The California Legislature spent part of the final week of its 2017-2018 session passing several pieces of legislation it says are designed to reduce plastic pollution.
The package of five bills, which will be sent to Gov. Jerry Brown to either sign or veto by Sept. 30, “includes [a] prohibition on unsustainable takeout food packaging, testing for microplastics, straws upon request and funding for recycling centers,” according to a news release from Sacramento, California-based not-for-profit organization Californians Against Waste (CAW).
Of the five senate and assembly bills passed, SB 452, which CAW says “increases funding for recycling centers, increasing opportunities for consumers to redeem their bottles and cans,” appears to have the most direct impact on recycling.
Several of the other bills, however, could affect how much plastic scrap is generated or whether some types of plastic packaging are replaced by other materials. The other four bills, as described by CAW, include:
- SB 1335, which prohibits non-recyclable and non-compostable takeout food packaging at state facilities, including parks, beaches, colleges, and fairgrounds.
- AB 1884, which requires restaurants to offer straws only upon request;
- SB 1263, which directs the Ocean Protection Council to develop a plan for stemming the growth of microplastics; and
- SB 1422, which requires all drinking water to be tested for “plastic contamination.”
“The California legislature is continuing to fill the vacuum of federal leadership by tackling our plastic pollution crisis and the throw-away culture that causes it,” says Mark Murray, CAW executive director. “Single-use plastic products that we use for mere moments pollute our planet at every stage: beginning with air and water contamination from oil and gas extraction, continuing through the production process, and ending with disposal, where an estimated 8 million tons enter the oceans every year and millions of tons end up in landfills and incinerators.”
Regarding SB 452, the recycling related bill, CAW writes, “In a year that saw China saying ‘no’ to imported plastic from around the globe, SB 452 protects recycling centers from closing their doors by temporarily increasing incentives to allow the marketplace to stabilize, stemming the tide of the nearly 1,000 recycling centers that have closed since peak program recycling.”
The bill’s author, State Sen. Steven Glazer, comments, “Beverage container recycling centers were hit hard a few years ago when global oil prices dropped, causing centers to close, and restricting recycling access for many Californians. SB 452 puts California on a path to returning this 30-year program to its historically high recycling rates.”
The text of the bill, which can be found on this web page, places stricter requirements on large retailers to establish recycling redemption centers to serve residents. The bill also “continuously appropriates from the [California Beverage Container Recycling Fund] $15 million annually for payments for curbside programs and neighborhood drop-off programs and $10.5 million annually for payments to cities and counties for beverage container recycling and litter cleanup activities.”
SB 1335 has been designed to “phase out takeout food packaging that is not widely recycled or composted [from] being used at state facilities, including state parks, beaches, colleges, office buildings, and fairgrounds,” according to CAW. That bill’s author, State Sen. Ben Allen, comments, “The state can lead by example and show that we don’t have to harm our environment every time we get food in a container. Sustainable food packaging is available and affordable – we just need to make the conscious choice to switch to a better alternative.”