California Assembly Approves Ambitious Measure to Cut Packaging and Plastic Waste by 75% by 2030

Just one day after Senate passes companion measure, AB 1080 approved to phase out top trash items contributing to global pollution crisis 

SACRAMENTO--Acknowledging the worldwide environmental devastation and health problems wrought by plastic and non-recycled trash, both houses of the California State Legislature have now approved identical first-of-their-kind measures to dramatically reduce plastic and packaging waste and jumpstart the in-state clean recycling economy.

Senate Bill 54 (Allen) and Assembly Bill 1080 (Gonzalez), together known as the California Circular Economy and Plastic Pollution Reduction Act, attack the trash crisis at both ends -- both before a product is ever created or purchased, and after a single-use item is ready for disposal.  The measures help businesses transition from single-use plastic containers to reusable or compostable packaging with reasonable timelines to make changes in order to achieve an overall reduction of 75 percent by the year 2030. The measures also call for incentives for in-state manufacturing using recycled materials.  Together, these requirements will cut back on the amount and type of trash going into landfills and litter in neighborhoods, waterways, and the ocean, which will reduce costs to taxpayers for disposal and clean-up. 

By increasing recycling rates and incentivizing the in-state manufacture of goods using recycled materials, the Act will end California’s existing reliance on other countries to take its waste, and it will boost the state economy.  Currently, California waste and recycling industries are struggling to adapt to China’s 2017 “National Sword” policy to stop accepting other nations’ trash. This has resulted in Californians’ garbage and recyclables piling up at local waste facilities, going into landfills, or being shipped to other countries in Asia that cannot process the sheer amount of trash coming to them.  California’s local governments -- and, therefore, ratepayers -- are experiencing increased costs as a result. But if fully implemented, the Act’s 75 percent recycling rate will not only help reduce California’s need to ship meaningful quantities of waste out-of-state, it is expected to double the existing 125,000 California jobs in recycling and manufacturing.

Plastic and single-use packaging contribute to a variety of environmental ills.  As plastic breaks down in the environment, it becomes microplastic particles that leach chemicals into waterways and ocean environments, or is eaten by wildlife and marine creatures.  Further, single-use items don’t simply cause pollution; they also contribute to the climate crisis. Plastic items, in particular, are derived from fossil fuels and emit greenhouse gases as they break down.  Reducing California’s reliance on these items is critical for the state to meet its climate and waste diversion commitments.

Plastic and single-use items also contaminate drinking water sources, food supplies, and even air.  Human exposure to plastic and its associated toxins has been linked to cancers, birth defects, impaired immunity, endocrine disruption and other serious health problems.

The measures are supported by a broad coalition of environmental organizations, health advocates, green businesses, local governments, and labor.  AB 1080 now goes to the State Senate, while SB 54 heads to the State Assembly.

For more information about the measures, see the bill text or view the fact sheet here.

What others are saying about the California Circular Economy and Plastic Pollution Reduction Act:

Senator Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco), joint author of SB 54 and co-author of companion measure AB 1080: “We need to phase out single-use plastics as quickly as possible.  These plastics are ruining entire ecosystems, poisoning our oceans and waterways, and killing wildlife. It’s time to transition to better alternatives and to send a powerful signal to industry to innovate and to create more sustainable products.”

Assemblymember Laura Friedman (D-Glendale), joint author of AB 1080 and principal co-author of SB 54: “Our decades of overusing non-recyclable and non-compostable single-use products has set the stage for what could be one of the greatest man-made ecological and environmental crises in history. The longer we go without taking action, the higher the costs to our environment, animal life, public health, and our economy. These bills are an important step forward and a direly-needed investment in the health of our planet.”   

Assemblymember Phil Ting (D-San Francisco), joint author of AB 1080:  “Tossing our single-use plastics in recycling bins is no longer good enough. If we don’t step up and change our ways, there will be more plastic in our oceans than fish by 2050. California can turn an environmental crisis around with bold plastic reduction policies like this one. Companies must re-use materials they’ve already made.”

Dianna Cohen, Co-Founder and CEO, Plastic Pollution Coalition: "Plastic Pollution Coalition urges your support of this legislation to dramatically reduce plastic and packaging waste in California. It's time for California to take the next step towards Zero Waste to protect human and animal health, waterways, oceans, and our environment for years to come."

Dan Jacobson, Director, Environment California (djacobson@environmentcalifornia.org): “Nothing we use for a few minutes should end up polluting our environment for thousands of years. The time of the single-use plastic container needs to go the way of the dinosaur.” 

