Report 2016-127 All Recommendation Responses
Report 2016-127: Home-Generated Sharps and Pharmaceutical Waste: By Designating a Lead Agency, the State Could Increase Proper Disposal (Release Date: May 2017)
Recommendation for Legislative Action
To foster consumers' proper disposal of sharps and pharmaceutical waste, the Legislature should provide CalRecycle statutory oversight responsibility for home-generated sharps and pharmaceutical waste disposal and provide CalRecycle additional resources to the extent that it can justify the need. This responsibility should include developing and implementing a public education campaign about home-generated sharps and pharmaceutical waste disposal. CalRecycle should coordinate this campaign with local, state, and, to the extent possible, federal agencies to ensure consumers receive consistent guidance regarding proper disposal methods.
Description of Legislative Action
The Legislature did not take action in the 2021-2022 legislative session to address this specific recommendation.
- Legislative Action Current As-of: October 2022
California State Auditor's Assessment of Annual Follow-Up Status: No Action Taken
The Legislature did not take action in the 2021-2022 legislative session to address this specific recommendation.
Description of Legislative Action
As of May 9, 2021, the Legislature has not taken action to address this specific recommendation.
- Legislative Action Current As-of: May 2021
California State Auditor's Assessment of Annual Follow-Up Status: No Action Taken
Description of Legislative Action
As of May 9, 2020, the Legislature has not taken action to address this specific recommendation.
- Legislative Action Current As-of: May 2020
California State Auditor's Assessment of Annual Follow-Up Status: No Action Taken
Description of Legislative Action
The Legislature has not taken any action to address this specific recommendation.
- Legislative Action Current As-of: May 2019
California State Auditor's Assessment of Annual Follow-Up Status: No Action Taken
Description of Legislative Action
Legislation has not been introduced to address this specific recommendation.
- Legislative Action Current As-of: May 2018
California State Auditor's Assessment of 1-Year Status: No Action Taken
Description of Legislative Action
Legislation has not been introduced to address this specific recommendation.
- Legislative Action Current As-of: December 2017
California State Auditor's Assessment of 6-Month Status: No Action Taken
Recommendation for Legislative Action
To foster consumers' proper disposal of sharps and pharmaceutical waste, the Legislature should provide CalRecycle statutory oversight responsibility for home-generated sharps and pharmaceutical waste disposal and provide CalRecycle additional resources to the extent that it can justify the need. This responsibility should include maintaining an up-to-date, well-publicized, and accessible statewide list of free sharps and pharmaceutical waste collection sites. CalRecycle should create this list by either improving its FacIT database or by establishing a new database, potentially using Recyclewhere.org as a model.
Description of Legislative Action
The Legislature did not take action in the 2021-2022 legislative session to address this specific recommendation.
- Legislative Action Current As-of: October 2022
California State Auditor's Assessment of Annual Follow-Up Status: No Action Taken
The Legislature did not take action in the 2021-2022 legislative session to address this specific recommendation.
Description of Legislative Action
As of May 9, 2021, the Legislature has not taken action to address this specific recommendation.
- Legislative Action Current As-of: May 2021
California State Auditor's Assessment of Annual Follow-Up Status: No Action Taken
Description of Legislative Action
As of May 9, 2020, the Legislature has not taken action to address this specific recommendation.
- Legislative Action Current As-of: May 2020
California State Auditor's Assessment of Annual Follow-Up Status: No Action Taken
Description of Legislative Action
The Legislature has not taken any action to address this specific recommendation.
- Legislative Action Current As-of: May 2019
California State Auditor's Assessment of Annual Follow-Up Status: No Action Taken
Description of Legislative Action
Legislation has not been introduced to address this specific recommendation.
- Legislative Action Current As-of: May 2018
California State Auditor's Assessment of 1-Year Status: No Action Taken
Description of Legislative Action
Legislation has not been introduced to address this specific recommendation.
- Legislative Action Current As-of: December 2017
California State Auditor's Assessment of 6-Month Status: No Action Taken
Recommendation for Legislative Action
To foster consumers' proper disposal of sharps and pharmaceutical waste, the Legislature should provide CalRecycle statutory oversight responsibility for home-generated sharps and pharmaceutical waste disposal and provide CalRecycle additional resources to the extent that it can justify the need. This responsibility should include increasing consumers' access to proper disposal methods in underserved locations. It could increase access by subsidizing prepaid mail-back options or by encouraging municipalities to include the collection of sharps and pharmaceutical waste in their contracts with waste haulers.
Description of Legislative Action
The Legislature did not take action in the 2021-2022 legislative session to address this specific recommendation.
- Legislative Action Current As-of: October 2022
California State Auditor's Assessment of Annual Follow-Up Status: No Action Taken
The Legislature did not take action in the 2021-2022 legislative session to address this specific recommendation.
Description of Legislative Action
As of May 9, 2021, the Legislature has not taken action to address this specific recommendation.
- Legislative Action Current As-of: May 2021
California State Auditor's Assessment of Annual Follow-Up Status: No Action Taken
Description of Legislative Action
As of May 9, 2020, the Legislature has not taken action to address this specific recommendation.
- Legislative Action Current As-of: May 2020
California State Auditor's Assessment of Annual Follow-Up Status: No Action Taken
Description of Legislative Action
The Legislature has not taken any action to address this specific recommendation.
- Legislative Action Current As-of: May 2019
California State Auditor's Assessment of Annual Follow-Up Status: No Action Taken
Description of Legislative Action
Legislation has not been introduced to address this specific recommendation.
- Legislative Action Current As-of: May 2018
California State Auditor's Assessment of 1-Year Status: No Action Taken
Description of Legislative Action
Legislation has not been introduced to address this specific recommendation.
