Who knew?
It is probably not a surprise for you to be told California's hazardous waste laws require major household appliances (e.g., refrigerators) be disposed of in a manner that protects against the leaking of hazardous materials that may be contained within the applicances. You may, however, be surprised to learn that, effective January 1, 2006, as a general rule not just any business in California can dispose of things like refrigerators.
Pursuant to legislation introduced in 2004 by Assembly Member Mervyn Dymally (D-Compton) as Assemby Bill 2277 and enacted into law as various provisions of the Health & Safety Code, beginning in '06 only people approved by the State as "certified appliance recyclers" will be legally authorized to transport, deliver or sell old major appliances for disposal; and, beginning in '06, "scrap recycling facilities" (as defined) will require evidence of such certification before the facility can legally accept the appliances.
According to an analysis by the Assembly Environmental Safety and Toxic Materials Committee,
"...appliance industry data [indicate that]... more than three million major appliances enter the waste stream each year, generating 84,000 pounds of mercury devices, 1.75 million pounds of CFCs (chlorofluorocarbon), 254,000 gallons of used oil, and 328,000 pounds of PCB-containing polychlorinated biphenyls) devices."
The analysis doesn't make clear whether these figures are nationwide or California-only. Either way, it is a lot of stuff. Certification is designed, among other things, to enable to the State to get an informational handle on just where all this stuff is going.
Purusant to the legislation, beginning on or before May 1, 2005 the Department of Toxic Substances Control will make the certification application form available on the Department's website (I don't find the form up there yet, but there is still about 10 days for the Department to comply with AB 2277 and post the form). And beginning July 1, 2005, persons wishing to operate as certified appliance recyclers can start using the posted form to apply for such certfiication.
Meanwhile, in the current legislative session, the Assembly Commitee on Environmental Safety and Toxic Materials has intoduced (as AB 1341) some non-substantive clarifying amendments to the Dymally bill. AB 1341 has been reported out of Committee with a unanimous recommendation that the Assembly pass the bill; and no opposition is expected to such passage by the full Assembly.
So, for the average household, does this new requirement mean that mom and dad will have to apply to the State for "certification" before hauling off the old dishwasher to the local landfill? Apparently not, because AB 2277 provides in part
"A person who is not a certified appliance recycler may transport, deliver, or sell discarded major appliances to a scrap recycling facility only if ...
"The appliances have not been crushed, baled, shredded,sawed or sheared apart, or otherwise processed in such a manner that could result in the release, or prevent the removal, of materials that require special handling.
"...The scrap recycling facility is [itself] a certified appliance recycler...."
So, provided that the household doesn't, e.g., shred or "bale" (whatever that means) the dishwasher before taking it to the local landfill and provided that the local landfill is itself qualified as a certified appliance recycler (and that the landfill is accepting the appliance, probably on a "Household Hazardous Waste Roundup" designated day), life for the average California family disposing of its old stuff should continue as is. The intent of the legislation is, obviously, to require certficiation from people who haul off old appliances for recycling as a commercial enterprise.
