(a) Every glass container manufacturer shall report to the department each month, by a method as determined by the department, the amount of total tons of new glass food, drink, and beverage containers made in California by that glass container manufacturer and the tons of California postfilled glass used in the manufacturing of those new containers.
(b) Each glass container manufacturer in the state shall use a minimum percentage of 35 percent of postfilled glass in the manufacturing of their glass food, drink, or beverage containers measured in the aggregate, on an annual basis, except that if a glass container manufacturer demonstrates to the satisfaction of the department that its use of postfilled glass during the annual period is made up of at least 50 percent mixed-color cullet, then that manufacturer shall use a minimum percentage of 25 percent postfilled glass in the manufacturing of its glass food, drink, or beverage containers, measured in the aggregate, on an annual basis.
(c) A glass container manufacturer may seek a reduction or waiver of the minimum postfilled glass percentage required to be used in the manufacture of glass food, drink, or beverage containers pursuant to subdivision (b). The department may grant a reduction or waiver of the percentage requirement if it finds and determines that it is technologically infeasible for the glass container manufacturer to achieve the percentage requirement or if the department determines that a glass container manufacturer cannot achieve the minimum percentage because of a lack of available glass cullet.
(d) For the purposes of this section, “mixed-color cullet” means cullet that does not meet the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) standard specifications for color mix of color sorted postfilled glass as raw material for the manufacture of glass containers.
(Amended by Stats. 2003, Ch. 753, Sec. 3. Effective January 1, 2004.)