California Code of Regulations
Title 14 - Natural Resources
Division 7 - Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery
Chapter 4 - Resource Conservation Programs
Article 4 - Recycled Content Newsprint
Section 17964 - Quality Standards

(a) What quality standards does the recycled-content newsprint have to meet? The Board shall establish the comparable quality standards, which the recycled-content newsprint must meet.

(b) How will the Board set its comparable quality standards? In July of each year, the Board will survey newsprint manufacturers who annually sell more than 5,000 metric tons of recycled-content newsprint for use in California. The Board will request samples from each of these manufacturers for each grade of recycled-content newsprint that they produce.

The Board will then conduct testing following the methods of the Technical Association of the Pulp and Paper Industry (TAPPI), and will establish the standards based on the results of the testing. The TAPPI Test Methods T414, T452, and T425, 1986, are incorporated herein by reference, and listed in Table Two below. (See section (e) for additional information about the TAPPI methods).

TABLE TWO: TAPPI TEST METHODS

(c) The Board will use the following method to calculate the comparable quality standard for each of the specifications in the newspaper newsprint and lightweight newsprint grades:

The figure on line (4) is the minimum comparable quality standard for these grades.

(d) The Board will use the following method to calculate the comparable quality standard for each of the specifications in the supercalendered and machine finished uncoated groundwood grades:

The figure on line (4) is the minimum comparable quality standard for these grades.

(e) Where can I find the TAPPI methods for sampling procedures, and the test methods for brightness, printing opacity and cross-machine tear strength? You can find the test methods (T414, T425, T452) in a book called TAPPI Test Methods, Volumes 1 and 2, 1986, published by the Technical Association of the Pulp and Paper Industry, P.O. Box 105113, Atlanta, Georgia, 30348. TAPPI methods can also be found in the Annual Book of the American Society of Testing Materials (ASTM) OM-87, Volume 15.09, 1988.

(f) When will the Board make available the comparable quality standards? The Board will make available the comparable quality standards by November 30 of each year.

(g) For what time period will these comparable quality standards apply? The comparable quality standards made available by November 30 of each year will apply throughout the following calendar year.