Geoff Shester, California Campaign Director and Senior Scientist, Oceana: “Solving the plastics problem in our oceans will take a concerted effort from the companies that are producing and selling these materials. This legislation will create the framework desperately needed to turn the tide on our single-use plastics problem. We applaud these state leaders and urge that these bills remain strong in their commitment to meaningfully and drastically reduce the impacts of single-use products. As the fifth-largest economy in the world, California has the opportunity to remain an environmental leader on responsible plastics policy and inspire national and international change.”

Stiv Wilson, Campaigns Director, The Story of Stuff Project (Stiv@storyofstuff.org):“This represents California drawing a line in the sand on plastic pollution. As plastic production skyrockets, we're witnessing the growing environmental and financial cost of attempting to manage the unmanageable. Without a policy like this, we won't address the scale of the problem. This is California making a quantum leap in the fight against plastic pollution.”

Kathryn Phillips, Director, Sierra Club California (kathryn.phillips@sierraclub.org):  "We are in the midst of a global health crisis. Single-use packaging and product waste pollutes our environment and harms humans and wildlife. California must dramatically reduce the amount of single-use packaging and products. We must also ensure that these products are reusable, recyclable or compostable. Sierra Club California thanks the legislators who have taken a bold step forward in addressing this urgent crisis." 

Katherine O’Dea, Executive Director, Save Our Shores (katherine@saveourshores.org):  

“Comprehensive legislation like this is exactly what is needed to address the plastic pollution crisis we have reached. The framework it puts in place provides the kind of flexibility that is required to address various single use packaging formats and some of the most ubiquitous plastic products with a best approach for each. At the same time, the legislation mandates significant source reduction while driving recycling rates to levels we should have been able to achieve voluntarily but have failed to for decades. Save Our Shores applauds our state legislators for taking bold action.”

Shilpi Chhotray, Senior Communications Officer, Break Free From Plastic (shilpi@breakfreefromplastic.org): “China may have set the trend of refusing foreign plastic waste but now other countries are following suit, including Malaysia, Thailand, and India. It's time for California to set the gold standard for the US in reducing the overall global production and consumption of plastics and redesign for their reuse. This type of systemic legislation is crucially needed to address the global plastic pollution crisis.”

Christopher Chin, Executive Director, The Center for Oceanic Awareness, Research, and Education (COARE) (media@coare.org): “Waste management is an important part of the conversation, but it cannot effectively address the deluge of plastic pollution we all face.  We cannot recycle our way out of this problem, and it is imperative that we, as a society, support upstream solutions considering the full lifecycle of plastics - including its production and consumption.  This legislation begins providing the framework for an approach that the world wants, and that the world so desperately needs.”

Sophie Haddad, State Board Chair, CALPIRG Students (shaddad@ucsd.edu): "As students and young people, we are the generation who will have to face the worst levels of ocean pollution. We know that if we don't act now, our environment will be even more devastated by trash. We have to do everything we can to stop using single-use plastics, and SB 54 and AB 1080 are great steps in the right direction."

Marce Gutiérrez-Graudiņš, Founder and Executive Director - AZUL (media@azul.org):"From production to disposal, single-use plastic and packaging waste negatively affect humans, wildlife and the environment, with a disproportionate impact on marginalized communities. This legislation is a strong step towards remedying this environmental justice crisis. Mil Gracias to supporting legislators for their strong leadership!" 

Heidi Sanborn, Executive Director of National Stewardship Action Council (heidi@nsaction.us): “Producers of wasteful single-use products need to rethink their design and share in the responsibility for those end of life costs previously externalized onto the public sector and the environment do achieve a circular economy.  We need well-designed durable, reusable products and the product producers are the only ones who can change that and why we support SB 54/AB 1080.”

Angela Howe, Legal Director, Surfrider Foundation (ahowe@surfrider.org): “Surfrider Foundation stands in strong support of the Plastic Pollution Reduction Act, which will help Californians rise above plastics and begin to free our ocean of the plague of plastic pollution.  We applaud the state legislature for taking this critical step to usher in forward thinking policy and pave the way toward zero waste.”

Anu Natarajan, Legislative Affairs Manager, Stopwaste (ANatarajan@stopwaste.org):“StopWaste is pleased to support SB 54 and AB 1080 because these bills constitute meaningful progress toward managing packaging and plastic waste, which are both among StopWaste’s top priorities.”

Nick Lapis, Director of Advocacy, Californians Against Waste (nicklapis@cawrecycles.org): “These monumental bipartisan votes on SB 54 and AB 1080 show that California will continue to lead on tackling environmental pollution that our federal government actively ignores. We simply can’t continue to trash our planet.”