- Legislative Action Current As-of: December 2017
California State Auditor's Assessment of 6-Month Status: No Action Taken
Recommendation for Legislative Action
To foster consumers' proper disposal of sharps and pharmaceutical waste, the Legislature should provide CalRecycle statutory oversight responsibility for home-generated sharps and pharmaceutical waste disposal and provide CalRecycle additional resources to the extent that it can justify the need. This responsibility should include determining the characteristics of other government programs, such as New York State's consumer education program, that might benefit California.
Description of Legislative Action
The Legislature did not take action in the 2021-2022 legislative session to address this specific recommendation.
- Legislative Action Current As-of: October 2022
California State Auditor's Assessment of Annual Follow-Up Status: No Action Taken
The Legislature did not take action in the 2021-2022 legislative session to address this specific recommendation.
Description of Legislative Action
As of May 9, 2021, the Legislature has not taken action to address this specific recommendation.
- Legislative Action Current As-of: May 2021
California State Auditor's Assessment of Annual Follow-Up Status: No Action Taken
Description of Legislative Action
As of May 9, 2020, the Legislature has not taken action to address this specific recommendation.
- Legislative Action Current As-of: May 2020
California State Auditor's Assessment of Annual Follow-Up Status: No Action Taken
Description of Legislative Action
The Legislature has not taken any action to address this specific recommendation.
- Legislative Action Current As-of: May 2019
California State Auditor's Assessment of Annual Follow-Up Status: No Action Taken
Description of Legislative Action
Legislation has not been introduced to address this specific recommendation.
- Legislative Action Current As-of: May 2018
California State Auditor's Assessment of 1-Year Status: No Action Taken
Description of Legislative Action
Legislation has not been introduced to address this specific recommendation.
- Legislative Action Current As-of: December 2017
California State Auditor's Assessment of 6-Month Status: No Action Taken
Recommendation for Legislative Action
To increase in-state options for processing California's home-generated pharmaceutical waste, the Legislature should expressly authorize municipal solid waste incinerators to burn limited quantities of home-generated pharmaceutical waste, but only after considering environmental impacts.
Description of Legislative Action
The Legislature did not take action in the 2021-2022 legislative session to address this specific recommendation.
- Legislative Action Current As-of: October 2022
California State Auditor's Assessment of Annual Follow-Up Status: No Action Taken
The Legislature did not take action in the 2021-2022 legislative session to address this specific recommendation.
Description of Legislative Action
As of May 9, 2021, the Legislature has not taken action to address this specific recommendation.
- Legislative Action Current As-of: May 2021
California State Auditor's Assessment of Annual Follow-Up Status: No Action Taken
Description of Legislative Action
As of May 9, 2020, the Legislature has not taken action to address this specific recommendation.
- Legislative Action Current As-of: May 2020
California State Auditor's Assessment of Annual Follow-Up Status: No Action Taken
Description of Legislative Action
The Legislature has not taken any recent action to address this specific recommendation.
NOTE: Assembly Bill 2277 (2018) would have required CalRecycle, on or before January 1, 2020, in collaboration with the State Department of Public Health, the Department of Toxic Substances Control, and the California State Board of Pharmacy, to adopt regulations for the incineration of home-generated pharmaceutical waste by solid waste facilities. This bill was not pursued by the author.
- Legislative Action Current As-of: May 2019
California State Auditor's Assessment of Annual Follow-Up Status: No Action Taken
Description of Legislative Action
Assembly Bill 2277 (Mathis) would require CalRecycle, on or before January 1, 2020, in collaboration with the State Department of Public Health, the Department of Toxic Substances Control, and the California State Board of Pharmacy, to adopt regulations for the incineration of home-generated pharmaceutical waste by solid waste facilities.
- Legislative Action Current As-of: May 2018
California State Auditor's Assessment of 1-Year Status: Legislation Introduced
Description of Legislative Action
Legislation has not been introduced to address this specific recommendation.
- Legislative Action Current As-of: December 2017
California State Auditor's Assessment of 6-Month Status: No Action Taken
Recommendation for Legislative Action
To ensure consistency throughout the State, the Legislature should adopt standard requirements for counties to follow when implementing EPR programs. These requirements should limit any additional costs the programs may impose on consumers.
Description of Legislative Action
The Legislature did not take action in the 2021-2022 legislative session to address this specific recommendation.
- Legislative Action Current As-of: October 2022
California State Auditor's Assessment of Annual Follow-Up Status: No Action Taken
The Legislature did not take action in the 2021-2022 legislative session to address this specific recommendation.
Description of Legislative Action
As of May 9, 2021, the Legislature has not taken action to address this specific recommendation.
- Legislative Action Current As-of: May 2021
California State Auditor's Assessment of Annual Follow-Up Status: No Action Taken
Description of Legislative Action
As of May 9, 2020, the Legislature has not taken action to address this specific recommendation.
- Legislative Action Current As-of: May 2020
California State Auditor's Assessment of Annual Follow-Up Status: No Action Taken
Description of Legislative Action
The Legislature has not taken any action to address this specific recommendation.
- Legislative Action Current As-of: May 2019
California State Auditor's Assessment of Annual Follow-Up Status: No Action Taken
Description of Legislative Action
Legislation has not been introduced to address this specific recommendation.
- Legislative Action Current As-of: May 2018
California State Auditor's Assessment of 1-Year Status: No Action Taken
Description of Legislative Action
Legislation has not been introduced to address this specific recommendation.
- Legislative Action Current As-of: December 2017
California State Auditor's Assessment of 6-Month Status: No Action Taken
All Recommendations in 2016-127
Agency responses received are posted verbatim.