Beyond the Bin: Agriculture & California’s Packaging Future
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by: Ag Council President Emily Rooney
Since 2018, Ag Council has taken a leadership role in recycling and packaging issues relating to food and agricultural products given the potential impact on our members. In 2022, Governor Newsom signed The Plastic Pollution Prevention and Packaging Producer Responsibility Act, SB 54 (Allen), into law. The statute requires that all single-use plastics be 100 percent compostable or recyclable by 2032.
SB 54 came together because of the increasing challenges of managing plastic waste in California. Costs have increased throughout the waste management system and beach clean-up has been an ongoing issue for decades. Ultimately, the Legislature decided to shift the responsibility of plastic and other packaging management to the producers of packaging.
Even before SB 54 was signed into law, Ag Council actively worked with legislators, CalRecycle and a broader agricultural coalition to provide for the use of plastics for food safety purposes, to protect human health and prevent environmental issues. CalRecycle heard some of our concerns and created a “Categorical Exclusion” for food and agricultural products that require the use of plastics due to mandatory federal regulations. Though the exclusion is not as helpful has initially proposed, our team is working diligently to create workable solutions for the food and ag sector.
Broadly, SB 54 requires that all single-use plastics be 100 percent compostable or recyclable by 2032. Impacts will be felt throughout the entire California economy well beyond food and agriculture, including single-use packaging from online retailers, as one example.
Fees are also associated with differing types of plastics as part of the regulation. The goal of the fees is to assist with plastic mitigation and clean up, as well as build the necessary infrastructure to capture and recycle or compost packaging. The costs will be distributed throughout the supply chain; thereby, working against other affordability efforts taking place in Sacramento.
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