All packaging in the US state must be recyclable or compostable by 2032
California has passed an ambitious new law that requires all plastic packaging in the US state to be recyclable or compostable by 2032.
The historic legislation – the first with such sweeping restrictions passed by any US state – is designed to significantly reduce plastic waste and hold the packaging industry to account for its production.
The SB54 legislation targets a 25 percent cut in plastic packaging in California by 2032, whilst requiring 65 percent of all single-use plastic packaging to be recycled in the same timeframe.
Furthermore, the new legislation will see $5 billion raised from industry members over the next decade to assist efforts to cut plastic pollution and support disadvantaged communities hurt most by the damaging effects of plastic waste.
California Governor Gavin Newsom said it was right to shift the burden of plastic pollution from consumers to the plastics industry.
“Our kids deserve a future free of plastic waste and all its dangerous impacts, everything from clogging our oceans to killing animals – contaminating the air we breathe, the water we drink, and the food we eat. No more,” said Newsome.
“California won’t tolerate plastic waste that’s filling our waterways and making it harder to breathe. We’re holding polluters responsible and cutting plastics at the source.”
Of the 40 million tonnes of plastic waste produced in the United States in 2021, only around two million tonnes – or less than six per cent – was recycled, according to a report by environmental groups Beyond Plastics and The Last Beach Cleanup.
California legislators hope to turn the tide on those figures with the most significant overhaul of the state’s plastics and packaging recycling policy in history.
The legislation goes further than any other state on cutting plastics production at the source, requiring all plastic packaging in California to be recycled at a minimum level of:
- 30 percent from 1 January 2028
- 40 percent from 1 January 2030
- 65 percent from 1 January 2032
Senator Ben Allen, who introduced the legislation, said: “With this new law, California continues its tradition of global environmental leadership – tackling a major problem in a way that will grow markets in sustainable innovations, create incentives for investment, and set the stage for partnership with other states and countries on these issues.”
In the United States, packaging and waste management regulations are governed by state law, rather than federal law, so the approach taken to tackle issues such as plastic pollution can vary widely from state to state.
California’s approach also differs to that here in the United Kingdom, where legislation to date has focused not on recycling levels, but on taxing plastic production that does not include a significant portion of recycled material.
Since April 2022, all plastic produced in or imported into the UK that contains less than 30% recycled material is subject to a Plastic Packaging Tax (PPT) of £200 per metric tonne.
The PPT was designed to encourage the use of recycled plastic in packaging and reduce the amount of plastic waste we produce, whilst – in parallels with the Californian approach – placing more responsibility on manufacturers and importers to reduce their reliance on virgin plastic and increase the level of recycled content in plastic products.
The UK government has yet to publish a PPT impact assessment, but the new legislation has certainly succeeded in getting some industry leaders to change their approach to packaging production.
Leading UK manufacturer Polybags has extended its range of stocked products made from recycled content – introducing over 100 new products containing 30% recycled content or more, across more than a dozen product ranges – from packing bags to grip seal bags and layflat polythene tubing to carrier bags.
Many of these ranges are made entirely from recycled plastic – including their popular 100% recycled black mailing bags and a selection of coloured or colour-tinted 100% recycled waste sacks – themselves designed for helping to segregate recycling waste.
If you are unfamiliar with the UK legislation, Polybags has also published a helpful introductory guide to the Plastic Packaging Tax for those who want to find out more.
Photo by Brian Yurasits on Unsplash.
