AB 333 California Assembly · 2025-2026 Regular Session

Recycling: waste glass product: market development payments.

Summary

The California Beverage Container Recycling and Litter Reduction Act, a violation of which is a crime, requires a distributor of beverage containers, as defined, to pay to the Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery a monthly redemption payment for every beverage container sold or transferred, as provided. The act requires the department to deposit those amounts into the California Beverage Container Recycling Fund. The fund is continuously appropriated to, among other things, pay refund values and administrative fees to processors that receive empty beverage containers from recyclers. Until January 1, 2028, the act continuously appropriates $60,000,000 annually from the fund to the department to make market development payments to glass beverage container manufacturers who purchase recycled glass collected within this state for use in manufacturing new beverage containers in this state. This bill would require the department, subject to the availability of funds, to pay a market development payment to a person who purchases a material produced from a by-product of glass recycling or processing that contains certain contaminants, cannot be remelted for use in glass beverage containers or fiberglass insulation, as specified, and that would otherwise be sent to a landfill or be used as low grade aggregate. The bill would, until January 1, 2030, authorize the department to expend up to $5,000,000 annually from the fund for these market development payments and up to $1,000,000 annually to facilitate the transportation of waste glass product by waste glass product end users. By authorizing new uses for continuously appropriated funds, this bill would make an appropriation.

Bill status failed 1 of 4 stages cleared

Introduction

Jan 2025

Committee Review

Floor Vote

Governor

Introduced Jan 28, 2025 Last action Feb 2, 2026

Maddy AI version diff · 3 comparisons

What changed between versions

01/14/26 - Amended Assembly → AB333 · 8 edits

MODERATE

AB 333 was substantially revised in its final version, reducing funding levels and narrowing the scope of the waste glass market development program. The annual appropriation for payments to waste glass product end users was cut from $20 million to $5 million, the per-ton payment cap was lowered from $50 to $30, and the term 'noncontainer glass product' was replaced with the more specific 'waste glass product.' A new transportation grant of up to $1 million annually was added, and sunset dates were adjusted.

Scope change

The program's scope was narrowed through a more restrictive definition of eligible material (waste glass product must contain specific contaminants and be unremeltable) and reduced funding levels, while the time horizon was extended to 2030. A new transportation grant component was added to support end users.

FISCAL

Annual appropriation for market development payments to waste glass product end users reduced from $20,000,000 to $5,000,000.

New provision authorizing up to $1,000,000 annually until January 1, 2030 for grants to facilitate the transportation of waste glass product by waste glass product end users (new paragraph 12(B) of Section 14581).

The $60,000,000 annual appropriation for glass market development payments under Section 14549.7 now has an explicit sunset on January 1, 2028, with a new provision allowing up to $20,000,000 annually from 2028 to 2030 upon specific legislative appropriation.

REQUIREMENT

Maximum market development payment per ton reduced from $50 to $30.

DEFINITION

The term 'noncontainer glass product' was replaced with 'waste glass product,' which is more narrowly defined as a material produced from a by-product of glass recycling or processing that contains specific contaminants (ceramic, fine glass particles, label residue, porcelain, metals, plastics, stone), cannot be remelted for use in glass beverage containers or fiberglass insulation, and would otherwise be sent to a landfill or used as low grade aggregate.

TIMELINE

Sunset date for the new Section 14549.8 market development payments extended from January 1, 2028 to January 1, 2030.

SCOPE

Payment eligibility clarified to apply only to 'the glass portion of a waste glass product' rather than the entire product.

TECHNICAL

Statistical figures in legislative findings corrected: percentage of glass ending up in landfills changed from 79% to 69%, and percentage successfully reclaimed changed from 21% to 31%.

04/10/25 - Amended Assembly → 01/14/26 - Amended Assembly · 10 edits · Jan 14, 2026

MAJOR

AB 333 was substantially narrowed in scope: all PFAS textile article provisions were removed, leaving only recycling-related changes. The bill renames 'noncontainer glass product' to 'waste glass product' with a more specific definition tied to contaminated by-products of glass recycling, reduces the annual market development payment appropriation from $20 million to $5 million, lowers the per-ton payment cap from $50 to $30, and adds a new $1 million annual transportation grant for waste glass product end users. The sunset date for these payments was extended from 2028 to 2030.

SCOPE

All provisions amending Section 108971 of the Health and Safety Code relating to PFAS in textile articles were removed, including the exemption for law enforcement apparel until January 1, 2028. The bill no longer addresses product safety or PFAS at all.

The $60,000,000 annual appropriation for glass market development payments under Section 14549.7 now has an explicit sunset date of January 1, 2028 (previously described as continuous with no end date).

