Californians Against Waste

Californians Against Waste (CAW) is a Sacramento-based nonprofit environmental research and advocacy organization founded in 1977. Its work centers on reducing pollution and conserving natural resources by preventing waste at its source, improving recycling and composting systems, and making producers responsible for the environmental impacts of products throughout their life cycles. The organization operates primarily through public-policy research, coalition building, legislative advocacy, regulatory engagement, public education, and monitoring of implemented programs rather than through the sale of consumer products. CAW emerged during the early growth of the modern American recycling movement. Its initial work supported beverage-container recycling and deposit legislation in California. In 1986, it worked with Assemblymember Burt Margolin on AB 2020, the legislation that established California's beverage-container California Redemption Value system. This policy became one of the state's most recognizable recycling mechanisms, adding a refundable value to qualifying beverage containers and creating incentives for their return. During the late 1980s and 1990s, CAW broadened its agenda from container recycling to statewide waste-management policy. The organization supported the development of the California Integrated Waste Management Act of 1989, commonly associated with AB 939, which required local governments to substantially reduce the amount of waste sent to disposal. Under later executive director Mark Murray, CAW became a prominent source of legislative proposals and technical policy advocacy in Sacramento. Its activities have covered landfill and incinerator pollution, recycling markets, climate impacts, greenwashing, organic-waste recovery, plastic pollution, and extended producer responsibility. A major part of CAW's policy model is product stewardship: manufacturers, retailers, consumers, and public agencies share responsibility for products after use, with producers expected to help finance or organize collection and recycling. In the 2000s, the organization supported California legislation establishing take-back and material-management requirements for electronic products, including computers, mobile phones, rechargeable batteries, and other household electronics. These measures also addressed hazardous substances in electronics and contributed to energy-efficiency requirements for lighting. Since 2010, CAW has helped develop stewardship programs for products such as architectural paint and mattresses. It also supported legislation intended to expand recycling and organic-waste recovery. AB 341, enacted in 2011, set a statewide policy goal of reaching a 75 percent recycling rate by 2020 and required many businesses and larger multifamily properties to provide recycling access. Subsequent organic-waste measures, culminating in SB 1383 in 2016, established statewide requirements for organic-waste collection and edible-food recovery. Major elements of those requirements began taking effect in 2022. CAW is also closely associated with California's restrictions on lightweight plastic shopping bags. It worked with Senator Alex Padilla on SB 270, enacted in 2014, which phased out many single-use plastic grocery bags. A referendum effort challenged the law, but California voters upheld the ban in 2016. CAW later supported efforts to address additional plastic produce-bag and thicker-bag loopholes, including legislative work in 2022 and 2024. The organization combines statewide lobbying with local implementation work. Before statewide plastic-bag legislation, it collaborated with cities, counties, and community groups that had adopted local bag restrictions or beverage-container initiatives. Its affiliated Californians Against Waste Foundation is a separate 501(c)(3) nonprofit focused on public education, research, and technical assistance relating to zero-waste strategies. CAW remains an active environmental polic…

Californians Against Waste was established in 1977 by environmentalist Amy Hewes as concern about solid waste, landfill capacity, and resource conservation was growing in the United States. Its early focus was beverage-container recycling and deposit legislation. In the early 1980s, executive director Matt Kuzins helped present recycling as a practical public-policy alternative to disposal rather than a marginal environmental cause. The organization expanded its legislative role during the 1980s. In 1986, it helped sponsor AB 2020 with Assemblymember Burt Margolin, creating California's California Redemption Value system for qualifying beverage containers. CAW also advocated for broader statewide waste-diversion requirements. In 1988, during the debate over predecessor legislation to AB 939, the organization staged a highly visible protest by placing trash on the steps of the California State Capitol after Governor George Deukmejian vetoed an earlier bill. The protest formed part of a broader campaign that ultimately contributed to compromise and passage of the California Integrated Waste Management Act of 1989. AB 939 required local governments to plan for substantial waste diversion and to reduce disposal. During the following decade, CAW became increasingly influential in California environmental legislation. Mark Murray became executive director in the mid-1990s and led an approach centered on drafting bills, testifying before lawmakers, building coalitions, and tracking environmental votes. The organization has since worked on recycling markets, landfill and incinerator pollution, climate change, plastic pollution, organic-waste recovery, greenwashing, and producer responsibility. The growth of personal computers, mobile phones, rechargeable batteries, and other electronics in the 1990s and 2000s created a new waste stream containing hazardous materials. CAW supported legislation establishing retailer take-back and recycling programs for electronics and batteries, as well as limits on hazardous substances and efficiency requirements for lighting. These initiatives extended the organization's original recycling agenda into product stewardship, under which producers and retailers share responsibility for products after consumers finish using them. Since 2010, CAW has promoted stewardship systems for additional product categories. Its legislative work helped establish California programs for used architectural paint and discarded mattresses, commonly known as PaintCare and Bye Bye Mattress. It also supported AB 341 in 2011, which set a state policy objective of a 75 percent recycling rate by 2020 and required many businesses and larger apartment properties to provide recycling service. Organic-waste legislation later required food-waste and green-waste collection, composting, or anaerobic digestion for covered businesses. SB 1383, enacted in 2016, expanded the framework to universal organic-waste service and edible-food recovery, with major requirements taking effect in 2022. Plastic-bag policy became another central campaign. CAW worked with Senator Alex Padilla on SB 270, signed in 2014, to phase out many lightweight plastic grocery bags. Opponents qualified a referendum after a signature-gathering effort, but voters upheld the law in 2016. CAW subsequently worked on extending restrictions to non-compostable or non-paper produce bags and on closing exemptions involving thicker plastic bags. The organization has also supported local ordinances, collaborating with cities, counties, and community groups before statewide measures were enacted. CAW's affiliated Californians Against Waste Foundation operates as a separate 501(c)(3) organization focused on education, research, and technical assistance. In 2022, CAW introduced a new visual identity designed by graphic artist Michael Schwab. The organization continues to operate from Sacramento near the State Capitol, combining research, public communication, and legislative advocacy to promote source reduction and a circular economy.

