国产麻豆

Created out of a need for waste haulers to respond to government decisions, the CRRC has grown to a pivotal organization in California that has a hand in influencing the waste industry鈥檚 legislation issues.

 

In the 1950s when several waste haulers in Northern and Southern California saw that pending legislation in Sacramento would impact them and the waste industry, they banded together to lead the fight against a bill that would have cost the industry several hundreds of thousands of dollars statewide. From that first get together, the group decided to form an organization that would represent them in legislative matters and respond to what was happening in state government. These companies knew that they would tackle these issues better if they were organized and so the California Refuse Recycling Council (CRRC) was born.

 

Today, the organization consists of two Districts鈥攖he Northern District which covers territory from the Northern border to the Kings County line, and the Southern District which covers Kings County to the Southern border of California. Two categories of members make up the CRRC. There are regular members who are waste haulers and associate members who are the suppliers to the waste industry. Numbering more than 100 members collectively, the majority of the waste haulers in California are members of the organization. Kelly Astor, General Counsel and Legislative Representative for the Southern District of the CRRC, points out that people join for a variety of reasons. 鈥淭he essential mission of the organization was always to monitor and legitimately influence state legislative or regulatory outcomes. I think that people also participate because they find an advantage in sitting down with their peers and discussing what is new in the industry鈥攊f there is new equipment rolling out, if there is a new requirement on the books, what they need to do to comply, etc.鈥� Since representatives from the two Districts meet twice monthly, there are always lunches and social hours that allow members the chance to talk about trends, environmental issues and other topics of interest. The Northern and Southern District Boards meet early in the month, while later in the month, the CRRC State Executive Committee meets鈥攖his is only comprised of the officers from each District.

 

Bringing Information to Its Members

Astor stresses that regardless of which district members are affiliated with, they get the benefit of knowing that their interests are being carried forward to Sacramento. Every year the CRRC sees anywhere between 30 and 50 bills introduced which essentially impact solid waste haulers, recyclers or composters. 鈥淢embers have some assurance that someone is looking out for them as a company,鈥� says Astor. Since he is a registered lobbyist and the senior legislative representative for the organization, he is in Sacramento almost weekly when the legislature is in session. Other CRRC staff members reside in the area and are present every day of the week. The full-time legislature, which includes the Assembly and the State Senate, holds their sessions from early January through Labor Day. It is a two-year session, so bills that may not pass in year one can still be carried forward in the second year. 鈥淭here is never a shortage of activity,鈥� says Astor. 鈥淲e testify, we write position papers, we amend bills, etc. There鈥檚 also a body of regulatory work that we do since our industry in California is regulated by CalRecycle. We are also heavily influenced by activities at the State Water Resources Control Board, the California Air Resources Board and, increasingly, by the California Energy Commission 听with an emphasis on bioenergy.鈥� Even with a five-person team currently in place, Astor laughs that it still doesn鈥檛 feel like enough sometimes. 鈥淲e鈥檝e been involved in every piece of solid waste legislation since the inception of our group. We have eyes and ears on what鈥檚 happening and we sometimes initiate legislation of our own.鈥�

 

In addition to the legislative activities, there are also other industry topics that are important to companies, so CRRC鈥檚 associate members often participate in monthly meetings where they are given an opportunity to discuss anything new they want to offer in terms of new products, new services and more. Not only do members learn from others, but it also helps to develop relationships. Trish Roath, Executive Director for CRRC鈥檚 Northern District, even maintains an endorsed buyer鈥檚 program where there are some discounts available to people because of their affiliation. For example, they may receive a break on drug testing programs from preferred vendors or they may just learn about things that were unknown to them.

 

Events and Programs

The CRRC鈥檚 annual convention has been held since the late 1960s. It is centered around the annual meeting where people who may not ordinarily attend the monthly meetings because they are not on the board or not serving as officers at the time, can come with their families and discuss industry issues at the same time. Set up with a conference program and an exhibit area, members can network and visit booths to learn about new information or get updates on regulations. In fact, Astor points out that the origins of Waste Expo originated with the CRRC, which held the first waste industry trade show before NSWMA, now the EIA, was formed. Along with holding it鈥檚 annual convention, the CRRC has also supported the League of California Cities events, and the California State Association of Counties鈥� annual function. The CRRC also holds a legislative reception every year in May near the State Capital, which is very well attended.

