March 07, 2025
Environmental Leaders Condemn Plastics Industry Betrayal of Compromise in California and the State’s Failure to Implement SB 54
BY: Brett Nadrich, US Communications Officer
“California’s packaging Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) law is the only one of the five existing packaging EPR laws that includes explicit, numeric reuse targets in statute. Many schools and organizations that have already adopted reuse systems have seen a return on investment (ROI) and cost savings within months of implementation. The delay in enforcing these provisions will have significant health and environmental consequences for Californians.
This delay essentially allows plastic producers to avoid responsibility, shifting the burden of their plastic waste and pollution onto California taxpayers. SB54 was intended to be costly for plastic polluters, but it was designed to ultimately save Californians money by preventing increases in trash rates and reducing the costs of pollution and health-related cleanups.
I do not understand how Governor Newsom could suddenly reverse his position and decide that it is too expensive for plastic polluters to pay for the damage they’ve caused. Yet, it seems acceptable to raise waste rates for everyday Californians and leave local governments to bear the increasing costs of waste management. This shift in responsibility unfairly burdens the public while letting polluters off the hook”
– Shira Lane, CEO, Atrium 916 – Creative Innovation Center for Sustainability