 
Contact: Arianna Smith
arianna@ariannazsmith.com
916.542.8303

Sky Ocean Rescue commends Canary Wharf Group’s sustainability drive

The Canary Wharf Group’s ‘Break the plastic habit’ programme has been commended by Sky Ocean Rescue.

Fiona Ball, group head of inspirational business & Sky Ocean Rescue, Sky, said the recycling and sustainability initiative was ideal for a near ‘micro-city’ such as the Canary Wharf estate.

‘Breaking The Plastic Habit’ is a 12-month programme to promote a culture of reduction, re-use and recycling to challenge single-use plastic within Canary Wharf.

“It’s a huge opportunity – a ‘micro-city’ is enclosed and you can control what comes in. Doing something jointly with partners [businesses on the estate] is good – with real business leaders making a commitment and taking a stance,” she said.

Up to 120,000 people travel to the Canary Wharf estate every day – both working and visiting.

John Garwood, managing director and group company secretary of Canary Wharf Group, said: “The aim was to encourage move away from throw-away plastic culture. ‘Break the plastic habit’ programme has enabled us to eliminate one million pieces of single use plastic from the estate and a further four million plastic items have been recycled.”

Martin Gettings, group head of sustainability at Canary Wharf Group, announced that 4.2m coffee cups have been recycled at the estate (much of each through using Smart Planet Technology’s reCUP), and cut the use of 1.2m straws. “This is not an initiative, this has to be business as usual,” he said.

Sky’s Ball added that up to 40m people have been made aware of the issues surrounding single-use issues through TV coverage on SKY, BBC and Netflix.

She confirmed that Sky’s own goals include a commitment to be single-use plastic-free on operations, products and supply chain by 2020, particularly product packaging sent to customers.

Last year Canary Wharf become the first UK site to offer a deposit return schemewith a functioning machine.

In January the Canary Wharf Group launched the HELPFUL mobile app – a plastic recycling and rewarding app.

HELPFUL simplifies and incentivises reuse and recycling for consumers, helping visitors to correctly recycle waste, switch to reusable products and collect rewards.

Participating retailers at Canary Wharf support the app with QR code points to claim reuse coin rewards, include Café Nero, Carluccio’s, Crussh, Eat, Krispy Kreme, Leon, Notes Coffee, Ole & Steen, Paul, Pret a Manger, Scribbler, Starbucks and Ted Baker.

Additionally, the Canary Wharf Group was included as one of the highest voted inspirational businesses driving sustainability forward in Edie’s Business Leadership Survey 2019 and named as an ‘Outstanding Contribution to Sustainable Development – United Kingdom’ in the Capital Finance International Sustainability Awards 2018.

EarthCoating awarded Triple A certification for recyclability from The Green Dot

Smart Planet Technologies’ reCUP recyclable paper cup with EarthCoating® is awarded the highest-possible certification for recycling from The Green Dot in Europe.

The U.K.’s reCUP recyclable paper cup with EarthCoating® has been awarded the highest-possible Category AAA Recyclable certification per The Green Dot (Der Grune Punkt) recycling standards. In addition, the paper cups are classified for recycling compatibility and collection streams alongside premium uncoated paper grades such as office paper. The Green Dot recognizes standards for recyclability claims in 31 countries, including the U.K. and Ireland.

According to reCUP supplier Smart Planet Technologies, given the U.K.’s coffee cup recycling debate and interest in reducing plastic content in packaging, it is a remarkable achievement for a paper cup technology to not only achieve the highest rating available for recyclability qualifying for a collection category (Path 13) alongside office paper, but also reducing plastic content in paper cups by 40%.

The reCUP utilizes EarthCoating, a paperboard packaging coating producing paper cups that look and work the same as any conventional paper cups. The difference is that EarthCoating is designed to be universally compatible with conventional paper cup recycling systems, avoiding the challenges that have been found in recycling of paper cups and other plastic-coated foodservice paperboard packaging.

With less plastic and easier repulping, paper cups made with EarthCoating can also improve paper cup processing and efficiency in the U.K.’s efforts in specialist paper cup recycling schemes of conventional paper cups, currently at a 4% recycling rate.

The double-wall reCUP receiving certification contains these highlights:

• 95% fiber recovery

• Highest classification for recyclability alongside premium uncoated paper such as office paper

• 40% less plastic content than conventional paper cups

This certification for paper cups with EarthCoating is compliant with the Packaging Recovery Organization Europe “PRO” program per EU Directive 94/62. The Triple-A Green Dot Certificate is available in the EarthCoating Repulping Report.