 

CRRC鈥檚 Next Generation Management and Leadership Program is designed to target the next generation of family members not currently engaged in the refuse or recycling industry, as well as existing managers and potential managers, both family and non-family members. 鈥淐redit is due to the Northern District Board for recognizing that there was a lot of information that current directors and office holders had which needed to be shared with peers, and passed down to others, so they decided to formalize this transfer of information by creating a curriculum and securing college credit for it,鈥� says Astor. To participate in the program, students must have at least a high school diploma in order to participate, except where this requirement is waived by the Next Generation Committee. Roath has held this program four times since its inception, usually getting about 25 to 30 young and older adults taking the classes to get information on topics ranging from lobbying and the legislative process, to legal issues, to how to look at a franchise agreement and how to interpret insurance policies. 鈥淭here have been a lot of different speakers who have come in and been very well received. Particularly with family members of those who are serving now or members who may have a long-term employee who they want to make the investment in and put them through the curriculum,鈥� Roath says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a very serious thing that involves a lot of testing and writing. The program is only held once per year when a minimum of 20 students have registered because it takes several months to get through it. Participants often meet at different facilities throughout the state so a facility tour can accompany that day鈥檚 session.鈥�

 

In 2009, the Northern District established the President鈥檚 Scholarship program to assist members鈥� children who plan to continue their education in college or vocational school programs. This program is for dependent children of non-owner Northern District industry members whose employer is a member in good standing. The program was initiated purely as a membership benefit, and compliments CRRC鈥檚 commitment to higher education.

 

CRRC is also dedicated to safety in action. In addition to a comprehensive, dedicated safety page on their website, the Northern District has hosted a drivers and mechanics safety Road-e-o since 1991, paid for by sponsorships from both Industry and Associate members. This free event attracts 600-700 participants, spectators and families for a full day of safety on the road, in the home, and in communities. In addition to the competition, CHP, local police and fire participate in the children鈥檚 carnival to emphasize and teach safety for families.

 

A Transitioning Industry

Over the years, the CRRC has seen a lot of change. Astor explains that prior to the 1980s, companies and people had been recycling, but only to the extent that it made economic sense, targeting high value items such as aluminum and cardboard. Then, California decided recycling was an end unto itself. 鈥淭aking material out of landfills was a good idea and worth doing even if the materials did not have a residual value that was high enough where they could easily be re-marketed, so that鈥檚 when mandates were introduced. Recycling has a cost. While you can make money on copper, cardboard or some other things depending on the commodities markets, the activity does not pay for itself, so we now give attention to additional, lower value materials.鈥�

 

He stresses that currently the focus is on organics. 鈥淚 think that this is the next evolution because we no longer have landfills as an option. What I hope California continues to do is examine how it can become more self-sustaining. Right now, we are very dependent on the Pacific Rim markets taking the recycling material out of the waste stream; however, those areas are not going to accept that material forever. Plus, there are a lot of costs associated with transporting it over there,鈥� says Astor. 鈥淚f we are going to get this done right, the focus should be on developing domestic markets. That鈥檚 where things like anaerobic digestion and biomass conversion can be very helpful because we can generate fuel and energy by transforming the material.鈥�

 

Even though Astor acknowledges there is a lot more work to do, he looks forward to the challenge. 鈥淲e have a whole new generation of people who don鈥檛 remember a time when there wasn鈥檛 recycling, so that is exciting because they are embracing it and will continue to do so. I think that will create new opportunities for the industry as well.鈥�

 

Says Roath, 鈥淐RRC sees 2014 and beyond as an exciting and pivotal time in California to achieve the state鈥檚 goal of diverting 75 percent from landfills by the year 2020. We are committed to the goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions, creating and developing alternative clean fuel programs from our waste stream, and ridding organics from landfills.鈥�

 

For more information, contact Trish Roath at (916) 444-CRRC or e-mail [email protected].

 

Sidebar

Northern District Committee Members

 

President – Sil Garaventa Jr.

Garaventa Enterprises

 

1^st Vice President – Greg Kelley

Napa Recycling & Waste Services, LLC

 

2^nd Vice President – Christy Pestoni Abreu

Upper Valley Disposal & Recycling

 

Secretary – Steve Jones

Garden City Sanitation, Inc.

 

Treasurer 鈥� Dave Sikich

Atlas Disposal Industries

 

Immediate Past President 鈥� Mark Figone

East Bay Sanitary Co., Inc.

 

Member At Large – Doug Button

South San Francisco Scavenger Co., Inc.

 

Member at Large – Bill Dobert

Specialty Solid Waste & Recycling, Inc.

 

Member at Large – Paul Geisler

Davis Waste Removal Co.

 

Member at Large – Alan Marchant

Turlock Scavenger Company

 

Legislative Committee 鈥� Ron Fornesi

Mission Trail Waste Systems

 

Legislative Committee – Patty Garbarino

Marin Sanitary Service

 

Louie Pellegrini Jr.

Peninsula Sanitary Service, Inc.

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Southern District

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President – Jacob Panero

Varner Bros., Inc.

 

1^st Vice President – Mike Matosian

Southern California Disposal Recycling Co.

 

2^nd Vice President – Jerry Moffatt

Rainbow Environmental Services

 

Secretary – Art Pena

Pena’s Disposal, Inc.

 

Treasurer 鈥� Joseph Kalpakoff

Mid Valley Disposal

 

Immediate Past President 鈥� John Snyder

EDCO Disposal Corp.

 

Member at Large 鈥� David Fahrion

CR&R Incorporated

 

Member at Large 鈥� Rick Wade

Palm Springs Disposal Services