SECTIONS 32370-32376 - California Statutes

EDUCATION CODE

SECTION 32370-32376

32370. 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.

32371. 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.

32372. (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.

32373. (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.

32375. 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.

32376. 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.