Kate Wilkins is an Environmental Scientist in the Policy Development and Analysis Office at CalRecycle. Her focus is international recycling markets and CalRecycle's recycling characterization studies.

California Markets: Early Impacts of COVID-19 and International Policies
COVID-19 and international policies are significantly affecting California's recycling markets. While international markets have always shifted, China's National Sword and subsequent and pending policy changes are having a significant impact on markets for scrap plastic and paper. COVID-19 has also had a major effect on recyclable markets due to, among other factors, the reduction in commercial material generation, temporary regulatory measures and the drop in global oil prices. It is too early for comprehensive data about the effects of COVID-19 on recycling, but export data and industry reporting can shed light on trends we expect to see in the next year.

Edward Chu is an Environmental Scientist in the Policy Development and Analysis Office at CalRecycle. He is heavily involved in data analysis of the Department's waste characterization studies.

CalRecycle's 2018 Statewide Disposal-Based Waste Characterization Data and What to Expect in 2020
CalRecycle released its 2018 Statewide Disposal-Based Waste Characterization Study in May 2020. This report represents 94 material types found in the 40 million tons of waste California disposed in 2018. Additionally, the study sheds light on the progress in reaching California's diversion goals. How does the data compare to 2014? What are we changing for the 2020 study and what impact has COVID-19 had on the study plans?

Kamrun Zargar is Senior Environmental Scientist with CalRecycle's Policy Development and Analysis Office since 2018. He was previously an environmental microbiologist, in academia and industry, focusing on discovery of novel biochemical pathways and microbes that produce biofuel-related molecules. He has a PhD in Microbiology from the University of California, Santa Cruz.

CalRecycle's 2018 & 2020 Commercial Generator-Based Edible Food Waste Characterization Studies and the Future of Edible Food Recovery
SB 1383's edible food diversion targets require data to help establish baselines and develop a capacity planning tool for jurisdictions. This tool will also be useful for food generators in certain business groups. What sort of data will the 2018 and 2020 food generator study provide and how will it help certain business groups? How will COVID-19 impact the 2020 study plan and generated data?

Martine Boswell is an Environmental Scientist in CalRecycle's Statewide Technical and Analytical Resources Branch. She serves as CalRecycle's technical advisor on food waste, and provides scientific analyses on California's food system and climate change. Martine is also engaged in statewide efforts to increase safe surplus food donation in California, and is a member of the CalRecycle team tasked with developing the edible food recovery regulations for California's short-lived climate pollutant law, Senate Bill 1383. She received her bachelor's degree in environmental studies from the University of California Santa Cruz, and her master's in environmental studies from the University of Pennsylvania.

CalRecycle's 2018 & 2020 Commercial Generator-Based Edible Food Waste Characterization Studies and the Future of Edible Food Recovery
SB 1383's edible food diversion targets require data to help establish baselines and develop a capacity planning tool for jurisdictions. This tool will also be useful for food generators in certain business groups. What sort of data will the 2018 and 2020 food generator study provide and how will it help certain business groups? How will COVID-19 impact the 2020 study plan and generated data?