Politics & Government
Single-Use, 1-Pound Propane Cylinders Could Disappear By 2028
The bill, written by Sen. Bob Wieckowski (D-Fremont) will transition California away from single-use propane cylinders to refillables.
NEWARK, CA — A bill passed by the California State Assembly will transition the state away from single-use, 1-pound propane cylinders to refillable containers by 2028 is expected to pass the Senate, state officials said today.
Written by State Sen. Bob Wieckowski (D-Fremont), SB 1256 should pass the Senate on a concurrence vote and go to Governor Gavin Newsom for his signature.
“These 1-pound propane cylinders are often among the litter found in our parks and beaches, highly expensive for local governments to properly handle and dangerous for workers in our hazardous waste programs,” Wieckowski said.
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According to Wieckowski, who is a member of the Senate’s Environmental Quality Committee,the five-year transition period will give the industry plenty of time to create a safe, refillable product, like it has with larger-sized cylinders.
"It is the environmentally responsible approach to take and will take a big burden off of our local governments,” he said.
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According to a news release issued by Wieckowski's office, single-use propane cylinders, which are often used in cooking stoves and lanterns, pose multiple problems and safety concerns to local government hazardous waste and recycling operations.
According to the California Product Stewardship Council, an estimated more than 4 million of the single-use propane tanks are sold annually in California but only 1 million are recycled through the Household Hazardous Waste programs offered by local governments in the state.
“The fact that SB 1256 cleared yet another hurdle on its way to becoming law in California just emphasizes the Legislature’s understanding of the need to replace the wasteful non-environmental single-use 1-pound cylinders with the sustainable alternative offered through the refillable/reusable ones,” Doug Kobold, executive director of the California Product Stewardship Council, said.
Wieckowski represents the 10th Senate District, which includes southern Alameda County and parts of Santa Clara County.
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