ARTICLE 1. Findings and Declarations [40000. - 40004.]

Cal. Public Resources Code - PRC 1.

in effect

Cal. Public Resources Code - PRC § 40000. Section 40000.

The Legislature hereby finds and declares all of the following: (a) In 1988, Californians disposed of over 38 million tons of solid waste, an amount that is expected to grow if existing solid waste policies are continued. This amounts to more than 1,500 pounds of waste per person living in the state, more than any other state in the country and over twice the per-capita rate of most other industrialized countries. (b) Over 90 percent of California’s solid waste currently is disposed of in landfills, some of which pose a threat to groundwater, air quality, and public health. (c) While California will exhaust most of its remaining landfill space by the mid-1990s, there presently is no coherent state policy to ensure that the state’s solid waste is managed in an effective and environmentally sound manner for the remainder of the 20th century and beyond. (d) The amount of solid waste generated in the state coupled with diminishing landfill space and potential adverse environmental impacts from landfilling constitutes an urgent need for state and local agencies to enact and implement an aggressive new integrated waste management program. (e) The reduction, recycling, or reuse of solid waste generated in the state will, in addition to preserving landfill capacity in California, serve to conserve water, energy, and other natural resources within this state, and to protect the state’s environment.

Cal. Public Resources Code - PRC § 40001. Section 40001.

(a) The Legislature declares that the responsibility for solid waste management is a shared responsibility between the state and local governments. The state shall exercise its legal authority in a manner that ensures an effective and coordinated approach to the safe management of all solid waste generated within the state and shall oversee the design and implementation of local integrated waste management plans. (b) The Legislature further declares that it is the policy of the state to assist local governments in minimizing duplication of effort, and in minimizing the costs incurred, in implementing this division through the development of regional cooperative efforts and other mechanisms which comply with this division. (c) The Legislature further declares that market development is the key to successful and cost-effective implementation of the 25-percent and 50-percent diversion requirements required pursuant to Section 41780, and that the state must take a leadership role, pursuant to Chapter 1 (commencing with Section 42000) of Part 3, in encouraging the expansion of markets for recycled products by working cooperatively with the public, private, and nonprofit sectors.

Cal. Public Resources Code - PRC § 40002. Section 40002.

(a) As an essential part of the state’s comprehensive program for solid waste management, and for the preservation of health and safety, and the well-being of the public, the Legislature declares that it is in the public interest for the state, as sovereign, to authorize and require local agencies, as subdivisions of the state, to make adequate provision for solid waste handling, both within their respective jurisdictions and in response to regional needs consistent with the policies, standards, and requirements of this division and all regulations adopted pursuant to this division. This division, which authorizes and requires local agencies to provide adequate solid waste handling and services, and the actions of local agencies taken pursuant to this division, are intended to implement this state policy. (b) The Legislature further declares that restrictions on the disposal of solid waste that discriminate on the basis of the place of origin of the waste are an obstacle to, and conflict with, statewide and regional policies to ensure adequate and appropriate capacity for solid waste disposal.

Cal. Public Resources Code - PRC § 40003. Section 40003.

Nothing in this division abrogates, limits, or otherwise affects the duties of the Department of Conservation under the California Beverage Container Recycling and Litter Reduction Act, Division 12.1 (commencing with Section 14500).

Cal. Public Resources Code - PRC § 40004. Section 40004.

(a) The Legislature finds and declares all of the following: (1) Solid waste diversion and disposal reduction require the availability of adequate solid waste processing and composting capacity. (2) The existing network of public and private solid waste processing and composting facilities provides a net environmental benefit to the communities served, and represents a valuable asset and resource of this state, one that must be sustained and expanded to provide the additional solid waste processing capacity that will be required to achieve the additional solid waste diversion targets expressed in Section 41780.01 and the commercial solid waste recycling requirement expressed in Section 42649. (3) The provisions in existing law that confer broad discretion on local agencies to determine aspects of solid waste handling that are of local concern have significantly contributed to the statewide diversion rate exceeding 50 percent, and further progress toward decreasing solid waste disposal requires that this essential element of local control be preserved. (b) It is the intent of the Legislature to encourage the development of the additional solid waste processing and composting capacity that is needed to meet state objectives for decreasing solid waste disposal by identifying incentives for local governments to locate and approve new or expanded facilities that meet and exceed their capacity needs, and to recognize local agencies that make significant contributions to the state’s overall solid waste reduction and recycling objectives through the siting of facilities for the processing and composting of materials diverted from the solid waste stream. (c) By setting new commercial solid waste recycling requirements in Section 42649, the Legislature does not intend to limit a right afforded to local governments pursuant to Section 40059, or to modify or abrogate in any manner the rights of a local government or solid waste enterprise with regard to a solid waste handling franchise or contract.

Source: CA Legislative Counsel Bulk DataURL: https://downloads.leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/pubinfo_2025.zipFetched: 6/27/2026