14530-14541.5
PUBLIC RESOURCES CODE
SECTION 14530-14541.5
14530. This division shall be administered by the department. Notwithstanding Section 607, the department may, for organizational purposes, create a new division, bureau, or office to administer this division. If a new division, bureau, or office is created, any reference to "department" or "director" in this division shall be deemed to be a reference to that entity and the officer in charge of that entity. 14530.1. There is hereby created within the department a recycling financial analysis and policy development unit, to develop, analyze, consolidate, and evaluate economic and policy proposals to carry out the objectives of this division, including, but not limited to, all of the following: (a) Evaluate the solvency of the fund on an ongoing basis in order to make recommendations and report to the Legislature. (b) Identify the fiscal impacts of proposed recycling programs, or changes to existing recycling programs. (c) Assess the economic impacts of recycling proposals and programs on the state's citizens and businesses, including the impact of adding new container types into existing law. (d) Develop recommendations to better integrate the various recycling alternatives available from state government, local government, and private industry with the objective of reducing recycling costs to citizens and businesses and meeting the 80-percent recycling goal established by this division. 14530.2. The Division of Recycling shall be administered by an assistant director who is appointed by the Governor. The appointment shall be exempt from civil service. 14530.5. (a) For purposes of entering into contracts for consulting, promotional, or advisory services necessary to implement this division, the requirements of Sections 11042 and 14615 of the Government Code and Sections 10295 and 10318 of the Public Contract Code do not apply to the activities of the department pursuant to this division, except that any sole source contract awarded by the department shall be reviewed and approved by the Department of General Services. (b) In addition to any regulations which the department is required by statute to adopt, the department may adopt any other rules and regulations pursuant to Chapter 3.5 (commencing with Section 11340) of Part 1 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code which the department determines may be necessary or useful to carry out this division or any of the department's duties or responsibilities imposed pursuant to this division. (c) The department may prepare, publish, and issue printed pamphlets, promotional materials, and bulletins which the director determines to be necessary for the dissemination of information to the public concerning the activities of the department pursuant to this division. 14530.6. Upon the request of the department, the Attorney General shall represent the department and the state in litigation concerning affairs of the department. 14536. (a) Except as provided in subdivision (b), the director shall adopt, amend, or repeal all rules and regulations in accordance with Chapter 3.5 (commencing with Section 11340) of Part 1 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code. (b) (1) The director shall adopt regulations, and may adopt emergency regulations for the purposes of implementing Sections 14538, 14539, 14541, 14549.1, 14549.2, 14549.7, 14550, 14561, 14574, 14575, 14585, 14588.1, 14588.2, and 14591. (2) Any emergency regulations, if adopted, shall be adopted in accordance with Chapter 3.5 (commencing with Section 11340) of Part 1 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code, and for the purposes of that chapter, including Section 11349.6 of the Government Code, the adoption of these regulations is an emergency and shall be considered by the Office of Administrative Law as necessary for the immediate preservation of the public peace, health and safety, and general welfare. Notwithstanding Chapter 3.5 (commencing with Section 11340) of Part 1 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code, including subdivision (e) of Section 11346.1 of the Government Code, any emergency regulations adopted pursuant to this section shall be filed with, but not be repealed by, the Office of Administrative Law and shall remain in effect until revised by the director. 14536.1. Notwithstanding Section 14536, if the department determines that it is necessary to adopt or amend regulations to implement Section 14575, the department may adopt or amend those regulations as emergency regulations. The Office of Administrative Law shall consider those regulations to be necessary for the immediate preservation of the public peace, health and safety, and general welfare for purposes of Section 11349.6 of the Government Code. Notwithstanding subdivision (e) of Section 11346.1 of the Government Code, the emergency regulations adopted or amended pursuant to this section shall be repealed 180 days after the effective date of the regulations, unless the department complies with Chapter 3.5 (commencing with Section 11340) of Part 1 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code. 14536.5. (a) In carrying out the division, the department may solicit and use all expertise available in other state agencies and where an existing state agency performs functions of a similar nature to the department's functions, the department may contract with, or cooperate with, the agency in carrying out this division. (b) Notwithstanding subdivision (a), the Department of Food and Agriculture may, as requested by the department, collect, compile, and report information regarding the importation of filled or postfilled beverage containers. Border agricultural inspection stations and any other appropriate information gathering focal points may be used and the plant quarantine officers and supervisors of the Department of Food and Agriculture shall collect, compile, and report information requested by the department pursuant to this subdivision. Recovery of costs incurred by the Department of Food and Agriculture shall be accomplished through an interagency agreement with the department. 14537. The department shall keep accurate books, records, and accounts of all of its dealings, and these books, records, and accounts are subject to an annual audit by an auditing firm selected by the department. The auditing firm or the department shall also conduct a selective audit of entities making payments to, or receiving payments from, the department to determine whether redemption payments and applicable processing fees are being paid to the department on all beverage containers sold in California, and that refund values and processing payments are being paid out properly by the department. 