Report 2018-107 Recommendation 4 Responses

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)

Recommendation #4 To: Resources Recycling and Recovery, Department of

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.

Annual Follow-Up Agency Response From August 2020

On March 9, 2020, CalRecycle held a public workshop seeking stakeholder feedback on proposed updates to the state mattress recycling baseline and goals. Staff incorporated stakeholder feedback into the proposed baseline and goals, and presented recommendations to CalRecycle's acting director for consideration at CalRecycle's June 16, 2020, monthly public meeting. The acting director approved staff's recommendation on June 27, 2020. CalRecycle updated the state mattress recycling baseline and goals to reflect the most current available statewide information as reported to the department by all mattress recyclers, mattress renovators, and solid waste facilities that accept used mattresses from the public, regardless of their participation in the Mattress Recycling Council's (MRC) Program. The updated goals, that are statewide in scope, went into effect on the statutory due date of July 1, 2020.

A statewide recycling rate goal was established, which includes mattresses managed both within the MRC's program, as well as mattresses managed by entities that do not contract with the MRC. Additionally, CalRecycle established a statewide mattress recycling efficiency rate, which is calculated based on the amount of material recycled and renovated from mattresses collected statewide, both within and independent of the MRC's program. Therefore, the updated baseline and goals are statewide and reflect the most current available information, consistent with Recommendation #4 of the audit.

California State Auditor's Assessment of Annual Follow-Up Status: Fully Implemented

1-Year Agency Response

CalRecycle will update the state mattress recycling baseline and goals to reflect current statewide information by July 1, 2020. This process, which is consistent with the initial baseline and goal-setting process, will include internal staff meetings to develop, analyze, and evaluate proposed changes, consulting, as necessary, with the Mattress Recycling Council (MRC) regarding the proposed changes, sharing its draft proposal publicly, and soliciting feedback from stakeholders. Staff will hold a public workshop in March or April 2020, invite stakeholder meetings for further input, and determine the need for additional workshops or targeted stakeholder meetings. Staff will incorporate stakeholder feedback into the proposed baseline and goals, as appropriate, and present recommendations to CalRecycle's director for consideration no later than the May 19, 2020 CalRecycle monthly public meeting. If approved, the revised baseline and goals would take effect July 1, 2020.

CalRecycle plans to update the statewide baseline and recycling goals using the most current statewide data by July 1, 2020. All mattress recyclers, mattress renovators, and solid waste facilities that accept used mattresses from the public are required to report to CalRecycle annually through the Mattress Recovery and Recycling Program database, regardless of their participation in the MRC's Program. Therefore, the updated baseline and goals will be statewide and apply to recyclers, renovators, and

solid waste facilities that accept used mattresses from the public, including entities that participate and do not participate in the MRC's Program.

The Chief of the Statewide Technical & Analytical Resources Branch, will be responsible for the implementation of the plan.

California State Auditor's Assessment of 1-Year Status: Pending

In our report, we recommended that CalRecycle update the state mattress recycling baseline and goals by January 1, 2020. In its 60 day and six month responses, CalRecycle indicated that it would implement our recommendation by this date. However in its one year response, CalRecycle indicates that it will not implement this recommendation until July 1, 2020.

6-Month Agency Response

CalRecycle will update the state mattress recycling baseline and goals to reflect current statewide information by 1/1/20. This process includes CalRecycle staff meeting internally to develop, analyze, and evaluate proposed changes, such as adding a recycling rate and convenience goals. Staff will consult with the Mattress Recycling Council (MRC) regarding the proposed changes, as necessary. Staff will share its draft proposal publicly and solicit feedback from stakeholders. CalRecycle will then hold a public workshop on August 20, 2019, and invite stakeholders to meet with staff and provide suggestions. Staff will determine whether an additional workshop or other targeted stakeholder meetings should be considered based on the number and types of stakeholder comments received. After the completion of the workshop and two-week public comment period, staff will incorporate stakeholder feedback into the proposed baseline and goals, as appropriate, and finalize the document. Staff will present the recommendations for the baseline and goals to CalRecycle's director for approval no later than the November 19, 2019, CalRecycle monthly public meeting. The effective date will be January 1, 2020.

CalRecycle plans to update the baseline and goals using the most current statewide data. All mattress recyclers, mattress renovators, and solid waste facilities that accept used mattresses from the public are required to report to CalRecycle annually through the mattress recovery and recycling program database, regardless of their participation in the MRC's Program. Therefore, the updated baseline and goals will be statewide and apply to recyclers, renovators, and solid waste facilities that accept used mattresses from the public both inside and outside of the MRC's Program.

Howard Levenson, Deputy Director of Materials Management and Local Assistance Division, will be responsible for the implementation of the plan.

California State Auditor's Assessment of 6-Month Status: Pending

60-Day Agency Response

CalRecycle will update the state mattress recycling baseline and goals to reflect current statewide information by January 1, 2020. This process includes CalRecycle staff meeting internally to develop, analyze, and evaluate proposed changes, such as adding a recycling rate and convenience goals. Staff will consult with the Mattress Recycling Council (MRC) regarding the proposed changes and then share its draft proposal publicly and solicit feedback from stakeholders. CalRecycle will then hold a public workshop in August 2019 and invite stakeholders to meet with staff and provide suggestions. After the completion of the workshop and two-week public comment period, staff will incorporate stakeholder feedback into the proposed baseline and goals, as appropriate, and finalize the document. The finalized recommendations for the state mattress recycling baseline and goals are to be approved by the director of CalRecycle no later than the December 2019 CalRecycle monthly public meeting.

CalRecycle plans to update the statewide baseline and recycling goals using current statewide data. All mattress recyclers, mattress renovators, and solid waste facilities that accept used mattresses from the public are required to report to CalRecycle annually through the mattress recovery and recycling program database, regardless of their participation in the MRC's Program. Therefore, the updated baseline and goals will be statewide and apply to recyclers, renovators, and solid waste facilities that accept used mattresses from the public both inside and outside of the MRC's Program.

Howard Levenson, Deputy Director of Materials Management and Local Assistance Division, will be responsible for the implementation of the plan.

California State Auditor's Assessment of 60-Day Status: Pending

All Recommendations in 2018-107

Agency responses received are posted verbatim.