California is making strides in reducing plastic pollution with the nation’s first legislation on recycled content standards in plastic bottles. Effective Jan. 1, all plastic California Refund Value drink containers in the state must be made with at least 15 percent recycled materials.
Ultimately, California’s goal is to require all plastic bottles to be made of 50 percent recycled materials by 2030, which would surpass the European Union’s 30 percent mandate as the highest percentage requirement in the world.
Assemblymembers Phil Ting, D-San Francisco, and Jacqui Irwin, D-Thousand Oaks, authored Assembly Bill 793, initially signed off by Gov. Gavin Newsom in September 2020.
“California has long led the way on bold solutions in the climate space, and the steps we take today bring us closer to our ambitious goals,” Newsom said after signing the legislation. “I thank the Legislature for taking these important steps to protect the planet and public health.”
All bottled water, sodas and sports drinks in plastic bottles sold in the state, regardless of their manufacturing origins, must meet recycled content standards, or manufacturers will face fines. Monetary penalties will then be put into the state’s Recycling Enhancement Penalty Account to support the collection and processing of plastic drink bottles.
The California Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery, also known as CalRecycle, said penalties will be issued annually and measured by $0.20 per pound, based on how much manufacturers miss the mark.
CalRecycle also said the legislation will increase the demand of recycled plastic, which will increase the value of plastic material for recycling centers to partially relieve economic burdens.
The hope is to wane the state off its dependency on new plastics, which are made in part from oil and other fossil fuels, and get recycling back into the domestic sphere. With low U.S. demand for recycled plastic, private recycling centers are shuttering across California, leaving consumers with few places to drop off their cans and bottles.
In August 2019, California’s biggest recycling company rePlanet closed 284 recycling centers across the state.
And since overseas markets like China are no longer buying California’s recyclables, options for where to store these plastics are diminishing. In 2017, China was responsible for processing 55 percent of the state’s 14.6 million tons of recyclables, according to CalRecycle’s latest data.
Ting calls on other states to join California in mandating the increased use of recycled plastic, rather than keeping it stored in warehouses and landfills.
“It’s ridiculous that companies make new plastic every time a beverage container is needed. At the rate we were going, plastic waste will outnumber the fish in our oceans by 2050,” Ting said in a statement. “With AB 793, California is taking a big step toward reversing this alarming trend and moving toward a more sustainable model.”
Very misleading, CA has called for 25% PCR (Post Consumer Resin) in Plastic Bottles for a long time.
https://studio111design.com/automotive-case-studies
There are viable alternatives to plastic.
Alternatives that will not be made from oil and that won’t harm anything as they dissolve back into the earth.
If those scum bag politicians really wanted to help the people, they’d start working to help instead of hinder.
We should go back to glass, or masonry or maybe wood. That’ll be grand!
Recycle all you want, but if there’s no where to process it then it doesn’t matter. And since it’ll already be recycled, will we get our CRV taken away upon purchase.
Anyways, still sounds cheaper for these businesses to just pay the small penalty and pass on to consumers.
Currently, recycled water bottles are used to make other things. What’s the difference if they’re instead used to make more water bottles and new plastic is used to make those other things?
BTW
EVERYTHING the price will increase for everything we purchase that has any plastic.
That plus inflation will increase the costs of living for everyone.
That’s your government working for you.
And the Grease Ball will run for President leaving CA in the dust to fix all this crap.
+1
Simple fix. They will just stop selling to California. Better bring your forever bottle.
And of course there will be a “cost recovery” plan/tax associated.
At the current path within a decade in CA, we are headed to a quote from an old movie called, “Judge Dread”. The quote, which seemed really stupid and funny at the time was, “Eat recycled food. It’s good for the planet and ok for you.”
Watch the movie Soylent Green
California Refund Value (CRV) is added to the purchase price when we buy certain drinks; water, soda, beer, etc; why are stores not required to accept those containers and refund the “deposit”? The recycling places pay by the pound, not the $.05/.10 each we pay at purchase. I remember kids collecting bottles and cans for the deposit money, but that was long ago. Really long ago.
I’ll take those aluminum cans off your hands for $.01 apiece.
Let me know if you’re interested.
The Safeway in Clayton Station will take your bottles for money from Tuesday – Saturday.
The Safeway in Clayton Station refused to accept bottles and turned away customers who tried. They didn’t want to spend money to have staff turn in CRV containers, even though they were legally required to take them. The state busted them a while ago in an undercover operation.
It’s for the children!!
Discarded masks are the plastic bottles of tomorrow. They are on the ground everywhere.
California always has to be first for everything, most of all their first are BS policies, standards, future endowments and rights for illegals and criminals.
California is just ass-backwards in everything.
Newsum is such an empty suit . Why doesn’t he give a bunch of money to a company to build a manufacturing plant here in California that will turn all those plastic bottles into new products. ??Wouldn’t that solve a lot of problems in this state? Of course it would but that will never be considered by newsum because he has never solved any problems in this state. He is a democrat , he doesn’t have to.
The democrat party used to care more about environmental matters
Today the party has become a Marxist revolutionary front that hides a neoliberal oligarchy seeking to bankrupt the nation and buy up everything valuable on the cheap. This oligarchy is working with the same types over in the EU who are destroying civil societies there. Soros, Bloomberg, Rothschild
Why isn’t all packaging 100 percent recyclable?
Why is the Sierra being clear cut so much that Mt Lassen area is now barren
When I see Newsom I always imagine a big red clown nose and toot horn
This guy is part of the Getty oligarchy and thinks he’s royalty but is just a pathetic clown
I’m sure glad this is what they are spending their time addressing. The ONLY point of government is to provide public safety for the population who lives within the bounds of that governments jurisdiction. Everything else is a nice to have. Get the criminals under control, then worry about all the feel good crap.
Popeye’s was handing out paper straws the last time I was there. Worked just as well as the plastic variety. I was impressed since plastic straws are supposed to be one of the worst offenders in terms of non-biodegradable pollution.
How about subsidizing some recycling centers you wankers
all this is going to do is create shortages and drive up prices for average californians