14538. (a) The department shall certify the operators of recycling centers pursuant to this section. The director shall adopt, by regulation, a procedure for the certification of recycling centers, including standards and requirements for certification. These regulations shall require that all information be submitted to the department under penalty of perjury. A recycling center shall meet all of the standards and requirements contained in the regulations for certification. The regulations shall require, but shall not be limited to requiring, that all of the following conditions be met for certification: (1) The operator of the recycling center demonstrates, to the satisfaction of the department, that the operator will operate in accordance with this division. (2) If one or more certified entities have operated at the same location within the past five years, the operations at the location of the recycling center exhibit, to the satisfaction of the department, a pattern of operation in compliance with the requirements of this division and regulations adopted pursuant to this division. (3) The operator of the recycling center notifies the department promptly of any material change in the nature of his or her operations which conflicts with information submitted in the operator' s application for certification. (b) A certified recycling center shall comply with all of the following requirements for operation: (1) The operator of the recycling center shall not pay a refund value for, or receive a refund value from any processor for, any food or drink packaging material or any beverage container or other product that does not have a refund value established pursuant to Section 14560. (2) The operator of a recycling center shall take those actions that satisfy the department to prevent the payment of a refund value for any food or drink packaging material or any beverage container or other product that does not have a refund value established pursuant to Section 14560. (3) Unless exempted pursuant to subdivision (b) of Section 14572, a certified recycling center shall accept, and pay at least the refund value for, all empty beverage containers, regardless of type. (4) A certified recycling center shall not pay any refund values, processing payments, or administrative fees to a noncertified recycler. (5) A certified recycling center shall not pay any refund values, processing payments, or administrative fees on empty beverage containers or other containers that the certified recycling center knew, or should have known, were coming into the state from out of the state. (6) A certified recycling center shall not claim refund values, processing payments, or administrative fees on empty beverage containers that the certified recycling center knew, or should have known, were received from noncertified recyclers or on beverage containers that the certified recycling center knew, or should have known, come from out of the state. (7) A certified recycling center shall prepare and maintain the following documents involving empty beverage containers, as specified by the department by regulation: (A) Shipping reports that are required to be prepared by the recycling center, or that are required to be obtained from other recycling centers. (B) Consumer transaction receipts. (C) Consumer transaction logs. (D) Rejected container receipts on materials subject to this division. (E) Receipts for transactions with beverage manufacturers on materials subject to this division. (F) Receipts for transactions with beverage distributors on materials subject to this division. (G) Documents authorizing the recycling center to cancel empty beverage containers. (H) Weight tickets. (8) In addition to the requirements of paragraph (7), a certified recycling center shall cooperate with the department and make available its records of scrap transactions when the review of these records is necessary for an audit or investigation by the department. (c) The department may recover, in restitution pursuant to paragraph (5) of subdivision (c) of Section 14591.2, payments made from the fund to the certified recycling center pursuant to Section 14573.5 that are based on the documents specified in paragraph (7), that are not prepared or maintained in compliance with the department' s regulations, and that do not allow the department to verify claims for program payments. (d) The department may certify a recycling center that will operate less than 30 hours a week, as specified in paragraph (2) of subdivision (b) of Section 14571. 14539. (a) The department shall certify processors pursuant to this section. The director shall adopt, by regulation, requirements and standards for certification. The regulations shall require, but shall not be limited to requiring, that all of the following conditions be met for certification: (1) The processor demonstrates to the satisfaction of the department that the processor will operate in accordance with this division. (2) If one or more certified entities have operated at the same location within the past five years, the operations at the location of the processor exhibit, to the satisfaction of the department, a pattern of operation in compliance with the requirements of this division and regulations adopted pursuant to this division. (3) The processor notifies the department promptly of any material change in the nature of the processor's operations that conflicts with the information submitted in the operator's application for certification. (b) A certified processor shall comply with all of the following requirements for operation: (1) The processor shall not pay a refund value for, or receive a refund value from the department for, any food or drink packaging material or any beverage container or other product that does not have a refund value established pursuant to Section 14560. (2) The processor shall take those actions that satisfy the department to prevent the payment of a refund value for any food or drink packaging material or any beverage container or other product that does not have a refund value established pursuant to Section 14560. (3) Unless exempted pursuant to subdivision (b) of Section 14572, the processor shall accept, and pay at least the refund value for, all empty beverage containers, regardless of type, for which the processor is certified. (4) A processor shall not pay any refund values, processing payments, or administrative fees to a noncertified recycler. A processor may pay refund values, processing payments, or administrative fees to any entity that is identified by the