes of 2022). The workshops will cover the following non-regulatory topics. 

View the Public Notice HERE, which includes the workshop discussion document and a data request document for the public to review workshop concepts in advance of the workshop. The purpose of these documents is to provide interested parties with an overall outline of what is going to be discussed, and the specific feedback that CalRecycle plans on soliciting from workshop participants and in written public comments.

View the workshop Agenda HERE. The CRA Team will be in attendance and, as always, report back to our members.

Topic I: Needs Assessment and Component Studies 

• Summary of Topic I 
• An overview of the Needs Assessment and the component studies that will be conducted by Department staff or contracted out. 

Topic II: Available Data and Data Requests 

• Summary of Topic II 
• Focused on data that the Department currently has, and requests for data that could aid in the Needs Assessment studies 

To join In-Person:  

Byron Sher Auditorium at CalEPA Headquarters:  

1001 I St, 2nd floor  

Sacramento, CA 95814 

No registration is necessary to participate in-person.  

To join through Zoom register HERE.

Registration is required; remote public comment available.

To join through Webcast click HERE: 

No registration is necessary to view the webcast; no public comment available. 

Future Workshops: 

At present, CalRecycle does not have any future scheduled workshops on SB 54. The CRA team will keep members updated on any forthcoming workshop information that becomes available.

Circular Action Alliance Producer Workshop Presentation Slides

The CRA team continues to participate in key SB 54 stakeholder meetings including the National Stewardship Action Council's SB 54 working group, which is made up of a diverse array of industries impacted by the regulation, and having regular conversations with the Circular Action Alliance (CAA), a nonprofit Producer Responsibility Organization (PRO) established to support the successful implementation of Extender Producer Responsibility (EPR) laws for paper and packaging in the U.S. CAA is applying to be the PRO in California.

CRA is closely monitoring next steps in the implementation of SB 54 and how our members will need to comply. Critical to SB 54 compliance in the coming weeks is the selection of the PRO, which will administer SB 54 and manage many producer compliance obligations on their behalf.

Earlier this year, Colorado selected CAA as the PRO to administer its EPR law and help producers meet their compliance obligations. CAA’s vision is to operate as a PRO in all states that have enacted EPR laws for paper and packaging – including California – to deliver harmonized best-in-class compliance services to all producers, scale innovation and build systems that help both companies and consumers waste less and recycle more.

CAA will be applying by the end of this year to act as California’s single PRO representing all producers. As part of their application, CAA is requesting that producers support the organization with a non-binding letter of support. Letters in support of CAA will be critical to ensuring that CAA is selected and able to act as a harmonized single point of compliance for producers both in California and across states.

CAA has also been working to help make producers aware of upcoming requirements across EPR states, and to help producers begin to understand their compliance obligations (including questions like “am I an obligated producer?” and “what should I do to prepare my packaging data for reporting?”). CRA attended a Producer Working Group Meeting hosted by CAA, which included answering some of these questions and more. Read meeting highlights HERE. View the presentation slides HERE. To learn more about CAA click here. To sign on to a letter of support and for any questions, please email Sarah at sarah@calretailers.com. Letters of support are due to CAA by December 15, 2023.

SB 54 Advisory Group

As a reminder, CRA President and CEO Rachel Michelin was named to the inaugural Plastic Pollution Prevention and Packaging Producer Responsibility (SB 54) Advisory Board and will be serving as an important voice for the retail industry and larger business community during the SB 54 rulemaking process. Read the announcement here. View the entire list of board members here.

Do not hesitate to reach out to the CRA team if you have any questions.