DEFINITION

The term 'noncontainer glass product' was replaced with 'waste glass product,' defined as a material produced from a by-product of glass recycling or processing that contains specific contaminants (ceramic, fine glass particles, label residue, porcelain, metals, plastics, stone) and cannot be remelted for use in glass beverage containers or fiberglass insulation.

FISCAL

The annual appropriation for market development payments to waste glass product end users was reduced from $20,000,000 to $5,000,000 per year.

A new provision authorizes up to $1,000,000 annually for grants to facilitate transportation of waste glass product by waste glass product end users, effective until January 1, 2030.

A new provision states that on and after January 1, 2028, the department may expend up to $20,000,000 annually (reduced from $60,000,000) for glass market development payments under Section 14549.7, but only upon specific legislative appropriation. This provision becomes inoperative on January 1, 2030.

REQUIREMENT

The per-ton market development payment cap was reduced from $50 per ton to $30 per ton.

TIMELINE

The sunset date for waste glass product market development payments was extended from January 1, 2028 to January 1, 2030.

TECHNICAL

Updated statistics: the percentage of glass ending up in landfills was changed from 79 percent to 69 percent, and the percentage successfully reclaimed was changed from 21 percent to 31 percent. Fiberglass insulation manufacturing was added as a use for reclaimed glass alongside glass bottle manufacturing.

The list of industries that could benefit from using glass normally sent to landfills now includes 'packaging' in addition to adhesives, fiberglass, paints, SCMs, and sealants.

01/28/25 - Introduced → 04/10/25 - Amended Assembly · 6 edits · Apr 10, 2025

MODERATE

AB 333 was substantially expanded from a narrow PFAS-in-textiles bill into a dual-purpose bill that also creates a new market development payment program for products made from recycled glass beverage containers. The amendment adds up to $20 million annually from the California Beverage Container Recycling Fund to pay end users who purchase noncontainer glass products (such as cement additives made from ground glass), with the goal of diverting the roughly 79 percent of processed glass that currently goes to landfill. The vote requirement was raised from a simple majority to two-thirds, and the bill now carries an appropriation.

Scope change

The bill expanded from a single-topic PFAS textile safety measure to a dual-purpose bill combining PFAS textile restrictions with a new recycling market development program for noncontainer glass products, adding Public Resources Code provisions and a $20 million annual appropriation from the Beverage Container Recycling Fund.

SCOPE

The bill now covers recycling and market development payments for noncontainer glass products in addition to its original PFAS textile provisions. It amends Public Resources Code Section 14581 and adds new Section 14549.8.

FISCAL

Authorizes up to $20,000,000 annually from the California Beverage Container Recycling Fund for market development payments to noncontainer glass end users. This appropriation becomes inoperative on January 1, 2028.

DEFINITION

Defines 'noncontainer glass product' as a product manufactured in any part using empty glass beverage containers not accepted for new bottle manufacturing that would otherwise go to landfill, and 'noncontainer glass end user' as the purchaser of such a product.

REQUIREMENT

The Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery must pay market development payments to noncontainer glass end users, capped at $50 per ton, subject to fund availability. The department may consider minimum funding levels needed to encourage in-state manufacturing and purchase, plus total projected funds available.

ENFORCEMENT

Vote requirement changed from simple majority to two-thirds majority. Appropriation status changed from 'no' to 'yes' because the bill authorizes a new use for continuously appropriated funds. Fiscal committee review also changed from 'no' to 'yes.'

TECHNICAL

Added legislative findings stating that ground glass pozzolan reduces carbon emissions by 92 percent per ton compared to traditional cement, helps the cement industry meet 2045 carbon neutrality goals, and that approximately 79 percent of glass processed through material recovery facilities in the U.S. ends up in landfills.

Floor votes

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Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Amendments

Feb 2, 2026

Lower · Passed

From committee: Filed with the Chief Clerk pursuant to Joint Rule 56.

lower

Jan 22, 2026

Lower · Passed

In committee: Held under submission.

lower

Jan 22, 2026

Committee

In committee: Set, first hearing. Referred to suspense file.

lower

Jan 15, 2026

Committee

Re-referred to Com. on APPR.

lower

Jan 14, 2026

Lower · Passed

Read second time and amended.

lower

Jan 13, 2026

Introduced

From committee: Amend, and do pass as amended and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 10. Noes 0.) (January 12).

lower

Apr 10, 2025

Committee

Re-referred to Com. on NAT. RES. pursuant to Assembly Rule 96.

lower

Apr 10, 2025

Introduced

From committee chair, with author's amendments: Amend, and re-refer to Com. on E.S & T.M. Read second time and amended.

lower

Feb 18, 2025

Committee

Referred to Com. on E.S & T.M.

lower

Jan 29, 2025

Lower · Passed

From printer. May be heard in committee February 28.

lower

1 primary · 0 co-sponsors