During Plastic-Free July, California a pioneer in anti-pollution efforts
Click play to listen to this article.
California receives high marks in a report on the fight against plastic pollution. This is Plastic-free July and the United States of Plastics report, from Ocean Conservancy, awards the Golden State a score of four-and-a-half out of five.
Report co-author Anja Brandon, director of plastics policy with Ocean Conservancy, largely credits Senate Bill 54, California's landmark law passed in 2022.
"It holds plastic and other packaging producers financially responsible for managing their wasteful products. And it requires that producers make 25 percent less single-use plastics by 2032," she said.
The state also banned most plastic grocery bags a few years ago. Starting next year, the thicker plastic bags now sold at checkout stands will also go away. Shoppers will have to go back to using paper bags or bring reusable cloth bags.
Brandon noted California still has more work to do, adding the state has been slow to implement SB 54's ban on expanded polystyrene foam, which was supposed to take effect last January.
"The state agencies finally issued guidance and an enforcement portal, literally this week. So it's seven months late, but they are finally getting around to enforcing that critical component of the law," she continued.
The report also found California is the only state with a law directly addressing pollution from pellets used to manufacture plastics.
