Article 8. Recycling Paper of California Education Code >> Division 1. >> Title 1. >> Part 19. >> Chapter 3. >> Article 8.

The Legislature finds and declares that is the policy of the state to conserve and protect its resources. The maintenance of a quality environment for the people of this state now and in the future is a matter of statewide concern. The Legislature further finds and declares that the volume of solid waste generated within the state coupled with an increased rate in the consumption of paper products and the absence of adequate programs and procedures for the reuse of these materials threaten the quality of the environment and well-being of the people of California. In making these findings the Legislature declares that the policy and intent of this article is to increase the public's awareness of the value of recycling and the need to recycle, and to improve environmental quality by the recycling of paper products.

The following definitions govern the interpretation of this article:
  (a) "Educational agency" means any school district, county office of education, or campus of the California State University and Colleges.
  (b) "Paper recycling program" means, (1) the provision of specially marked containers which are intended to receive either all grades or only some grades of postconsumer wastepaper but which are not intended to receive other forms of postconsumer waste, (2) publicity directed at all persons who frequent buildings with the containers encouraging those persons to deposit wastepaper in the containers, and (3) the collection of all paper deposited in the containers for the purpose of recycling.
  (c) "Postconsumer waste" means a finished material which would normally be disposed of as solid waste, having completed its life cycle as a consumer item.
  (d) "Recycled paper" means all paper and woodpulp products with not less than 50 percent of its total weight consisting of secondary and postconsumer waste and with not less than 10 percent of its total weight consisting of postconsumer waste.
  (e) "Secondary waste" means fragments of products or finished products of a manufacturing process which has converted a virgin resource into a commodity of real economic value, and includes postconsumer waste, but does not include mill broke, wood slabs, chips, sawdust, or other wood residue from a manufacturing process.

(a) Each school district may, and is encouraged to, establish and maintain a paper recycling program in all classrooms, administrative offices, and other areas owned or leased by the school district where a significant quantity of wastepaper is generated or may be collected.
  (b) Each campus of the California State University and Colleges may, and is encouraged to, establish and maintain a paper recycling program in administration offices and other areas owned or leased by the campus, including areas frequented by students, where a significant quantity of wastepaper is generated or may be collected.
  (c) In establishing paper recycling programs, school districts, and campuses of the California State University and Colleges shall attempt to cooperate with existing paper recycling programs.
  (d) Nothing in this article shall limit or supersede any other requirement of law imposing a paper recycling program on school districts or the California State University and Colleges.

(a) Each educational agency is encouraged to purchase recycled paper if the supplier of recycled paper offers the paper at a cost which does not exceed by more than 5 percent the lowest offer of nonrecycled paper of comparable quality.
  (b) Whenever an educational agency purchases recycled paper, the educational agency shall purchase the paper with the highest percentage of postconsumer waste, if the price and quality of the recycled paper are otherwise equal.
  (c) Whenever it is practical to do so, each educational agency shall revise its procurement specifications to eliminate discrimination against recycled paper and to give preference to the purchase of recycled paper.
  (d) Each educational agency shall make all reasonable efforts to eliminate the purchase of paper and paper products which are deemed potential contaminants of the educational agency's paper recycling program.
  (e) When contracting with any educational agency for the sale of a paper product, the contractor shall certify in writing to the contracting officer or the officer's representative the percentage of secondary and postconsumer waste in the paper product and whether or not such percentages meet the minimum percentages specified in subdivision (d) of Section 32371. Such certification shall be furnished under penalty of perjury.

The State Solid Waste Management Board, in conjunction with the Department of Education and other state agencies which the board and the Department of Education deem appropriate in order to carry out the purposes of this article, shall coordinate the implementation of this article and shall provide materials, technical assistance, and other resources as it deems necessary to aid and encourage educational agencies to establish paper recycling programs. The State Solid Waste Management Board may enter into agreements with other agencies for the purpose of the administration and implementation of this article.

The State Solid Waste Management Board, in conjunction with the Department of Education and other agencies which the board and the Department of Education deem to be appropriate in order to carry out the purposes of this article, shall develop and distribute curriculum material relating to paper recycling, conservation of resources, and topics relating to the implementation of the program established by this article.