(a) (1) It is the intent of the Legislature in enacting this section not to require cities, counties, and regional agencies to revise source reduction and recycling elements prior to their submittal to the board for review and approval, except as the elements would otherwise be required to be revised by the board pursuant to this part. Pursuant to Sections 41801.5 and 41811.5, compliance with this section shall be determined by the board when source reduction and recycling elements are submitted to the board pursuant to Section 41791.5. However, any city or county may choose to revise its source reduction and recycling element or any of its components prior to board review of the source reduction and recycling element for the purpose of complying with this section.
(2) It is further the intent of the Legislature in enacting this section to ensure that compliance with the diversion requirements of Section 41780 shall be accurately determined based upon a correlation between solid waste which was disposed of at permitted disposal facilities and diversion claims which are subsequently made for that solid waste.
(b) For the purposes of this section, the following terms have the following meaning:
(1) “Action by a city, county, regional, or local governing body” means franchise or contract conditions, rate or fee schedules, zoning or land use decisions, disposal facility permit conditions, or activities by a waste hauler, recycler, or disposal facility operator acting on behalf of a city, county, regional agency, or local governing body, or other action by the local governing body if the local government action is specifically related to the claimed diversion.
(2) “Scrap metal” includes ferrous metals, nonferrous metals, aluminum scrap, other metals, and auto bodies, but does not include aluminum cans, steel cans, or bimetal cans.
(3) “Inert solids” includes rock, concrete, brick, sand, soil, fines, asphalt, and unsorted construction and demolition waste.
(4) “Agricultural wastes” includes solid wastes of plant and animal origin, which result from the production and processing of farm or agricultural products, including manures, orchard and vineyard prunings, and crop residues, which are removed from the site of generation for solid waste management. Agriculture refers to SIC Codes 011 to 0291, inclusive.
(c) For purposes of determining the base amount of solid waste from which the diversion requirements of this article shall be calculated, “solid waste” does not include the diversion of agricultural wastes; inert solids, including inert solids used for structural fill; discarded, white-coated, major appliances; and scrap metals; unless all of the following criteria are met:
(1) The city, county, or regional agency demonstrates that the material was diverted from a permitted disposal facility through an action by the city, county, or regional agency which specifically resulted in the diversion.
(2) The city, county, or regional agency demonstrates that, prior to January 1, 1990, the solid waste which is claimed to have been diverted was disposed of at a permitted disposal facility in the quantity being claimed as diversion. If historical disposal data is not available, that demonstration may be based upon information available to the city, county, or regional agency which substantiates a reasonable estimate of disposal quantities which is as accurate as is feasible in the absence of historical disposal data.
(3) The city, county, or regional agency is implementing, and will continue to implement, source reduction, recycling, and composting programs, as described in its source reduction and recycling element.
(d) If a city, county, or regional agency source reduction and recycling element submitted pursuant to this chapter includes the diversion of any of the wastes specified in subdivision (c) for years preceding the year commencing January 1, 1990, that diversion shall not apply to the diversion requirements of Section 41780, unless the criteria in subdivision (c) are met.
(e) If a city, county, or regional agency source reduction and recycling element submitted pursuant to this chapter does not contain information sufficient for the city, county, or regional agency to demonstrate to the board whether the criteria in subdivision (c) have been met, the city, county, or regional agency may provide additional information following board review of the source reduction and recycling element pursuant to Section 41791.5. In providing the additional information, Sections 41801.5 and 41811.5 shall apply.
(f) In demonstrating whether the requirements of paragraph (1) of subdivision (c) have been met, the city, county, or regional agency shall submit information to the board on local government programs which are specifically related to the claimed diversion.
(g) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, for purposes of determining the base amount of solid waste from which the diversion requirements of this article shall be calculated for a city, county, or regional agency which includes biomass conversion in its source reduction and recycling element pursuant to Section 41783.1, the base amount shall include those materials disposed of in the base year at biomass conversion facilities.
(Amended by Stats. 1994, Ch. 1227, Sec. 7. Effective January 1, 1995.)