Want to understand CalRecycle's chemical recycling rules? You'll need to pay
Sacramento — Want to know what constitutes an acceptable form of recycling in California under CalRecycle's new draft guidelines for the state's landmark plastic waste law?
It'll cost you roughly $187, and even then you may not find your answer.
The issue arose this week when CalRecycle held a Sacramento workshop on its proposed regulations to implement Senate Bill 54, the 2022 law designed to reduce California's single-use plastic waste.
In the regulations' latest iteration, the agency declared that it will only consider recycling technologies that follow standards issued by the International Organization for Standardization, or ISO, the Geneva-based group that sets standards for a variety of industries, including healthcare and transportation.
According to the draft regulations: 'A facility's use of a technology that is not a mechanical recycling technology ... shall not be considered recycling unless the facility operates in a manner consistent with ISO 59014:2024.'
To access ISO 59014:2024, one must purchase the report for about $187.
That's not fair, said Nick Lapis, director of advocacy for Californians Against Waste. 'Copies of those ISO standards should be publicly available,' he said.
Lapis and others also noted that the law, as written, expressly prohibits chemical and nonmechanical forms of recycling.
Officials at CalRecycle, also known as the California Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery, didn't respond to the criticism or to questions from The Times.
ISO 59014:2024 turns out to be a 38-page report titled 'Environmental management and circular economy — Sustainability and traceability of the recovery of secondary materials — Principles, requirements and guidance.'
A copy of the report reviewed by The Times offered no specifics on recycling technologies, or information about the operation of a recycling plant.
The word 'recycling' is only used five times in the 'Annex,' a 13-page supplementary section of the report. And there it is mentioned only in the context of establishing definitions or examples of 'organizations engaged in the recovery of secondary materials' or 'collection system types.'
For instance, 'Commercial waste and recycling companies' are listed as examples of a type of organization that collects waste. Other waste collectors, according to the report, include municipalities, retailers and reuse organizations such as nonprofit reuse operators.
'The draft calls on aligning facilities with this ISO standard,' said Monica Wilson, senior director of global programs at the Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives. 'That ISO standard is not about recycling. It's not about chemical recycling, it's just not an appropriate comparison for us to be referring to.'
Lapis also found the report hard to decipher.
'Maybe I should go back and look at it again, but it'd be helpful if you're citing ISO standards ... that you identify what parts' are being cited, he said.
Karen Kayfetz, chief of CalRecycle's Product Stewardship branch, didn't respond to questions or concerns about the inclusion of a report that is not freely available to the public to review.
During this week's workshop, she said the agency's use of the ISO standard 'is not meant ... to be a measure of whether you are recycling, but rather just one of multiple criteria that an entity needs to be measured against.'
She said the SB 54 statute requires that CalRecycle exclude recycling technologies that produce significant amounts of hazardous waste and tasks the agency with considering environmental and public health impacts of these technologies.
'The ISO standard for the operation of facilities does address some of the best practices that would help to ameliorate and measure those impacts. ... It is meant to be one of multiple criteria that can be utilized as a measure and to help set a floor but not a ceiling,' she said.
Ana Ferreira, a spokeswoman for the Wine Institute, which represents more than 1,000 wineries and affiliates across the state, was among those with no complaints about the proposed new regulations.
'We believe it incorporates common-sense changes that would reduce costs and ensure that products are appropriately recycled,' Ferreira said.
Tina Andolina, the chief of staff for state Sen. Ben Allen (D-Santa Monica), SB 54's author, said the inclusion of the report and other items in the draft regulations suggests that CalRecycle is considering how to manage these polluting technologies — instead of forbidding them, as the law requires.
'The regulations unlawfully shift the standard from the production of hazardous waste as required by the statute to its management,' she said, reading from a letter Allen had written to the staff.
Anja Brandon, director of plastic policy at the Ocean Conservancy, added that along with not being freely available, the ISO standard 'does not satisfy SB 54's requirements to exclude the most hazardous technologies and to minimize the generation of hazardous waste and environmental, environmental justice and public health impacts.'
SB 54, which was signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom in 2022, requires that by 2032, 100% of single-use packaging and plastic food ware produced or sold in the state must be recyclable or compostable, that 65% of it can be recycled, and that the total volume is reduced by 25%.
The law was written to address the mounting issue of plastic pollution in the environment and the growing number of studies showing the ubiquity of microplastic pollution in the human body — such as in the brain, blood, heart tissue, testicles, lungs and various other organs.
Last March, after nearly three years of negotiations among various corporate, environmental, waste, recycling and health stakeholders, CalRecycle drafted a set of finalized regulations designed to implement the single-use plastic producer responsibility program under SB 54.
But as the deadline for implementation approached, industries that would be affected by the regulations including plastic producers and packaging companies — represented by the California Chamber of Commerce and the Circular Action Alliance — began lobbying the governor, complaining that the regulations were poorly developed and might ultimately increase costs for California taxpayers.Newsom allowed the regulations to expire and told CalRecycle that it needed to start the process over.
