California to consider unprecedented plan to reduce plastic pollution
Proposed legislation would commit to 75% reduction in waste within 10 years, and phase out most single-use plastic packaging
The most ambitious US legislation to tackle the scourge of plastic pollution choking up oceans and piling up in landfills could pass in California Friday – or end up in the dustbin of history. Lawmakers are likely to vote on proposals that aim to phase out most single-use plastic packaging within the next decade.
The two identical bills – one introduced in the state assembly and one in the senate – commit to a 75% reduction in the waste statewide within 10 years. If passed into law, they would require manufacturers to ensure that all single-use packaging produced, sold and distributed in California is fully recyclable or compostable by 2030. Companies that fail to comply could face up to $50,000 a day in fines.