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Newsom signs plastics bill into California law


From THEHILL.COM

California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) signed into law on Thursday a landmark bill that will significantly reduce single-use plastic packaging and utensils in the state over the next decade.

The law — called SB-54 — requires a 25-percent decrease in disposable plastic packaging and foodware accessories by both weight and “plastic component source” by 2032, according to the bill’s text.

A plastic component source refers to any single piece of plastic-covered material, as defined by the bill. Out of 100 juices boxes, for example, 25 plastic straws would need to be eliminated.

“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,” Newsom said in a statement.

“California won’t tolerate plastic waste that’s filling our waterways and making it harder to breathe,” the governor continued. “We’re holding polluters responsible and cutting plastics at the source.”

The bill’s author, state Sen. Bill Allen (D), also touted its passage.

“For far too long, plastic waste has been a growing burden for humans, animals, and the water, soil, and air we need to exist,” Allen said in a statement.

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“In this time of extreme polarization in our nation, California was able to show that we can pass strong environmental legislation with bipartisan support that brought together the environmental and business communities,” he added.

Environmentalists hailed the advancement of the legislation, which passed in the State Assembly on Wednesday night in a 67-2 vote — with 11 votes not recorded — and by 29-0 in the State Senate on Thursday morning.

“It’s hard to capture how momentous this feels,” Anja Brandon, U. S. Plastics Policy Analyst at Ocean Conservancy and a principal contributor to the bill text, said in a statement.

“The United States is the number-one generator of plastic waste in the world and a top contributor to the ocean plastics crisis,” she continued. “We can’t 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 accomplish the 25-percent cutback, the bill mandates that at least 10 percent of single-use plastic packaging and utensils either be entirely plastic free or shift from single-use to reuse and refill systems. In total, at least 4 percent of such plastics must transition to these systems.

That combination of eliminating plastics and shifting to reuse and refill could directly remove 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 Ocean Conservancy.

The remaining 15-percent source reduction can occur by transition to bulk or lar… (Read more)

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