In The News: CalRecycle released key building blocks for California’s groundbreaking law to cut single-use plastic and packaging waste. Packaging makes up over 50% of what we throw away by volume.
Meeting aggressive deadlines in the Plastic Pollution Prevention and Packaging Producer Responsibility Act (SB 54, Allen, Chapter 75, Statutes of 2022), CalRecycle published:
- Draft rules detailing new industry responsibilities to cut waste and increase recycling
- Covered Materials Category List of potential materials regulated by SB 54
- SB 54 Report to the Legislature on implementation progress
What they’re saying: “California is setting clear standards to cut waste and recycle single-use products to lower pollution while growing innovative companies and new jobs,” CalRecycle Director Rachel Machi Wagoner said. “Building a circular economy that reuses products built to last instead of turning raw materials into trash is a roadmap to California’s waste-free future.
What’s next: SB 54 requires by 2032 that an industry-run Producer Responsibility Organization implement reforms to:
- Cut by 25% single-use Plastic: Packaging and food wares.
- Recycle 65% of single-use plastic: Packaging and food wares.
- Ensure 100% of single-use: Packaging and plastic food ware is recyclable or compostable.
Other benefits of the law include:
- Rewarding waste-free and pollution-free product innovation and reuse options.
- Creating a $5 billion fund to address the environmental impacts of plastics.
Go Deeper: Join CalRecycle’s SB 54 Listserv for email updates on upcoming workshops and new developments in the implementation process.