A secondary sorting facility pulling deposit containers out of mixed plastic bales was awarded funding from the state of California. | Hiv360/Shutterstock
California’s state recycling agency will provide $10 million toward a facility sorting plastics with resin codes 2-7, additional multimillion dollar grants for several major MRF retrofits, and a handful of smaller awards for localities to install recycling collection containers. Continue Reading
California began requiring beverage manufacturers to report their annual virgin and recycled resin use beginning in 2018. | DonPablo Lorez/Shutterstock
Newly released data shows many major bottlers increased their post-consumer PET use in beverage containers sold into California last year, surpassing the state’s 15% minimum recycled content mandate for that year and putting them on track to hit the expanded mandate for 2025. Continue Reading
Among other changes, Circular Action Alliance proposed cutting down their time period to review comments on the plan from regulators to 60 days, freeing up three months. | Brandon Bourdages/Shutterstock
The Circular Action Alliance is asking for several changes to extended producer responsibility deadlines in response to the delayed rulemaking on SB 54. Continue Reading
Allowable inputs for organic agriculture are set at the federal level and haven’t been updated for decades. | Jonathan Lenz/Shutterstock
A deadline coming up in a California labeling bill is causing concern among some manufacturers of compostable products, who say it could threaten the wider U.S. and global compostable packaging industry. Continue Reading
By statute, the full permanent rulemaking package needed to be submitted to the Office of Administrative Law by March 7, but it wasn’t. | Jonathan Lenz/Shutterstock
California state regulators will head back to the drawing board after the governor declined to accept their draft extended producer responsibility program language, delaying the implementation of EPR for packaging and requiring another round of rulemaking. Continue Reading
The former mayor of Oakland, Calif., and the CEO of California Waste Solutions have both been charged with bribery and fraud over an alleged agreement to extend a hauling contract in return for campaign support. | Phanphen Kaewwannarat/Shutterstock
Federal prosecutors say a former California mayor received bribery payments and services in exchange for agreeing to extend a recycling contract. Now all involved are facing federal charges for bribery or fraud. Continue Reading
A recent study in California found that in 2023, 2.9 million tons of plastic were used in single-use packaging and food-related items, made up of 171.4 billion plastic components. | Marina Onokhina/Shutterstock
The recyclability and compostability of materials covered under California’s extended producer responsibility law for packaging got an update recently, as did the baseline for single-use plastic reduction. Continue Reading
California’s extended producer responsibility for packaging law, SB 54, just completed another round of public comment. | Alexander Lukatskiy/Shutterstock
Industry players said the latest draft of California’s extended producer responsibility for packaging permanent regulations is an improvement, but there is always more work to be done when it comes to complex policy implementation. Continue Reading
Compost Power uses metroStor bins to collect organics without attracting rats and has added its own graphic wraps to the bins to engage the community. | Gargonia/Shutterstock
Setting up successful organics diversion – whether statewide or just in one city – requires creativity, flexibility and a strong education campaign, presenters at WasteCon 2024 told attendees. Continue Reading
The California Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery on Oct. 14 opened a 15-day written comment period on permanent regulations for the state’s EPR program. | Jonathan-Lenz/Shutterstock
Producers, recyclers and the public have another chance to comment on California’s SB 54 extended producer responsibility for packaging permanent regulations.