Paper cups with EarthCoating are widely available for sale in the UK and Ireland. For a list of manufacturers and distributors of paper cups with EarthCoating, visit SmartPlanetTech.com or reCUP.earth. 

Watch a video on reCUP.

Detpak’s RecycleMe™ System

As seen in Convenience & Impulse Retailing Magazine

https://www.c-store.com.au/2019/01/31/detpaks-recycleme-system/

Detpak’s award-winning RecycleMe™ System provides an environmental solution for takeaway coffee cups and lids, and is now endorsed by leading environmental foundation Planet Ark.

Planet Ark has been leading environmental change in Australia for over 25 years, promoting positive behaviour change in people, businesses and governments.

Planet Ark Deputy CEO Rebecca Gilling said endorsing the cup recycling system was about supporting a credible solution for takeaway coffee cups and lids.

“We know what a problem takeaway coffee cups currently are for our environment,” Rebecca said. “Their plastic lining, which is not easily separated from the paper, means over a billion of these cups are being sent to landfill in Australia every year.

“RecycleMe™ cups have an innovative new lining that is able to be separated from the paper in existing recycling facilities. This means that these recycled fibres can live again as new paper products. Recycling is a great way to extend the useful life of valuable resources.

“The RecycleMe™ System can be easily incorporated into cafes and corporate environments, giving consumers the opportunity to successfully recycle their RecycleMe™ takeaway coffee cups. The system comprises of a specially designed collection station which allow consumers to empty any residual coffee and recycle the cup and lid into separate chambers.

“We undertook recent research that suggested that 80% of employees2 wanted to see more recycling in their workplace. We’re proud to endorse the RecycleMe™ System and excited to see how the future rollout of the system will positively impact our environment,” Rebecca said.

Detpak’s Marketing and Innovation Manager Tom Lunn said the RecycleMe™ System promotes a longer life for the paper cup fibre and supports a circular economy to keep products, components and materials at their highest utility and value for as long as possible.

“Our RecycleMe™ System powered by Shred-X is a total end to end solution, turning takeaway cups into recycled paper products, and contributing to positive global environmental change,” Tom said.
“We’re pleased also to have a solution for the lids, with these being recycled into plastic products such as photo frames,” Tom said. RecycleMe™ Cup today. Paper tomorrow.

Planet Ark Endorses Depak RecycleMe System

As seen in Bean Scene Magazine:

https://www.beanscenemag.com.au/planet-ark-endorses-detpak-recycleme-system/

Detpak’s RecycleMe system is now endorsed by leading environmental foundation Planet Ark.

Detpak calls RecycleMe an innovative cup and lid recycling system that is a positive environmental solution, guaranteeing all collected cups and lids will be recycled.

Planet Ark has led environmental change in Australia for more than 25 years, promoting positive behaviour change in people, businesses and governments. Deputy CEO Rebecca Gilling says endorsing the cup recycling system was about supporting a credible solution for takeaway coffee cups and lids.

“We know what a problem takeaway coffee cups currently are for our environment,” Rebecca says. “Their plastic lining, which is not easily separated from the paper, means [more than one] billion of these cups are being sent to landfill in Australia every year.”

RecycleMe cups use a new lining that is able to be separated from the paper in existing recycling facilities. This means that these recycled fibres can live again as new paper products. Recycling is a great way to extend the useful life of valuable resources.

“The RecycleMe system can be easily incorporated into cafés and corporate environments, giving consumers the opportunity to successfully recycle their RecycleMe takeaway coffee cups. The system comprises of a specially designed collection station which allow consumers to empty any residual coffee and recycle the cup and lid into separate chambers,” Rebecca says.

“We undertook recent research that suggested that 80 per cent of employees wanted to see more recycling in their workplace. We’re proud to endorse the RecycleMe system and excited to see how the future rollout of the system will positively impact our environment.”

Detpak’s Marketing and Innovation Manager Tom Lunn says RecycleMe promotes a longer life for the paper cup fibre and supports a circular economy to keep products, components, and materials at their highest utility and value for as long as possible.

“Our RecycleMe system powered by Shred-X is a total end to end solution, turning takeaway cups into recycled paper products, and contributing to positive global environmental change,” Tom says.

“We’re pleased also to have a solution for the lids, with these being recycled into plastic products such as photo frames.”

Visit stand #54 at the 2019 Melbourne International Coffee Expo on Thursday 7 or Friday 8 February at 11:30am to hear Planet Ark talk about the benefits of recycling and the RecycleMe System at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre.

For more information, visit recycleme.co.