WHEREAS, SB1383 (2021) mandates that jurisdictions, including community college districts, procure paper products with a minimum of 30% post-consumer recycled (PCR) content [1];
WHEREAS, California Public Contract Code § 12320 requires contractors to certify in writing the minimum, if not exact, percentage of recycled product in materials offered, including both secondary and post-consumer content, and encourages procurement contracts to give preference to products containing a higher ratio of post-consumer recycled content [2];
WHEREAS, California state agencies participating in the State Agency Buy Recycled Campaign currently report annually on recycled content purchases [3]; and
WHEREAS, Life-cycle assessment studies showcase that production of one kilogram of virgin pulp paper releases 568 kilograms more greenhouse gases into the atmosphere than the production of one kilogram of post-consumer recycled paper [4]; Now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the Student Senate for California Community Colleges advocate for and support California Community College districts in purchasing janitorial products, including toilet paper, paper towels, seat covers, and trash liners, that contain a minimum of 30% post-consumer recycled content;
RESOLVED, That the Student Senate for California Community Colleges advocate for California Community College districts to promote an explicit minimum requirement for post-consumer recycled content in all vendor contracts and procurement agreements for janitorial paper products, including provisions for vendor certification and documentation to ensure compliance with sustainability standards previously set; and
RESOLVED, That the Student Senate for California Community Colleges encourage annual reports from California Community College districts to publicly report the post-consumer recycled content percentages of janitorial paper products used on their campuses, using state agency reporting practices as a model.
Citations:
[1] https://calrecycle.ca.gov/organics/slcp/procurement/RecycledPaper/ Recycled-Content Paper Requirements - CalRecycle Home Page
[2] https://codes.findlaw.com/ca/public-contract-code/pcc-sect-12320/
[3] https://www.dgs.ca.gov/PD/Resources/SCM/TOC/22/22-6
[4] https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1364032125007439