The Responsible Recycling Alliance Publishes Open Letter to the California State Senate and Assembly
2024年8月13日 - 11:00PM
ビジネスワイヤ(英語)
Amid confusion surrounding proposed California
legislation AB 2236 and SB 1053, the RRA outlines an alternative
approach to help ensure sustainable plastic film recycling in
California
The Responsible Recycling Alliance (RRA), a coalition of three
prominent California recyclers and manufacturers – EFS Plastics,
Merlin Plastics, and PreZero US which was formed to help California
reduce, reuse, and recycle plastic film waste across the state
through effective education and legislation – today published an
open letter to California state senators and Assembly members
regarding AB 2236 (Bauer-Kahan) and SB 1053 (Blakespear), two
seemingly pro-environmental bills currently pending in the
California State Legislature.
In the letter, the RRA outlines its chief concerns with these
bills as they are currently written and shares its recommendation
for the best path forward to ensure sustainable plastic film
recycling in California. As the process to amend AB 2236 and SB
1053 has accelerated, the RRA encourages California legislators to
reconsider these bills, since they now have several gaps, including
the elimination of the reusable plastic film grocery bags that
millions of Californians use – and reuse – every day. In addition,
the RRA details its belief that California can achieve a lasting
solution that simultaneously protects the environment, grocers, and
consumers, and shares its eagerness to collaborate in this
effort.
As outlined in the open letter, among other concerns, these
bills will:
- “Result in a higher carbon footprint across the state by
forcing Californians to choose from two options – canvas and sewn
poly-woven or non-woven polypropylene bags or paper bags – both of
which carry with them a series of challenges.”
- “Confuse canvas and sewn poly-woven or non-woven polypropylene
bags that are not recyclable by any known method in the U.S.
and contain zero certified post-consumer recycled content with
plastic film grocery bags that are completely
recyclable.”
Additionally, the open letter outlines how best to achieve a
sustainable solution: shift responsibility to the plastics industry
for recycling reusable plastic film grocery bags by integrating
them into the Plastic Pollution Prevention and Packaging Producer
Responsibility Program created in 2022 by SB 54. Doing so will:
- “Make the enormous amount of plastic film and packaging used to
keep food fresh and safe a key part of the ultimate circularity
solution.”
- “Ensure that tons of this material stay out of landfills and
instead provide the volume of plastic film necessary to make
circular recycling a reality.”
The open letter and more helpful information are available on
the RRA website: www.responsible-recycling.org. Visitors can also
read a recent interview with Roxanne Spiekerman, Vice President of
Public Affairs for PreZero US, and spokesperson for the RRA, where
she details why California must construct a better sustainable
plastic film recycling solution than offered by the current
bills.
About Responsible Recycling Alliance
The Responsible Recycling Alliance (RRA), a coalition of three
prominent California recyclers and manufacturers – EFS Plastics,
Merlin Plastics, and PreZero US – was formed to help California
reduce, reuse, and recycle plastic film waste across the state
through effective education and legislation.
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version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240813496571/en/
ICR for the RRA RRA_PR@icrinc.com