These new draft regulations are the agency's latest attempt at issuing guidelines by which the law can be implemented.
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Trump pardons drive a big, burgeoning business for lobbyists
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Robert Burke, who was convicted in May of bribery. Parlatore told NBC News that he had unsuccessfully attempted to get Justice Department leadership to reconsider the Burke case before it went to trial, and that he'd try to secure a pardon now that Burke has been convicted. "I think I have a great appeal for Burke, but will I go and ask for a pardon? Absolutely! You'd be crazy not to," he said. "The way that that case was investigated and presented, I believe, was fundamentally unfair." Parlatore said he wanted to "pursue all possible remedies" for his client. "I'll go to call people and try to figure this thing out, whether it's Ed Martin, Alice Johnson," he said, referring to Trump's pardon attorney and his more informal "pardon czar." "I just want to make sure that that gets in front of the right people to make a decision." The president's pardon power, a vestige of the British monarchy, is largely unchecked. Trump isn't the first person to face criticism for controversial pardons. 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That staffer and other Trump allies argue that it was Biden's use of the power that has set the precedent under which they are currently operating. Biden pardoned or commuted the sentences of more than 8,000 people, including to his son Hunter, who was set to be sentenced on federal gun charges just weeks before the pardon was issued. On the way out of office, he also issued pre-emptive pardons for some members of his family, worried Trump would try to prosecute them. An administration official called Biden's pardon decisions an "absolutely earth-shattering departure from presidential norms." Trump supporters argue the potential hit to a president's reputation that previously existed for the perception of politicizing the clemency process is no longer there. "It's become easier after Hunter's pardon. Long gone are the days of an eleventh-hour pardon. It has become more transactional," the Trump ally and lobbyist said. Beyond increased payments to lobbying firms to help secure pardons, family members of those seeking pardons have also found it useful to amplify their platform by going on conservative media outlets that Trump is known to watch or appear in MAGA-friendly spaces. Savannah Chrisley, for example, spoke at the Republican National Convention and suggested her parents were targeted for being conservative. During a press conference Friday, she said it was a "misconception" that she "either paid for a pardon or slept for a pardon" for her parents. She said she simply went to Washington and made sure she was in "the right room at the right time" and "begged for meetings." "Many people have come on my OAN program to make their case for pardons," former Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida, who became a news anchor for One America News Network after Trump unsuccessfully tried to install him as attorney general, told NBC News. "Some have not. Some might get granted in the future. 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May 31—ROCHESTER — Just north of Pine Island on the east side of U.S. Highway 52 lies about 400 acres in the township that, if all goes well over the next year or two, should become the future economic engine of the city. In March, the city started the environmental process that would lead to the annexation of that property — now mostly farmland — with the purpose of having a developer — Minneapolis-based Ryan Companies — turn that land into an industrial and technology business park. It's a project that could bring hundreds of jobs — not counting the construction jobs — long-term to the city. How did this happen? As the old saying goes with real estate deals, it's all about location. And in this case, the booming growth of nearby Rochester is one major factor. "The proximity to Rochester is a major factor to us," said Peter Fitzgerald, vice president of real estate development for Ryan Companies. Fitzgerald listed off Pine Island's attributes. In addition to proximity to Rochester there's also a quality workforce, proximity to the Twin Cities, and quick access to major highways such as Interstate 90, Highway 52 and Intestate 35. For Fitzgerald, the idea of developing along Highway 52 between the Twin Cities and Rochester goes back to his days, oddly enough, playing for the Rochester Honkers more than 20 years ago. Back in those days, he often drove between Rochester and the Twin Cities, a drive he felt was closer and quicker than people realized. So when he began working for Ryan Companies, he remembered that drive. "Highway 52 connects the first, second and third largest cities in the state of Minnesota," he said. "It made a ton of sense to pay attention to what's happening along Highway 52." Ryan Companies has been in the development business for 85 years in Minnesota, and has worked on projects around the state. The company has many developed projects in the Twin Cities and along I-35, Fitzgerald said. So, in evaluating Pine Island he saw good infrastructure such as utilities, available land, a strong and skilled workforce, and that access to highways and three major cities. "We had nothing along Highway 52, which we thought was a miss," he said. On the north end of Stewartville, the Schumann Business Park is filling up quickly. Mayor Jimmie-John King said that's because the land is "shovel ready" for development. "When you're putting up a $100 million building — no matter how rich you think people are — people don't want to screw around for 18 months on that borrowed money," King said, referring to the estimated investment in construction by United Therapeutics, a pig-to-human transplant facility. "(United Therapeutics) figures, working with us, they'll be ready to roll a year earlier than they planned on." King said that's a big benefit to companies, having roads, sewer and water and other utilities ready to connect to a site. "That's a huge benefit to these companies that come here," he said. He pointed to Stewartville's other big deal announced this year: Amazon will build a "last mile" delivery hub in Stewartville. With the site ready to build on, he said, a company could go from signing a development deal to beginning construction