SB 45 (Padilla & Blakespear)
Requiring Tethered Caps

OVERVIEW

SB 45 will require plastic beverage bottles under 2 liters to use tethered caps—caps that remain attached to their bottles throughout their lifecycle—by 2027.

ISSUE

California generates nearly 15 billion plastic beverage containers annually, yet plastic caps remain a leading source of plastic pollution in the state. Senate Bill 45 (Padilla & Blakespear) will require plastic beverage bottles under 2 liters to use tethered caps—caps that remain attached to their bottles throughout their lifecycle.

This simple, yet highly effective solution will:

  • Reduce litter

  • Increase recycling rates

  • Protect wildlife from plastic ingestion

SB 45 aligns California with the European Union’s successful 2024 tethered cap policy, ensuring California remains at the forefront of plastic pollution reduction efforts.

THE PROBLEM

✅ 16,600+ tons of plastic caps are littered or landfilled annually in California​.
✅ Plastic caps are among the top five most littered items on California beaches​
✅ Less than 40% of caps are successfully recovered for recycling​
✅ Plastic caps pose a severe threat to wildlife, causing ingestion-related deaths in both marine and terrestrial species​
✅ When caps detach, they often escape recycling facilities due to their small size, leading to incineration or landfill disposal​

THE SOLUTION

By keeping caps attached to bottles, SB 45 will:
🔹 Reduce plastic cap litter by 50%​
🔹 Double the recycling rate for plastic caps​
🔹 Improve material recovery, ensuring caps are properly recycled​
🔹 Prevent marine life ingestion, reducing fatal plastic pollution​
🔹 Standardize California policy with international best practices​

PRECEDENT IN THE EU

In 2019, the EU adopted a tethered cap requirement, which took effect July 2024. Major beverage brands—including Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, and Nestlé have already adapted to the change with lighter, consumer-friendly cap designs.

Results from the EU policy indicate:
🔹 5% annual reduction in plastic leakage into oceans​
🔹 20% lighter bottles, cutting plastic use while maintaining functionality​
🔹 No consumer price increase, as demonstrated by Crystal Geyser​

 
 

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Fact Sheet

Position: Sponsored by Californians Against Waste

Contact: Tony Hackett, Mark Murray

Status: Awaiting a hearing in the Senate Appropriations Committee, passed the Senate Environmental Quality Committee

Current language, analysis, and votes: SB 45

Photo by Chris Jordan

WHO SUPPORTS SB 45?

SB 45 is backed by a broad coalition of environmental groups, recycling organizations, and public health advocates, including:
✔ Californians Against Waste (Sponsor)
✔ The Surfrider Foundation
✔ Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC)
✔ Sierra Club California
✔ Recology
✔ League to Save Lake Tahoe
✔ Plastic Pollution Coalition
✔ Zero Waste USA
✔ And more!