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SACRAMENTO, Calif.
Companies selling shampoo, food and other products wrapped in
plastic have a decade to cut down on their use of the polluting
material if they want their wares on California store shelves.
Major legislation passed and signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom on
Thursday aims to significantly reduce single-use plastic
packaging in the state and drastically boost recycling rates for
what remains. It sets the nation's most stringent requirements
for the use of plastic packaging, with lawmakers saying they
hope it sets a precedent for other states to follow.
Were ruining the planet and weve got to change it," Sen. Bob
Hertzberg, a Democrat, said before voting on the bill.
Under the bill, plastic producers would have to reduce plastics
in single-use products 10% by 2027, increasing to 25% by 2032.
That reduction in plastic packaging can be met through a
combination of reducing package sizing, switching to a different
material or making the product easily reusable or refillable.
Also by 2032, plastic would have to be recycled at a rate of
65%, a massive jump from todays rates. It wouldnt apply to
plastic beverage bottles, which have their own recycling rules.
Efforts to limit plastic packaging have failed in the
Legislature for years, but the threat of a similar ballot
measure going before voters in November prompted business groups
to come to the negotiating table. The measure's three main
backers withdrew it from the ballot after the bill passed,
though they expressed concern the plastics industry will try to
weaken the requirements.
States have passed bans on single-use plastic grocery bags,
straws and other items, and plastic water bottles soon won't be
allowed in national parks. But the material is still ubiquitous,
used in everything from laundry detergent and soap bottles to
packaging for vegetables and lunch meats. Most plastic products
in the United States are not recycled, with millions of tons
ending up in landfills and the worlds oceans. It harms wildlife
and shows up in drinking water in the form of microplastics.
Efforts to limit plastic packaging have failed in the
Legislature for years, but the threat of a similar ballot
measure going before voters in November prompted business groups
to come to the negotiating table. The measure's three main
backers withdrew it from the ballot after the bill passed,
though they expressed concern the plastics industry will try to
weaken the requirements.
States have passed bans on single-use plastic grocery bags,
straws and other items, and plastic water bottles soon won't be
allowed in national parks. But the material is still ubiquitous,
used in everything from laundry detergent and soap bottles to
packaging for vegetables and lunch meats. Most plastic products
in the United States are not recycled, with millions of tons
ending up in landfills and the worlds oceans. It harms wildlife
and shows up in drinking water in the form of microplastics.
Plastic makers would form their own industry group tasked with
developing a plan to meet the requirements, which would need
approval from the state's recycling department. They'll be
required to collect $500 million annually from producers for a
fund aimed at cleaning up plastic pollution. Maine, Oregon and
Colorado have similar producer responsibility systems.
It does not ban styrofoam food packaging but would require it to
be recycled at a rate of 30% by 2028, which some supporters said
is a de facto ban because the material can't be recycled. The
ballot measure would have banned the material outright. It would
have given more power to the state recycling agency to implement
the rules rather than letting industry organize itself.
Sen. Ben Allen, a Santa Monica Democrat who led negotiations on
the bill, said it represented an example of two groups that are
often at odds environmentalists and industry coming together
to make positive change.
He called it a strong, meaningful compromise that will put
California at the forefront of addressing a major global
problem."
Though they withdrew their ballot initiative, the measure's
proponents said they remain concerned that industry will try to
water down the bill. The initiative's three backers were Linda
Escalante of the Natural Resources Defense Council; Michael
Sangiacomo, former head of the waste management company
Recology; and Caryl Hart, a member of the California Coastal
Commission.
Joshua Baca of the American Chemistry Council, which represents
the plastics industry, said the bill unfairly caps the amount of
post-consumer recycled plastic that can be used to meet the 25%
reduction requirement and limits new, innovative recycling
technologies."
The bill bans incineration and combustion of plastic, but leaves
open the possibility for some forms of so-called chemical
recycling.
Judith Enck, president of Beyond Plastics, said while
California's bill goes farther than any other state when it
comes to reducing plastic pollution, it still falls short. She
said it will only result in about a 10% reduction in overall
packaging because producers can make products refillable or
switch to other materials. She also said that it relies too
heavily on failed plastics recycling policies.
Plastic production is supposed to triple globally by 2050, she
said.
https://www.kcra.com/article/california-sets-nations-toughest-
plastics-reduction-rules/40479831