Report 2018-107 Recommendations

When an audit is completed and a report is issued, auditees must provide the State Auditor with information regarding their progress in implementing recommendations from our reports at three intervals from the release of the report: 60 days, six months, and one year. Additionally, Senate Bill 1452 (Chapter 452, Statutes of 2006), requires auditees who have not implemented recommendations after one year, to report to us and to the Legislature why they have not implemented them or to state when they intend to implement them. Below, is a listing of each recommendation the State Auditor made in the report referenced and a link to the most recent response from the auditee addressing their progress in implementing the recommendation and the State Auditor's assessment of auditee's response based on our review of the supporting documentation.

Recommendations in Report 2018-107: California Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery: It Has Not Provided the Oversight Necessary to Ensure That the Mattress Recycling Program Fulfills Its Purpose (Release Date: August 2018)

Recommendations to Legislature
Number	Recommendation	Status
1	The Legislature should amend the recycling act to require CalRecycle to establish goals for the mattress program that relate to increasing consumer convenience, encouraging source reduction, and reducing illegal mattress dumping, as well as for any other areas that CalRecycle identifies as critical to the mattress program achieving the intent of the recycling act. It should require CalRecycle to establish goals in the first three specified areas by July 2020.	No Action Taken
2	The Legislature should amend the recycling act to limit the time period for which the recycling plan is valid and to require the Mattress Council to regularly submit new plans to CalRecycle that are subject to its review and approval.	No Action Taken
3	The Legislature should amend the recycling act to require the Mattress Council to submit with its annual budget any additional details that CalRecycle determines are reasonable for its effective oversight of the mattress program. The Legislature should amend the recycling act to prohibit the Mattress Council from spending the recycling charges it collects in a year for which CalRecycle has not approved the mattress program's budget. Further, the Legislature should clarify that the Mattress Council's operating without an approved budget is a violation of the recycling act.	Legislation Enacted
6	The Legislature should amend the recycling act to require the Mattress Council to maintain a reserve equal to no more than six months of the mattress program's budgeted expenses. Further, the Legislature should amend the recycling act to provide CalRecycle the ability through its budget approval process to direct the spending of any amount of funding that the Mattress Council accumulates in excess of this amount or to adjust the mattress recycling charge.	Legislation Enacted
7	The Legislature should amend the recycling act to require the Mattress Council to include in its recycling plan measurable goals in the areas of consumer awareness and research on new technology. Further, the Legislature should require that the Mattress Council's annual report include information about the mattress program's progress toward meeting those goals.	No Action Taken

Recommendations to Resources Recycling and Recovery, Department of
4	By January 1, 2020, CalRecycle should update the baseline and goals for mattress recycling to reflect the most current available information it has related to the number of mattresses disposed of statewide. In addition, it should ensure that its recycling goals are statewide in scope by including information about recycling and renovation from entities that do not contract with the Mattress Council.	Fully Implemented
5	In order to bring violators of the recycling act into compliance and to ensure that its enforcement activities are timely, CalRecycle should do the following: - Assess penalties for noncompliance with the recycling act. - Publicize any penalties it assesses against violators of the recycling act as a deterrent to potential violators. - Monitor inspection cases to ensure that it does not complete them before the retailers in question have remedied any instances of noncompliance. - Execute a plan to verify compliance for all inspections in which it did not obtain evidence of compliance. - Develop and implement a timeline for the penalty phase of the enforcement process. - Regularly review the timeliness of its enforcement process and prioritize any overdue enforcement actions based on its enforcement timelines.	Fully Implemented

Recommendations to Resources Recycling and Recovery, Department of

Number

Recommendation

Status

By January 1, 2020, CalRecycle should update the baseline and goals for mattress recycling to reflect the most current available information it has related to the number of mattresses disposed of statewide. In addition, it should ensure that its recycling goals are statewide in scope by including information about recycling and renovation from entities that do not contract with the Mattress Council.

Fully Implemented

In order to bring violators of the recycling act into compliance and to ensure that its enforcement activities are timely, CalRecycle should do the following:

- Assess penalties for noncompliance with the recycling act.

- Publicize any penalties it assesses against violators of the recycling act as a deterrent to potential violators.

- Monitor inspection cases to ensure that it does not complete them before the retailers in question have remedied any instances of noncompliance.

- Execute a plan to verify compliance for all inspections in which it did not obtain evidence of compliance.

- Develop and implement a timeline for the penalty phase of the enforcement process.

- Regularly review the timeliness of its enforcement process and prioritize any overdue enforcement actions based on its enforcement timelines.

Fully Implemented

Print all recommendations and responses.