CA AB3178

Adds temporary considerations for the Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery when evaluating whether jurisdictions made good faith efforts to meet 50% waste diversion requirements, effective until January 1, 2022.

Requires the department to consider whether China's National Sword import policy caused loss of markets for recyclable materials that forced temporary disposal to prevent public health threats from storage overflow at recycling facilities.

Directs the department to evaluate jurisdictions' efforts to reduce contamination and improve recycled material quality, and to assess whether lack of available markets for recyclable materials resulted from circumstances beyond the jurisdiction's reasonable control.

Modifies the compliance review schedule, with Section 2 providing the temporary framework through January 1, 2022, and Section 3 establishing a simplified two-year review cycle as the permanent standard after that date.

Acknowledges that over 60 percent of California's recyclable materials were exported to China in 2016, and that recycling facilities are being overwhelmed and forced to stockpile materials due to import restrictions.