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Californians, agriculture industry, local governments and businesses now have more options to easily dispose of treated wood waste with the passage of recent legislation.
California Governor Gavin Newsom signed Assembly Bill 332 into law on Aug. 31 after it was approved unanimously by the California Legislature. The bill had an urgency clause, permitting it to go into effect immediately. AB 332 statutorily incorporates the former Alternative Management Standards (AMS) for Treated Wood Waste, which allowed preservative treated wood waste to be disposed in the composite lined portion of an approved solid waste landfill.
“The passage of AB 332 is a huge win for homeowners, contractors, builders, environmentalists and our infrastructure,” said Dallin Brooks, executive director of Western Wood Preservers Institute. “The broad support for this bill reaffirms treated wood waste can safely be disposed while providing environmental benefits.”
The AMS had been in effect for nearly 15 years before the program expired on Jan. 1, 2021, creating significant difficulties for everyone needing to dispose of preserved wood. As a result, for the first three months of 2021, treated wood disposal was only authorized at a hazardous waste landfill. In March, the California Dept. of Toxic Substance Control (DTSC) created a variance program where those disposing of treated wood could purchase variances allowing disposal in approved composite-lined landfills.
With the adoption of AB 332, all treated wood waste variances become inoperative and are no longer in effect. However, this should not be an issue as the new law creates more disposal options with approved handling provisions.
WWPI will be working with stakeholders such as DTSC, landfills, transfer stations, and haulers to provide a smooth reimplementation of disposal options and offer disposal handling education. For questions about the implementation of AB 332, contact WWPI’s Director of Government Relations Ryan Pessah at ryan@wwpi.org.
