Hot Issues

Plastic Bag Pollution

It may seem like a trivial thing, but those "free" plastic bags we get at the grocers, department stores and restaurants are actually contributing to a world wide pandemic of plastics waste. Only 1-4% of the 19 billion plastic grocery and merchandise bags used annually in the State of California are recycled. That means that nearly 600 bags per second are discarded in California--destined either for the landfill or our marine environment. Learn more about what you can do to help stop one of the most pressing litter threats our ecosystems face.

Update: Most Comprehensive Bag Reduction Law in World Nears Assembly Vote>>

Our Top Priority Legislation

SB 1625 (Corbett) Updating California's Bottle and Can Recycling Law
Summary. SB 1625 aims to update California's Bottle and Can Recycling Law by, among other measures, expanding the program to include all plastic bottles.

AB 2640 (Huffman) Compostable Organics Management
Summary. This bill is intended to promote the highest and best use of organic materials in California.

AB 2058 (Levine) Plastic Bag Reduction Benchmarks
Summary. Requires large groceries and pharmacies that distribute free plastic bags to meet phased plastic bag diversion and reduction benchmarks.

Actions

Reduce the Harmful Materials in Electronic Devices
Please help us support requiring manufacturers to phase out the use of hazardous materials in all consumer electronics sold in California. This would model a directive currently in place in the European Union, that requires manufacturers of all electrical and electronic equipment to phase out the use of known toxic and carcinogenic elements from the design of their products.

TAKE ACTION!

Help Bring Recycling To All Californians
Most of California's communities have operating curbside recycling programs, but not all have these recycling programs available in apartments or multifamily dwellings. All the while, not all of the state's communities have reached the 50% diversion rate from landfills established by the Integrated Waste Management Act of 1989.

TAKE ACTION NOW to Support AB 822!

Californians Against Waste is recognized as one of the nation's leading non-profit environmental research and advocacy organizations focusing on resource conservation and pollution prevention through waste reduction and recycling. The organization's 30 year history and track record of accomplishments has demonstrated it to be principled, practical, creative and effective. Find out more about CAW.