California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-G) signed a landmark bill Thursday that will significantly reduce single-use plastic packaging and utensils in the state over the next decade.
The law, called SB-54, calls for a 25 percent reduction in single-use plastic food packaging and accessories both by weight and by “source of plastic components” by 2032, according to the bill’s text.
A plastic component source refers to any individual piece of plastic-coated material as defined in the bill. From 100 juice boxes, for example, 25 plastic straws will need to be removed.
“Our children deserve a future free of plastic waste and all its dangerous impacts, everything from clogging our oceans to killing animals – polluting the air we breathe, the water we drink and the food we eat. No more,” Newsom said in a statement.
“California will not tolerate plastic waste that fills our waterways and makes breathing difficult,” the governor continued. “We’re holding polluters accountable and cutting plastics at the source.”
The bill’s author, state Sen. Bill Allen (D), is also touting its passage.
“For too long, plastic waste has been a growing burden on people, animals and the water, soil and air we need to exist,” Allen said in a statement.
“At this time of extreme polarization in our nation, California has been able to show that we can pass strong environmental legislation with bipartisan support that has brought the environmental and business communities together,” he added.
Environmentalists welcomed the progress of the legislation, which passed the state Assembly Wednesday night by a vote of 67-2 — with 11 abstentions — and by a vote of 29-0 in the state Senate Thursday morning.
“It’s hard to overstate how important this is,” Anya Brandon, a U.S. plastics policy analyst at the Ocean Conservancy and a key contributor to the bill’s text, said in a statement.
“The United States is the number one generator of plastic waste in the world and the largest contributor to the ocean plastic crisis,” she continued. “We cannot solve this problem without U.S. leadership, and by passing this law, California is righting the ship.” This is a huge win for our ocean.”
To achieve the 25 percent reduction, the bill requires at least 10 percent of single-use plastic packaging and utensils to either be completely plastic-free or to switch from single-use to reusable and refillable systems. In total, at least 4 percent of these plastics must go to these systems.
This combination of eliminating plastics and switching to reuse and refill could directly eliminate 23 million tons of single-use plastics over the next 10 years—equivalent to nearly 26 times the weight of the Golden Gate Bridge, according to the Ocean Conservancy.
The remaining 15 percent source reduction could occur by switching to bulk or large format packaging or switching to a non-plastic alternative material, the bill explains. However, the law requires that no more than 8 percent of these products be reduced by using post-consumer recycled content plastic.
All single-use packaging and food products, including non-plastic items, must be recyclable or compostable by 2032, according to the law. By that year, all plastic-coated materials offered for sale, distribution or import in the state must reach a 65 percent recycling rate, the text says.
Responding to the legislation’s progress, Joshua Baca, vice president of plastics at the American Chemistry Council, stressed that while “the law is not perfect,” it is a “better outcome” than an “anti-plastics” ballot measure that was withdrawn on Thursday night.
Baca was referring to the California Plastic Pollution Reduction and Recycling Act, which would require a 25 percent reduction by 2030, among other stricter rules.
That ballot measure faced intense opposition from the business sector, ultimately leading to negotiations between industry, environmental groups and politicians over the softer SB-54 bill, which Newsom signed into law Thursday, according to CalMatters.
Removing ballot initiatives in California must happen 130 days before the Nov. 8 election — meaning petitioners had until the end of June to do so, according to California state law.
The three petitioners withdrew the measure from the ballot Thursday night after announcing late Wednesday that they would do so if Newsom signs SB-54 into law, CalMatters reported.
If that ballot initiative moved forward, the policy could have cost Californians about $9 billion a year, but invested only about 30 percent of that in improving recycling, according to Baca.
“We will now focus on working with legislators, regulators and other stakeholders to ensure that the implementation of SB 54 lives up to its intent: eliminating plastic waste and improving the plastics cycle while minimizing costs to Californians,” said Baka.
While the Ocean Conservancy initially supported both the ballot initiative and the bill, a statement from the organization said the group now supports withdrawing the initiative.
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“Our number one priority has always been less plastic on shelves and less plastic pollution in our ocean, and both SB54 and the ballot measure were viable pathways,” said Nicholas Malos, senior director of the Trash Free Seas Program of the Ocean Conservancy.
“Historically, ballot initiatives face an uphill battle for implementation even when passed, meaning it can be years before any of the provisions take effect,” Malos added. “Not only is SB54 as strong or stronger than the ballot in many ways; but we are seeking assured action on this critical issue immediately.
Updated at 9:24 p.m
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