CalRecycle

And so I think it's really identifying the gaps, which a lot of work has happened.

We've worked closely through a lot of the industry associations and trade associations as well as, obviously, CAA and CalRecycle, for California as an example, are very-

Mm-hmm

... engaged there.

So watch and see if this is something that other states use to point to, as this may or may not slip in their own deadlines.

CAA's California program plan, having incorporated comments, is due to CalRecycle in October, and 2027 fee schedule is also due in October.

So we should see some new information come out this month.

Okay, so to go a little deeper into the Oregon lawsuit, the law...

Connor Carlin, who's President of the Institute of Packaging Professionals, will be joining me on stage at the start of the event to set the scene a little bit, and then joining me when we wrap up at the end of the conference to try and piece together some of the key insights from the two days.

I'm also looking forward to a fireside chat with Zoe Heller, who's Director of CalRecycle, the Californian Department of Resources, Planning and Recovery.

Among the many brands that are joining us are Smurfit, Westrock, Udeliver, Mars, Dow, Mastercard, many more.

Full details on the Innovation Forum website, of course.

Oh, there's more.

Yeah, there's more freak out to come, but let me see if I can dial it down at least a little for folks in the sort of indie brand community, right? Like, so in California, if you have under a million dollars of sales within California, then you need only register with CalRecycle, but you do not need to report or pay fees.

So that's a considerable number of companies.

And then in the other states, this does require some analysis, but if you sell less than one metric ton, which if memory serves is about 2,200 or so English pounds, of material in that state in a year, again, you would be exempt.

Nobody knows that number, but I've seen data that suggests it could be about 20,000 companies.

It isn't fair that those who are doing the right thing are paying the freight for those who are sitting on the sidelines.

So there's a shared incentive for those companies to look at the registration lists, call out their competitors, and tell CAA or CalRecycle or whoever, "Hey, I think this company should be registered and reporting," and then you're gonna receive one of those notices that I described before.

So my advice is take it seriously.

California's Department of Resources, Recycling, and Recovery is providing funding for the cleanup of illegally dumped garbage on farm and ranch property.

CalRecycle has $797,000 available for fiscal year 26-27.

Grants of up to $50,000 per cleanup site.

Applications must be made by cities, counties, resource conservation districts, or federally recognized tribes by October 7th for the next round of grants.

Uh, we're seeing on average about 100,000, uh, pounds of those smaller lithium-ion batteries, uh, being recycled every year already.

But we know from our CalRecycle partners that over 7,000 tons of batteries end up in our landfills.

Uh, and so I think what, what concerns me is keeping up with the technology-

Mm

...

so that it's easier to recover those materials, easier to dispose of.

Uh, so we are encouraging battery manufacturers to participate in these stewardship programs, to be a part of the solution, and, um, we have regulatory partners too, CalRecycle, that plays a critical role in managing those stewardship pro- programs, managing the collection facilities.

And where can people find information about this plan? Uh, is it the same website that we mentioned before?

And all of this activity is releasing different gases, some noxious, some toxic, some virtually undetectable.

CalRecycle, during a routine inspection of the Avenal Landfill, took gas readings in excess of 145 degrees.

And that temperature has been 145 or higher for about two years now.

Temperatures that high can signal underground fire.

state department is going to... mandate that to a restaurant?

This is specifically CalRecycle.

They are the ones that are in charge of this mandate and kind of the fines and penalties and everything.

But on our end, it's our job to work with, you know, not only our contract cities, but also any operator.