Comment period for draft single-use plastics rule now open

By Melissa Sparks-Kranz, legislative affairs lobbyist (environmental quality)

CalRecycle last Friday formally opened the 45-day public comment period on a draft single-use packaging and plastic food ware regulation. The comment period will close with a hybrid public hearing on April 23. City officials are encouraged to provide comments so that cities receive the funding that was promised to them under the law.  

The draft rule is a result of SB 54 (Allen, 2022). The landmark law requires producers to manage single-use plastic waste and develop a sustainable financing mechanism through a producer responsibility organization (PRO). Unlike citizens or agencies, producers can design and market products to be more easily reused or recycled, as well as minimize negative impacts on public health and the environment at every stage of its lifecycle.

In addition to providing formal feedback, cities should also engage in discussions with the PRO. The PRO will develop a plan and budget over the next several years for how to reimburse cities for the cost of implementing SB 54. What that plan looks like is critical to the success of the law and the fiscal health of cities. Cal Cities members who work on, or have an interest in, plastic recycling can sign up to join these discussions, which Cal Cities will help coordinate.

Known as the Plastic Pollution Prevention and Packaging Producer Responsibility Act, SB 54 is part of a multiyear effort to shift the design and recyclability of plastic and packaging materials. The law requires plastic producers to ensure single-use packaging and plastic food ware sold in California is 100% recyclable or compostable by 2032.