Program Descriptions & Responsibilities

Materials Management and Local Assistance Division

The mission of the Materials Management and Local Assistance Division is to reduce the amount of waste being generated and going to landfills in California and to decrease greenhouse gas emissions. Major efforts to accomplish this:

• Changing how and where waste is generated and reducing the amount generated by California's businesses, local governments, State agencies, industries, and the public.
• Promoting better resource management by increasing waste prevention, reuse, composting, and recycling.
• Educating, motivating, and providing businesses and manufacturing sectors with technical assistance, either directly or through local governments.
• Working with the private and public sectors to increase the purchase of environmentally preferable products.
• Assisting local governments and State agencies in developing and implementing diversion programs.

The Materials Management and Local Assistance Division comprises three branches:

• Financial Resources Management Branch
• Local Assistance and Market Development Branch
• Statewide Technical and Analytical Resources Branch

The Financial Resources Management Branch advances stakeholder sustainability efforts through grant programs. The branch develops, evaluates, recommends for award, and manages all grants awarded by CalRecycle, with technical assistance and outreach from Local Assistance and Market Development Branch, the Research and Technical Assistance Branch, and the Compliance and Enforcement Division. In consultation with the Director’s Office, the branch also develops and implements policies and protocols to ensure fiscal integrity in the provision of grant funds and e-waste payments, and oversees and implements the Recycling Market Development Zone Loan Program.

Local Assistance and Market Development Branch (LAMD) staff are CalRecycle's field representatives delivering services and programs locally and regionally to increase proper handling of waste (including beverage containers, household hazardous waste and other special wastes); to promote waste reduction, diversion, and procurement of recycled-content products; to develop local and regional markets; and comprehensive recycling communities. LAMD staff are directly responsible for evaluating local jurisdiction and state agency program implementation as part of statutorily-mandated reviews. As field representatives, LAMD staff develop firsthand knowledge of the local solid waste management infrastructure and markets for recovered materials and use this information to assist regions in developing and/or expanding local and regional markets, provide guidance on local and state agency diversion and procurement programs, expand manufacturing of recycled-content products, and help businesses become more sustainable.

The Statewide Technical & Analytical Branch provides technical expertise and information to support local sustainability efforts implemented by the Local Assistance and Market Development Branch. Staff in this branch are expert consultants to CalRecycle field staff to help local jurisdictions and businesses, which may require on-the-ground assessments of local situations and participation in local projects. The branch oversees policy development and provides guidance in areas such as organics market development, environmentally preferable purchasing, construction and demolition diversion, plastics, and product stewardship. The branch is also responsible for the department’s climate and technical research sections, which evaluate noncombustion technologies that can convert postrecycled residuals into energy, alternative fuels, and other products, and coordinate the department’s climate change policies and initiatives.

Staff Directory for This Division