A statewide law aimed atcracking down on single-use plasticsis already facing backlash from both environmental groups and the packaging industry, with critics warning newly approved regulations may have created “huge loopholes” that undercut the intent of the landmark measure.

Just days after California’s long-awaited rules officially took effect, environmental advocates announced plans to challenge the regulations in court, arguing that the changes inserted by state regulators weaken protections that lawmakers originally promised, theLos Angeles Times reported.

Environmental groups backing the legal threat include the Sacramento-based organization Californians Against Waste and the Natural Resources Defense Council.

“These new rules create huge loopholes for plastic packaging that violate the law,” Avinash Kar, senior director of the toxics program at NRDC, told The Times. “We expect to challenge this in court.”

At the center of the dispute is Senate Bill 54, formally known as the Plastic Pollution Prevention and Packaging Producer Responsibility Act, which wassigned by Gavin Newsom in 2022.

Supporters hailed the measure as one of the nation’s toughest anti-plastic laws because it forces manufacturers and packaging companies to reduce plastic waste and ensure that all packaging sold in California becomesrecyclable or compostable by 2032.

The law also shifts the financial burden of waste disposal away from taxpayers and local governments and onto the companies producing the packaging.

But environmental activists now say the state’s final regulations — developed by CalRecycle — carve out exemptions that could allow some plastic products and recycling methods to escape scrutiny.

One major concern involves so-called “chemical recycling,” a controversial process critics argue can generate significant hazardous waste.

While the law’s original language barred recycling systems that create substantial hazardous byproducts, opponents say the final regulations permit such facilities so long as they obtain the proper permits.

Source: California Post – Breaking California News, Photos & Videos