Jan 1 - New CA Laws on Plastics Effective Today

Happy New Year! With the new year comes new laws, effective today.

These include several laws, regulations, and local ordinances on plastics:

Rigid Plastic Packaging Container (RPPC) Program

The new regulations for the RPPC program were adopted by CalRecycle in January of last year and go into effect today. Read more on our blog.

Senate Bill 567 (Truthful Environmental Advertising in Plastics)

The CA law that currently prohibits false biodegradable and compostable claims on plastic food containers and plastic bags is now expanded to cover all plastic products. CAW sponsored and helped pass SB 567 in 2011. Learn more about how we are enforcing this law.

Senate Bill 1219 (Plastic Bag Recycling)

SB 1219 extends the sunset of AB 2449 requiring large supermarkets that distribute plastic bags to collect them for recycling. The bill was set to expire at the end of 2012, but now continues until 2020.

Stopwaste.org Bag Ordinance

Plastic carryout shopping bags are now prohibited, while paper and reusable bags are allowed for ten cents each. Effective in grocery stores and pharmacies throughout Alameda County and its incorporated cities. The County and its Cities, with a population of over 1.5 million, use an estimated 764 million plastic bags each year. Read an article.

Laguna Beach Bag Ordinance

Laguna Beach has a similar ordinance that is operative today, prohibiting plastic bags and charging ten cents for each paper bag distributed. Effective in grocery stores and pharmacies throughout the City.

Redwood City Polystyrene Ordinance

Expanded polysytrene food containers are banned from restaurants in Redwood City starting today. Redwood City passed the ordinance in May of 2012, after San Mateo County adopted an ordinance in February.

To the north, a plastic bag ban and five cent charge on paper bags also went into effect in the city of Corvallis, Oregon on New Year's Day. Read an article.

We're off to a great start and look forward to seeing more great policies against waste as 2013 progresses.