Last week, the Assembly Natural Resources Committee unanimously passed AB 221 (Quick-Silva), CalCIMA’s sponsored bill to promote the recycling of concrete materials. The bill updates the provisions in the Public Resources Code that encourage recycling of reclaimed concrete materials. Specifically, the bill adds reference to the California Green Building Code, makes a technical up-date, and adds findings to emphasize the sustainability benefits for re-using reclaimed concrete materials. In addition, the committee adopted an amendment to change terminology for “returned plastic concrete” to “returned fresh concrete.” The bill has support from CalCIMA members, cement, trucking, union, and environmental groups. The bill now goes to the Assembly Appropriations Committee. By Charlie Rea at Calcima.org