department on its list of certified recycling centers. (5) A processor shall not pay any refund values, processing payments, or administrative fees on empty beverage containers or other containers that the processor knew, or should have known, were coming into the state from out of the state. (6) A processor shall not claim refund values, processing payments, or administrative fees on empty beverage containers that the processor knew, or should have known, were received from noncertified recyclers or on beverage containers that the processor knew, or should have known, come from out of the state. A processor may claim refund values, processing payments, or administrative fees on any empty beverage container that does not come from out of the state and that is received from any entity that is identified by the department on its list of certified recycling centers. (7) A processor shall take the actions necessary and approved by the department to cancel containers to render them unfit for redemption. (8) A processor shall prepare or maintain the following documents involving empty beverage containers, as specified by the department by regulation: (A) Shipping reports that are required to be prepared by the processor or that are required to be obtained from recycling centers. (B) Processor invoice reports. (C) Cancellation verification documents. (D) Documents authorizing recycling centers to cancel empty beverage containers. (E) Processor-to-processor transaction receipts. (F) Rejected container receipts on materials subject to this division. (G) Receipts for transactions with beverage manufacturers on materials subject to this division. (H) Receipts for transactions with distributors on materials subject to this division. (I) Weight tickets. (9) In addition to the requirements of paragraph (7), a processor shall cooperate with the department and make available its records of scrap transactions when the review of these records is necessary for an audit or investigation by the department. (c) The department may recover, in restitution pursuant to paragraph (5) of subdivision (c) of Section 14591.2, any payments made by the department to the processor pursuant to Section 14573 that are based on the documents specified in paragraph (8) of subdivision (b) of this section, that are not prepared or maintained in compliance with the department's regulations, and that do not allow the department to verify claims for program payments. 14539.5. (a) The department shall certify dropoff and collection programs pursuant to this section. The director shall adopt, by regulation, requirements and standards for certification and a dropoff or collection program shall meet all the standards and requirements contained in the regulations for certification. The regulations shall require that all information be submitted to the department under penalty of perjury. The regulations shall require, in addition to any other conditions that may be imposed by the department, that both of the following conditions be met for certification: (1) The dropoff or collection program demonstrates, to the satisfaction of the department, that the dropoff or collection program will operate in accordance with this division. (2) The dropoff or collection program notifies the department promptly of any material change in the nature of its operations that conflicts with the information submitted in the application for certification. (b) A certified dropoff or collection program shall not receive any refund value or processing payment on an empty beverage container that the certified dropoff or collection program knew, or should have known, was received from a noncertified recycler, on any beverage container that the certified dropoff or collection program knew or should have known came from out of this state, or any other beverage container or other product that does not have a refund value established pursuant to Section 14560. (c) The department may recover, in restitution pursuant to paragraph (5) of subdivision (c) of Section 14591.2, any payment made from the fund to a dropoff or collection program pursuant to Section 14573.5 that is based on a document that is not prepared or maintained in compliance with any applicable recordkeeping requirements required pursuant to this division or the department's regulations and that does not allow the department to verify the claims for those payments. 14540. The department may review and verify all applications for certification of recycling centers and processors, and may conduct a comprehensive field investigation of any applicant in any manner which the department deems necessary to promote the purposes of this division. This division does not prohibit the department from certifying the same location or entity as both a processor and a recycling center. 14541. (a) The department may issue a certificate pursuant to an initial or renewal application for certification as probationary, and the department may issue any other certificate as probationary pursuant to an enforcement action. (b) A probationary certificate issued pursuant to this section shall be issued for a limited period of not more than two years. Before the end of the probationary period, the department shall issue a nonprobationary certificate, extend the probationary period for not more than one year, or, after notice to the probationary certificate holder, revoke the probationary certificate. Subsequent to the revocation, the former probationary certificate holder may request a hearing, which, notwithstanding, Section 11445.20 of the Government Code, shall be conducted in the same form as a hearing for an applicant whose original application for certification is denied. (c) If a hearing is requested pursuant to subdivision (b) and the party requesting the hearing fails to appear on the date scheduled, and does not notify the department at least five days prior to the hearing date that the party will not appear, the department may recover from the party all costs and fees incurred by the department, including attorneys' and experts' fees, and any other cost associated with preparing for, or conducting, the hearing. (d) If conditions are imposed on the certificate holder as part of a disciplinary proceeding conducted pursuant to Section 14591.2, the certificate shall be considered probationary. If, at any time, the certificate holder violates any term or condition of the probationary certificate, the certificate may be revoked or suspended, after three days' notice, without any further hearing by the department. 14541.5. Any certification or registration granted by the department is a privilege and not a vested right or interest.