Dive Brief:

• Scott Smithline has been named the new director of California's Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery, known as CalRecycle. He was formerly the assistant director for policy at the department, and worked for 12 years at the nonprofit Californians Against Waste.
• The appointment comes as the state is trying to reach a goal of 75% recycling, composting, or source reduction of solid waste by 2020. 
• California's current recycling rate is 50%, but has been stagnant for the past few years.

Dive Insight:

Smithline has the experience to get the state to its goal. Mark Murray, executive director of Californians Against Waste, said in a statement, "Scott possesses a truly unparalleled level of policy expertise, stakeholder awareness, and passion for recycling and environmental issues."

Additionally, Smithline is looking ahead. He told Resource Recycling: "There is a lot of work to be done to build a better recycling infrastructure and develop more resilient in-state markets for recycled materials. We have to think about what changes need to be made to the current model in order to get where we want to be five or 10 years down the road."