Image by BrianAJackson.OPINION – CalRecycle is anticipated to finalize regulations any day aimed at implementing Senate Bill 54—the Plastic Pollution Prevention and Packaging Producer Responsibility Act. But disappointingly, economic benefits owed to Californians through implementation of the state’s landmark plastic pollution prevention law won’t be realized if pending regulations are adopted as is.
Image by Makhbubakhon Ismatova. OPINION – Latino entrepreneurs are at the heart of communities across California, from family-owned restaurants to small logistics companies and neighborhood markets. When we talk about California’s future and all of the opportunities available to our citizens, we cannot leave these businesses out of the conversation.
Image by Frank WagnerOPINION – One of the most expensive misuses of local taxpayer dollars in the U.S. is the amount of money spent disposing of recyclable beverage containers in landfills every year.
Image by solarsevenOPINION – California has long been a leader in environmental protection. Now is the time to reaffirm our promise: to live up to our state’s track record of bold environmental action and keep California at the forefront of the fight against plastic pollution for generations to come.
Image by cyano66OPINION – It’s time for our leaders to strive to keep trusted allies in the energy industry operating and innovating in the Golden State—not drive them away.
Image by StokketeOPINION – California’s ambitious program to reduce the amount of methane gas produced by organic waste is a powerful example of how individuals, local governments, and business can work together to protect the planet for our children and grandchildren, all while creating jobs and investment in our communities.
Image by monticello via shutterstockWhen it comes to supporting the circular economy, improving plastic recycling, and reducing waste, do we want to help the environment or regulate more?
Environmentalist Heidi Sanborn.(Photo: Screen capture via YouTube, from California insider)California recently approved three sweeping environmental laws: SB 54, SB 343, and AB 1201. Hopefully, this game-changing legislation will shape national policy about recycling, composting, plastic pollution, and human health. We have many people to thank for the recent measures to reduce plastic pollution and increase plastic recycling, but we citizens rarely know who. Heidi Sanborn is one of those people.
A woman pours the contents of an in-house compost unit into a larger outdoor container. (Photo: Electric Egg, via Shutterstock)By expanding California’s existing legal definitions of compostability and biodegradability to cover more products than plastics, and by creating more specific, safer definitions, the single-use disposable products that companies label as “compostable” will now actually biodegrade into safe, usable organic matter. This package of environmental legislation transforms the rules around environmental marketing claims and continues California’s move toward a truly sustainable economy.
A dog eyes a trove of dumped plastic containers in Moorpark, Calif. (Photo: Alexandra Bilham, via Shutterstock)Approximately 85% of single-use plastics in California never get recycled. By standardizing and clarifying the labeling of recyclable waste, California’s new law aims to align manufacturing standards with state regulations in order to increase the amount of plastic material that actually gets recycled.