California passes the strictest law in the country to eliminate single-use plastics

Companies that sell shampoo, food and other products wrapped in plastic have a decade to reduce their use of this polluting material if they want their products on California store shelves.

A major law passed and signed Thursday by state Governor Gavin Newsom aims

in the state and

for what remains.

The law sets the nation's strictest requirements for the use of plastic packaging, and lawmakers say they hope it sets a precedent for other states to follow.

[The Supreme Court restricts the federal government's ability to combat the climate emergency]

"We are ruining the planet and we have to change it,"

said Democratic Senator Bob Hertzberg before voting on the law.

Planet Earth: Alert of the presence of microplastics in the freshly fallen snow in Antarctica

June 12, 202201:11

The California Senate approved the bill Thursday morning with 29 votes in favor and zero against, after the Assembly approved it by 67 votes in favor and 2 against late on Wednesday, Los Angeles reported. Times.

Supporters in both chambers applauded the bill's historic character and bipartisan support, as did Newsom.

"Our children deserve a future free of plastic waste and all its dangerous impacts

," the governor said in a statement.

“Everything from the clogging of our oceans to the deaths of animals, to the pollution of the air we breathe, the water we drink and the food we eat.

No more,” he added.

[California approves relief check of up to $1,050 for increased gasoline]

Under the bill,

by 2027, rising to 25% by 2032. This reduction in plastic packaging can be achieved through a combination of reducing pack size, changing to a different material or making the product easily reusable or refillable.

Also by 2032,

a huge jump from current rates.

It does not apply to plastic beverage bottles, which have their own recycling regulations.

Efforts to limit plastic packaging have floundered in the legislature for years, but the threat of a similar measure on the November ballot brought business groups to the bargaining table.

The three main supporters of the measure withdrew it from the vote after the bill was passed, although they expressed concern that the plastics industry would try to weaken the requirements.

Planet Earth: One of the most important reservoirs of the Colorado River falls to historic lows

June 26, 202201:18

Some states have banned single-use plastic bags, straws and other items, and plastic water bottles will soon be banned from national parks.

But the material is still ubiquitous, being used in everything from detergent and soap bottles to packaging for vegetables and meats.

Most plastic products in the United States are not recycled, and millions of tons end up in landfills and in the world's oceans.

It harms wildlife and appears in drinking water as microplastics.

[Environmental emergency declared on Honduran beaches due to tons of garbage coming from Guatemala]

Marine animals that live along the Pacific coast, from crabs to whales, ingest plastics that find their way into the ocean, said Amy Wolfram, director of California ocean policy at the Monterey Bay Aquarium, calling it "fantastic." beginning” the bill.

Plastics makers will form their own industry group tasked with drawing up a plan to meet the requirements, which would need approval from the state recycling department.

They will have to raise $500 million a year from producers for a fund to clean up plastic pollution.

Maine, Oregon, and Colorado have similar producer responsibility systems.

Planet Earth: Artificial household chemicals are more harmful than you think

June 19, 202201:17

It does not ban Styrofoam food containers, but requires that they be recycled at a rate of 30% by 2028, which some supporters say is a de facto ban because the material cannot be recycled.

The ballot measure would have banned the material outright.

It would have given more power to the state recycling agency to enforce the rules instead of letting the industry organize itself.

[The climatic emergency can provoke wars and violence in 5 American countries]

Sen. Ben Allen, a Democrat from Santa Monica, who led negotiations on the bill, said it represented an example of two often-opposed groups — environmentalists and industry — coming together to bring about positive change.

And he called the project a "robust and significant commitment that will put California at the forefront of fighting a major global problem."

Although they withdrew their ballot initiative, supporters of the measure said they remain concerned the industry might try to water down the bill.

The three proponents of the initiative were Linda Escalante of the Natural Resources Defense Council;

Michael Sangiacomo, former director of the waste management company Recology;

and Caryl Hart, a member of the California Coastal Commission.

Planet Earth: In one week, heat records have been broken in 17 cities.

This is the cause

June 16, 202202:34

Joshua Baca of the American Chemistry Council, which represents the plastics industry, said the bill unfairly limits the amount of post-consumer recycled plastic that can be used to meet the 25% reduction requirement and limits "new recycling technologies and innovative”.

The bill prohibits the incineration and combustion of plastic, but leaves open the possibility of some forms of so-called chemical recycling.

Judith Enck, president of Beyond Plastics, said that while the California bill goes further than any other state in reducing plastic pollution, it still falls short.

She said it will only mean a 10% reduction in packaging overall, as producers can make products refillable or switch to other materials.

She also said it relies too heavily on failed plastics recycling policies.

Plastic production is supposed to triple worldwide by 2050, she added.