“A lot of people don’t understand that our plastic crisis is our climate crisis,” Alexis Jackson, chief of ocean policy and plastics at the Nature Conservancy, told me. “The beauty of this legislation is that it sets a blueprint for other states and nations to follow.”
Newsom signed the bill right on deadline to avoid a fall ballot initiative with similar requirements. Among other things, the legislation gives plastic producers an extra two years to comply. As has happened before at the State Capitol, the threat of an outside initiative was enough to bring industry groups to the table to negotiate the deal.
Today I will outline what you need to know about the new law:
What exactly does the law prescribe?
The legislation of more than 50 pages aims to reduce the amount of plastic produced and increase recycling rates in California. Here are some of the key principles:
By 2032, plastic producers must reduce the amount of plastic in packaging by 25 percent. Those products include shampoo bottles, food packaging, takeaway cups and bubble wrap.
The reduction can be achieved in several ways: reducing the size of the packaging, switching to a different material or making the products reusable.
All single-use packaging, including paper and metals, must be recyclable or compostable by 2032. The law also requires California to increase the recycling rate for all plastic products to 65 percent by 2032.
The law shifts the cost of recycling infrastructure, recycling plants and collection and sorting facilities to packaging manufacturers and away from taxpayers, who are currently footing the bill.
As my colleague Winston Choi-Schagrin reported, Maine and Oregon were the first in the country to meet such requirements, the so-called producer responsibility laws.
Plastic manufacturers must put $5 billion into a fund over the next 10 years that would reduce the effects of plastic pollution on the environment and human health, especially in low-income communities.
What effect is the law expected to have?
Any reduction in plastic production will reduce greenhouse gas emissions, as well as the amount of waste that ends up in landfills. The Ocean Conservancy, a nonprofit environmental organization that helped draft California law, estimated that the legislation would eliminate 23 million tons of plastic over the next 10 years.
“We know that to solve our plastic pollution crisis, we need to make less plastic and reuse more of the plastic we have,” Anja Brandon, a policy analyst at the Ocean Conservancy, told The Times. “This is the first bill in the country to address both issues.”
In addition, because of California’s size, the law could have ripple effects.
“Manufacturers don’t make packaging for a single state,” Dylan de Thomas, head of the Recycling Partnership’s policy team, told The Times. “They will also make packaging recyclable elsewhere and you will get a stronger recycling system.”
Also last month, the US Department of the Interior announced that it would phase out sales of single-use plastic products in national parks and other public lands by 2032.
California doesn’t outright ban single-use plastic products, but requires that they be recyclable and contain less plastic. But the scope of the state law — and its many, many parts — makes it “a big deal,” said Jackson, of the Nature Conservancy.
“We’ve done something the world thought was impossible,” she told me. “There’s no such thing as a perfect policy, but I think this bill still goes beyond any plastic policy we’ve seen.”
For more:
Where we are traveling
Today’s tip comes from Muriel Kaplan, who recommends a safari park in Sonoma County:
“A favorite place of ours in California was discovered shortly after returning from an African safari for our honeymoon. Safari West sounded like a good sequel to our sparkling memories of beautiful elephants, pride of lions with cubs.
Safari West is located in Santa Rosa, in the same province known for its wine tasting. But this is another world. Safari West has a truck tour through acres of herds of huge but docile wildlife, a walk through an aviary of beautiful feathered creatures including a huge blue heron who joined us on our guided walk but returned when we got to the exit knowing that was not on his agenda. And, oh, the giraffes!
We arrived at Safari West late in the afternoon, had an amazing alfresco buffet dinner, then stayed overnight in a luxury safari tent on the hillside, within earshot of the nocturnal discussion between the animals, into the otherwise silent night. In the morning we had a hearty breakfast outside, set out on our multi-hour expertly guided safari in an open truck, gasping for and photographing the nearby animals. An outdoor lunch followed and our stay was complete. We felt like we were back in Africa and coming home jet lagged.”
Tell us about your favorite places to visit in California. Email your suggestions to CAtoday.. We will share more in upcoming editions of the newsletter.
And before you go, good news
California is having a culinary moment across the Atlantic.
In London, a new restaurant, chef or menu imported from Los Angeles or San Francisco seems to arrive every month, The Los Angeles Times reports.
Los Angeles chefs Nancy Silverton of Mozza and Kris Yenbamroong of Night + Market have recently opened branches in London. Eggslut, which started as a food truck, now has three cafes in London. A restaurant in the city’s financial district entices customers with two words — Malibu Kitchen — before offering “superfood salads, cured fish and meat and plant-based dishes.”
Victor Garvey, chef and owner of London restaurant SOLA, told The Times: “California food is an ethos.” SOLA, a Michelin-starred restaurant in the city’s Soho neighborhood, serves Sonoma County wine and ice cream flavored with San Joaquin Valley pistachios.
“A brightness, lightness and freshness,” Garvey said. “We want to bring that to Europe.”
Thank you for reading. I’ll be back tomorrow. — Soumya
PS Here is today’s mini crosswordand a clue: Relationship term of affection (4 letters).
Jack Kramer contributed to California Today. You can reach the team at CAtoday.†
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