in as little as 90 days. In fact, real discussions with Amazon began in January, and, if a recent week of rain hadn't occurred, he said, the company would "already be digging in the dirt." United Therapeutics and Amazon are just the latest additions to the business park, first developed in 2003, that already includes Kwik Trip, Schwickert's Construction and FedEx Ground among others. And Schumann's isn't the only area that was built to be builder-ready. Tebay's Industrial Park a few blocks to the south on Highway 63 includes manufacturers Jimmy's Salad Dressings, Halcon Furniture and Geotek Inc. All, King said, have recently expanded or have plans to expand their building footprints, and that means more jobs coming to Stewartville. Elizabeth Howard, Pine Island's city administrator, said while the Ryan Companies development is still in the early stages, site planning would indicate room for 100 to 200 jobs coming to the city. That doesn't include construction jobs for developing the site. Despite the positives of the proposed deal, Howard said she's holding back on any celebrations. Pine Island, she said, has heard it before. "I still hear it in every single meeting I go to," said Howard, referring to the never-realized Elk Run bioscience development proposed by Tower Investments in the late 2000s and early 2010s. "It's at the top of people's minds." Howard said Ryan Companies isn't Tower Investments — which is a good thing — but as this proposal works its way into the environmental review process, she's "being more hesitant that the city is dotting its I's and crossing T's with the developer." Still, there is optimism in town. In April, the city hosted a town hall meeting where the public could come and ask questions about the proposal. "It went well," said Howard. "It was positive. The crowd was mainly people living around the project, more township folks than city folks. The developer and engineer were able to answer their questions and concerns." One question has been why Pine Island? In addition to the reasons listed by Fitzgerald, Howard said the power substation on the north end of town was a plus since data centers or technology businesses are envisioned as potential tenants. Right now, Fitzgerald said, Ryan Companies isn't thinking about end users as much as it is thinking about the environmental review — which should take most of the rest of 2025 — and pre-construction issues such as permitting and zoning. "It's looking at the magnitude of this development and taking a look at what mitigations should be in place to allow for this development," he said. Once all the pre-construction work is done, then Ryan Companies will start lining up tenants for the site. Fitzgerald said all that will take time. Development of the 400-plus acres will likely take a decade in total as more businesses buy up lots within the tech park on what will become the north end of Pine Island. "You do need an anchor tenant," he said. "We'll look for that anchor tenant who will kick off that development." Ron Zeigler, CEO of Community and Economic Development Associates, the economic development arm behind many communities in Southeast Minnesota, said, "Rochester needs a strong surrounding area, and the area needs a strong Rochester." What's happening in Stewartville and Pine Island, he said, is happening to some degree in just about every community near Rochester. "Every town is doing things to make themselves ready for housing development, business development," he said. Howard said Ryan Companies first approached Pine Island about 18 months ago. After some initial inquiries, she heard nothing for a few months. "I was cautious," she said. After all, the city and it's economic development team talk to developers often. But eventually, things started to fall into place. Howard said she got the right people talking to one another: decision makers, state agencies and the city. With so many hoops to jump through for even the most motivated city and developer, as city administrator she didn't want to "put the cart before the horse." "Don't spend taxpayer dollars inappropriately," she said. That means don't get overextended on roads or utilities. Talk to the school district and keep them in the loop. Have a plan for housing. That last one can be worked on no matter what. Both Olmsted County and Goodhue County have done studies showing the need for more housing — apartments, single-family, affordable, senior housing — enough so that she's not worried about pushing too far on that front. The city is already working on quality of life issues such as parks. And Pine Island has joined with neighboring towns — Zumbrota, Goodhue and Wanamingo — to develop a regional wastewater treatment cooperative. Stewartville City Administrator Bill Schimmel said his city — just with it's two newest development announcements, Amazon and United Therapeutics — that the city is looking at somewhere between 100 and 130 new permanent jobs. That doesn't include existing businesses — Halcon, Jimmy's and Geotek — that have or will be adding new jobs. Mayor King said that even on manufacturing lines, those jobs take skills which means those are good-paying jobs. Schimmel said the city is always looking to extend current development opportunities, whether that be residential or commercial/industrial. Apartments have been built in recent years, and roughly three dozen single-family home lots are available. As for business opportunities, there's still room for Schumann's Business Park to expand, but the city is also talking to landowners — including one on the north side of Interstate 90 — for new areas of development. After all, Stewartville is something of a business hotspot. "What seems to have happened, once some of these names are on our map, there seems to be inquiries," Schimmel said. Added King: "I think what we're going to see, and we're already seeing some of it, is the secondary-type business: truck repair shops, the support network. We're starting to hear from some of those type of people. There's a lot of opportunities that way." Opening up a shop that has oil filters and other routine maintenance parts for all those Amazon trucks, he said, would be a smart plan. For Pine Island, the payoff is a little farther down the road, but Howard said she sees it coming. And, like Stewartville has discovered, success can breed more success. "I hope that this is just the tip of the iceberg," Howard said. "I hope this is our new and improved Pine Island."
