Plastic Bags Are Supposed to Be Recyclable in California. The Attorney General Suspects They Are Not.
Kurtis Alexander | November 2, 2022 | San Francisco Chronicle
Nearly a decade ago, a California law required manufacturers of plastic bags to make their bags recyclable. The state’s top cop says this doesn’t appear to be happening.
On Wednesday, Attorney General Rob Bonta sent letters to seven plastic bag producers that supply the bulk of California’s grocery stories, demanding they provide proof that their bags can really be recycled.
The move is among the strictest enforcement actions yet for a major state recycling law aimed at tackling the scourge of plastic pollution in oceans, soils and skies. Petroleum-based plastic has surged in popularity in recent years, being used in everything from packaging to clothing to tires, and because it’s not biodegradable, it breaks down into small, toxic fragments that disseminate across the environment.
“Most Californians are under the impression that plastic bags are recyclable,” Bonta said. “But astonishingly, there’s a good chance that most, if not all, these bags are not actually recyclable in California.”
At a news conference held at San Francisco’s Embarcadero, Bonta insisted that plastics companies and petroleum producers be held accountable for any role they have in fueling a so-called “plastic crisis.”
Senate Bill 270, which was signed into law in 2014, phased in a number of state restrictions on the use and production of plastic, including a first-ever state ban on “single-use” plastic bags and an ensuing mandate that any “reusable” plastic bags be recyclable within California. In 2016, the plastics industry supported a ballot measure to oust the law, Proposition 67, which was not successful, though it did delay the start of SB 270.
Per the law, grocery stores now provide reusable plastic bags to customers for a small fee. Often the bags are marked as 100% recyclable or contain the “chasing arrows” symbol associated with recyclable products.
Bonta, however, says many bag manufactures may be producing their product without making sure the infrastructure is in place to recycle their bags, meaning the bags are ending up in landfills or are amongst the slew of plastic pollution marring the landscape. He also says, because of the way the way the bags are labeled as recyclable, producers could be in violation of the state’s unfair competition and false advertising laws.
The companies being told to substantiate the recyclability of their products and justify their marketing claims are Novolex, Revolution, Inteplast, Advance Polybag, Metro Polybag, Travelway, and Papier-Mettler.
