California § 40512 - The department shall establish a pilot project located in the Counties of Los Ang

§ 40512. The department shall establish a pilot project located in the Counties of Los Ang

(a) The department shall establish a pilot project located in the Counties of Los Angeles and Ventura in partnership with garment manufacturers in order to study and report on the feasibility of recycling fabric. (b) The pilot project shall not exceed three years and shall conclude no later than January 1, 2027. (c) The pilot project, which shall be submitted by an applicant jurisdiction, shall be designed to create a circular economy for the highest and best use of waste textiles, including, but not limited to, creating cleaner and more uniform material streams, creating safe and living-wage jobs for local workers, educating the public, and reducing the disposal of textiles in California. The pilot project may include, but is not limited to, the following project elements: (1) Creating accessible textile collection sites. (2) Developing a hub for consolidating preconsumer textile scraps to facilitate the use of those materials by other businesses. (3) Remanufacturing of fibers. (4) Increasing capacity to sort textiles to create cleaner and more uniform material streams, either manually or through investment in machinery and permanent infrastructure development. (5) Community engagement and education on impacts of and alternatives to “fast fashion,” which may include, but is not limited to, conducting mending workshops in the community. (d) The operator of the pilot project shall annually report to the department demonstrating the pilot project’s progress toward meeting the goals of the project identified in subdivision (a). The report shall specify the amount, in pounds, of textiles that were collected and that were diverted from disposal in the prior year of the pilot project. (e) The department shall post the report required pursuant to subdivision (a) on its internet website within six months of the conclusion of the pilot project, and in no instance later than July 1, 2027. (f) Any state funding provided for the pilot project is subject to an appropriation by the Legislature for this purpose. (g) This section shall remain in effect only until January 1, 2028, and as of that date is repealed.