On August 31, 2021, Governor Newsom signed Assembly Bill 332 and the bill takes effect immediately. AB332 adopts new Alternative Management Standards (AMS) for treated wood waste that are codified in Health and Safety Code section 25230. As a result of the chaptering of the bill, all treated wood waste variances issued by DTSC since March 2021 are now inoperative and have no further effect. The variances are no longer necessary because they have been replaced by the AMS. The new AMS are similar to the rules that applied under the variance program, except that no variance is required.
The California Department of Toxic Substances Control defines treated wood waste (TWW) as wood that has been treated with chemical preservatives. These chemicals help protect the wood from insect attack and fungal decay while it’s being used. Fence posts, sill plates, landscape timbers, pilings, guardrails, decking and grape stakes are all examples of chemically treated wood.