Hot Issues We're Working On
Campaign to End Single-Use Plastic Bags
Now is the time to act. Plastic bags are costing your jurisdiction and other local and state agencies millions each year in cleanup costs alone. Despite their lightweight and compact characteristics, plastic bags disproportionately impact the solid waste and recycling stream and persist in the environment even after they have broken down.
In California, 14 billion plastic bags are distributed annually, and only 3% are recycled. Plastic bag ordinances currently cover 16 percent of the state’s population.
Local governments, who are primarily responsible for the cleanup of plastic litter in clogged stormwater systems and polluted waterways, should move ahead with local bag ordinances immediately. Not sure where to start? Check out our Bag Ban Tool Kit.
With the recent Supreme Court decision that the City of Manhattan Beach does not need an environmental impact report (EIR) to enact its plastic bag ordinance, the door has been opened for other local jurisdictions to move forward with their own bans.
Plastic Bag News:
NEW! Jan 25 -CA Update: 39 Cities and Counties Have Local Bag Bans
Dec 16 - LA City Committed to Banning Single-Use Plastic Bags
Oct 19 - Santa Cruz County's Ordinance Challenged
Oct 3 - Big Plastic Suing LA County's Bag Ordinance
Sept 27 - Marin Superior Court Ruling on Marin County Bag Ordinance
Jul 14 - Supreme Court Ruling on Manhattan Beach Bag Ordinance
Links to All Latest Plastic Bag News Articles
CAW Supreme Court Victory: Locals Can Ban Plastic Bags!
The California Supreme Court has ruled in favor of an appeal by Californians Against Waste and the City of Manhattan Beach affirming the right of local governments to phase out plastic grocery bags.
With this ruling, the Campaign to End Single Use Plastic Bags kicks into high gear, with dozens of cities and counties now poised to enact ordinances banning single use plastic grocery bags.
Three years after the City of Manhattan Beach passed a plastic bag ordinance and was sued by a plastics industry front group, the City can now enact its bag ban.
CAW, long-time advocates of banning wasteful and environmentally-harmful plastic bags, has been tracking and supporting this case from the very beginning. When the case was sent to the California Supreme Court in 2010, CAW filed an amicus brief in support. When the Supreme Court set an oral argument date for last May, CAW was there, tweeting and blogging to keep you up to date about the events as our attorney Jim Moose made the CEQA argument in front of the court. And when the Supreme Court came to a decision, CAW was there to share the great news.
Governor Brown Signs Landmark Recycling Legislation
Governor Jerry Brown has signed legislation establishing the most ambitious recycling goal in the nation for California, at the same time enacting incentives aimed at increasing recycled material processing and manufacturing in-state. Together, this strategy is aimed at creating more than 60,000 green jobs in the state over the next 8 years.
Assembly Bill 341 by Assembly Member Wesley Chesbro (D – North Coast) sets a 75 percent recycling goal for California by 2020—the most ambitious in the nation. Additionally, the measure requires every commercial business, institution and apartment building to implement recycling programs.
Assembly Bill 1149 by Assembly Member Rich Gordon (D – Menlo Park) will provide market-based incentives of $10-$20 million annually to processors and manufacturers of recycled plastic.
“Through innovation and thoughtful policy, California will continue to be a national leader in resource conservation and recycling. With the adoption of this legislation, we take the next step of turning our recycling success into economic value and green jobs,” said California Natural Resources Secretary John Laird.
California's Bottle & Can Recycling Law - The Bottle Bill
California's Bottle Bill is one of the nation's most successful litter and pollution reduction programs. Since 1988, Californians have recycled more than 10 million tons of aluminum, glass and plastic beverage containers. No other recycling program or policy in this state has resulted in higher recycling levels, and no program of its kind in the country has been found to be more cost effective.
California's E-Waste Disposal Crisis
California continues to lead the nation in electronic waste policy as the only state that has successfully curbed both the illegal disposal and export of the largest category toxic electronics, which includes TVs, computer monitors, and laptops through CA's SB 20. It's estimated that half will either be reused or recycled in California today. In addition, the California Department of Toxics Substances Control (DTSC) has recognized a wide array of consumer electronic products as hazardous, and, effective February 2006, they are prohibited from disposal in household trash, affecting thousands of consumer electronic devices.
Other Issues We're Working On
