May 24, 2022 - SACRAMENTO — State Senator Bob Wieckowski’s (D-Fremont) bill to transition California away from single-use, one-pound propane cylinders to refillable canisters 
that are better for the environment and safer for consumers passed the state Senate on Monday afternoon.
SB 1256 gives the makers of the single-use cylinders five years to transition to refillable cylinders. The single-use cylinders would be phased out by January 2028. The propane cylinders are often used in lanterns and cooking stoves. It is estimated that more than 7 million are sold annually in California. They pose multiple problems and safety concerns to local government hazardous waste and recycling operations.
“Our beaches and our parks are often littered with these disposable canisters,” said Wieckowski, the chair of the Senate Budget and Fiscal Review subcommittee on Resources, Environmental Protection and Energy. “A small percentage are properly disposed of at household hazardous waste sites, but millions end up in our landfills. They are expensive for cities and counties to collect. California should move away from these single-use products and transition to refillable cylinders. SB 1256 can reduce pollution, cut the amount going into our landfills and improve safety for workers who must handle these cylinders.”
Santa Clara County estimates that only a million are recycled through the Household Hazardous Waste programs offered by local governments in the state.
“Efforts big and small to reduce single-use products are making real progress. Single-use propane cylinders litter our parks and campgrounds and pose a threat to our maintenance and sanitation workers,” said County Supervisor Otto Lee, who is a member of the Recycling & Waste Reduction Commission of Santa Clara County. “Our county’s household hazardous waste program has collected nearly 70,000 pounds of these canisters in the last five years. We’re supporting SB 1256 to promote the sensible transition to refillable cylinders and reduce dangerous waste.”
The one-pound, propane cylinders have become such a problem in parks and campgrounds that Yosemite’s sustainability initiative includes reducing the improper disposal of them. The only cylinders available to purchase inside the park are refillable.
SB 1256 is sponsored by the California Product Stewardship Council (CPSC).
In addition to CPSC and Santa Clara County, SB 1256 is supported by a large coalition that includes Stop Waste, Sunnyvale, Thousand Oaks, California Waste and Recycle Association, Rethink Waste, Californians Against Waste, Western Placer Waste Management Authority, Del Norte Solid Waste Management Authority, Republic Services, California Resource Recovery Association, Resource Recovery Coalition of California and the National Stewardship Action Council, among many others.
Senator Wieckowski represents the 10th Senate District, which includes southern Alameda County and parts of Santa Clara County.
Source: Senator Bob Wieckowski
