California Electronic Waste Recycling Act
Stakeholder Forum:
January 26, 2009

As the Electronic Waste Recycling Act of 2003 (SB 20 and SB 50, Sher) is implemented, meetings and workshops occasionally will be held to inform affected stakeholders and other interested parties.

The California Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery (CalRecycle) will host a stakeholder forum on Monday, January 26, 2009, for participants in the covered electronic waste (CEW) recovery and recycling payment system and other interested parties. The full-day forum is intended to kick off the new year with a reflective overview of current regulatory requirements that govern the handling of electronic waste in general, and participation in the payment system in particular. The forum will also be an opportunity to look ahead at possible program refinements that could be incorporated with future rulemaking.

The forum, which starts at 9 a.m. and ends at approximately 4 p.m., will be held at the Cal/EPA Headquarters Building in Sacramento. It is anticipated that the portion of the forum focusing on existing regulations will occur in the morning, and that the broader discussions about improving program operations and integrity will occur in the afternoon. A more detailed agenda will be available closer to the meeting date.

All interested parties are encouraged to attend or tune-in to an audio webcast. Web-based participants will be able to submit comments and questions via email during the event through the ewaste@calrecycle.ca.gov address.

For facility logistical purposes, please RSVP at ewaste@calrecycle.ca.gov if you are planning to attend in person.

Details

California's CEW payment system is intended to foster electronic waste recovery and recycling. While primarily managed by the CIWMB, the program is built on a foundation of material handling rules administered by other regulatory authorities. The CIWMB has invited staff from the Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC) and the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) to participate in this event and assist in educating stakeholders about regulatory issues that apply to electronic waste recycling operations in California.

DTSC regulates the physical handling of hazardous waste in California, including the management of universal waste and CRT material. DTSC will soon be rolling out a revised set of universal waste rules that combine separate regulations into one package, with some modifications. DTSC will highlight changes that affect CEW system participants, and discuss common compliance challenges.

USEPA also regulates aspects of electronic waste management, specifically the export of cathode ray tube (CRT) glass derived from old televisions and computer monitors. USEPA will provide a presentation on the CRT rule--a two-year-old set of notification and consent regulations that affect the export of CRT glass--and answer questions.

The CIWMB will use the forum to remind CEW payment system participants of documentation, recordkeeping, and payment claim construction requirements, and discuss common compliance challenges. The CIWMB will also facilitate an open discussion exploring ways to strengthen the program's fiscal integrity while improving the efficiency of operations, both on the part of participants and CIWMB's oversight role. Such program improvements, as they are further reviewed and refined in the coming months, may be incorporated into regulations through rulemaking later this year.

Forum Presentations

• Agenda (Adobe PDF, 35 KB)
• Audio "WebCast" of workshop (audio links will be live on day of meeting).
• CIWMB Opening Remarks (Adobe PDF, 260 KB)
• DTSC Presentation on Universal Waste Rules (Adobe PDF, 2.6 MB)
• USEPA Presentation on CRT Export Rules and R2 (Adobe PDF, 277 KB)
• CIWMB Discussion of CEW Program Compliance Issues (Adobe PDF, 69 KB)
• CIWMB Discussion of Potential Program Improvements (Adobe PDF, 57 KB)

Background Documents and Links

• Final Regulations--An unofficial version of regulation text hosted on the CIWMB website.
• DTSC's Proposed Regulations: Consolidated Universal Waste Regulations and Authorized Treatment of Electronic Hazardous Waste.
• USEPA's website. This site provides information on the federal Cathode Ray Tube (CRT) Rule.
• Other statutory and regulatory background.

To maximize meaningful participation, stakeholders are encouraged to review applicable statutes and regulations, and to prepare specific questions or comments prior to attending the meeting. To ensure that key issues are covered, questions and/or comments can be sent before or during the meeting to ewaste@calrecycle.ca.gov.

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