1. 2022New visual identity introduced

   CAW introduced a logo designed by graphic artist Michael Schwab.

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2. 2016Organic-waste and edible-food recovery law enacted

   SB 1383 created a statewide framework for organic-waste collection and edible-food recovery.

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3. 2014Statewide plastic grocery-bag law signed

   SB 270 began California's statewide phaseout of many lightweight plastic grocery bags.

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4. 2011State recycling-rate policy expanded

   AB 341 set a 75 percent recycling-rate policy objective and expanded recycling obligations for businesses and larger multifamily properties.

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5. 1989Integrated waste-management law enacted

   AB 939 established statewide waste-diversion requirements for local governments.

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6. 1986California Redemption Value established

   CAW helped support AB 2020, creating California's beverage-container deposit-value system.

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7. 1977Organization founded

   Amy Hewes founded Californians Against Waste to advocate for waste reduction, recycling, and conservation policy in California.

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Nonprofit environmental research and advocacy organization focused on source reduction, recycling, producer responsibility, pollution prevention, and circular-economy policy.

• Policy research and legislative advocacyEnvironmental advocacy1977

  CAW researches environmental problems and develops, promotes, and monitors policy solutions. Its advocacy includes bill drafting, legislative testimony, coalition work, regulatory participation, and public communication on recycling, waste prevention, pollution, and conservation.

• Product-stewardship programsCircular-economy policy

  The organization promotes systems that assign producers and retailers responsibility for products after use. Its work has covered electronics, batteries, paint, mattresses, packaging, and other waste streams.

• Zero-waste education and technical assistanceEnvironmental education

  Through CAW and its affiliated foundation, the organization provides research, public education, and technical assistance intended to help communities and institutions prevent waste, expand recycling, and develop composting and other recovery systems.

• 2024Plastic-bag loophole campaign

  California

  CAW and allied environmental organizations worked with Senator Catherine Blakespear to close an asserted loophole involving thicker plastic bags.

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• 2022Plastic produce-bag restrictions

  California

  CAW supported legislation by Senator Susan Eggman to address non-compostable and non-paper plastic produce bags.

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• 2014California single-use plastic-bag ban

  California

  CAW worked with Senator Alex Padilla to support SB 270, which phased out many lightweight plastic grocery bags.

  Outcome. The law was signed in 2014 and upheld by California voters in 2016 after a referendum challenge.

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• 2016Expand organic-waste recoveryStrategy

  Organic waste in landfills contributes to pollution and greenhouse-gas emissions, while edible food can be redirected to people in need.

  What changed. CAW supported SB 1383's statewide organic-waste collection and edible-food recovery requirements.

  Aftermath. Major collection, composting, and edible-food-recovery requirements began implementation in 2022.

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• 2014Pursue a statewide plastic-bag phaseoutStrategy

  CAW argued that lightweight plastic bags were a significant source of persistent pollution and supported replacing fragmented local rules with statewide policy.

  What changed. It helped sponsor SB 270 with Senator Alex Padilla.

  Aftermath. The law took effect after voters rejected the referendum seeking to overturn it.

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• 1986Support beverage-container deposit legislationStrategy

  CAW sought economic incentives and collection infrastructure to increase beverage-container recycling.

  What changed. It worked with Assemblymember Burt Margolin to support AB 2020 and the California Redemption Value system.

  Aftermath. California established a statewide redemption-value framework for qualifying beverage containers.

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• 2024CAW campaigns to close plastic-bag loopholes

  CAW worked with Senator Catherine Blakespear and other environmental organizations on legislation intended to address continued use of certain thicker plastic bags.

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• 2016Voters uphold California's plastic-bag restrictions

  California voters approved the referendum outcome that preserved the statewide plastic-bag law.

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• 2016California expands organic-waste recovery requirements

  CAW supported SB 1383, creating statewide organic-waste collection and edible-food-recovery requirements that began significant implementation in 2022.

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• 2014California enacts the statewide single-use plastic grocery-bag ban

  CAW worked with Senator Alex Padilla on SB 270, legislation phasing out many lightweight plastic grocery bags.

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• 1989California adopts statewide waste-diversion requirements

  CAW supported AB 939, which required local governments to reduce the amount of waste sent to disposal and strengthened integrated waste management planning.

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• 1986California creates the California Redemption Value system

  CAW worked with Assemblymember Burt Margolin to support AB 2020, establishing California's beverage-container deposit-value framework.

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1. Californians Against Waste
2. Californians Against Waste official website