Existing law establishes the Plastic Pollution Prevention and Packaging Producer Responsibility Act, which covers certain single-use packaging and plastic single-use food serviceware, as provided. As part of its comprehensive statutory scheme, the act requires the producers, as defined, of these covered materials to source reduce plastic covered material by 25%, to ensure that covered material offered for sale, distributed, or imported in or into the state on or after January 1, 2032, is recyclable or compostable, and to ensure that plastic covered material offered for sale, distributed, or imported in or into the state meets specified recycling rates.

Existing law prohibits a person from selling or offering for sale a product, as defined, that is labeled with the term “compostable” unless the product satisfies an identified ASTM standard specification or, if applicable, another certification.

This bill would exempt products that are eligible to be labeled with the term “compostable” from the source reduction requirements of the act.