Dive Brief:
- CalRecycle released an updated source reduction baseline on Monday, an influential figure in implementation of extended producer responsibility for packaging law SB 54.
- Using data reported by producers, CalRecycle’s updated report says that there were 1.03 million tons of plastic covered material and 222 billion plastic components sold or distributed in the state in 2023. That tonnage is down considerably from CalRecycle’s previous estimate of 2.9 million tons, although the estimated components increased from an earlier count of 171.4 billion.
- Come 2032, producers will have to collectively achieve 25% source reduction from that 2023 baseline, with interim targets of 10% come 2027 and 20% come 2030.
Dive Insight:
CalRecycle originally issued the Source Reduction Baseline Report on Dec. 31, 2024, with estimates for the weight of plastic and number of plastic components associated with plastic covered material sold, offered for sale or distributed in the state in 2023.
This updated figure is based on calculations by producer responsibility organization Circular Action Alliance, which solicited company-level data from registered producers earlier this year. “The updated source baseline includes data from 2,127 producers of plastic covered material, accounting for about 50% of total participant producers,” CalRecycle said.
The individual source reduction plans were reviewed by CAA but not submitted individually to CalRecycle. In those documents, producers were also supposed to outline source reduction already achieved in the previous decade.
Prior to the release of the updated report, researchers at the Benioff Ocean Science Laboratory at UC Santa Barbara analyzed preliminary producer estimates compared with landfill characterization studies and wrote to CalRecycle with concerns.
CalRecycle’s update “has consequences beyond accounting,” said Alex Fox, communications specialist with the lab, in an email prior to CalRecycle releasing updated numbers. “A baseline that starts too low shrinks the amount of plastic producers must eliminate.”
After seeing the updated report, Fox said the group was “surprised to see the mass for the updated baseline number go down and the number of items go up.”
CalRecycle noted that “not all producers have submitted accurate data” and that producers whose data is not yet reflected in the calculation “will be included in a future correction.”
Allowable methods for source reduction under SB 54 include implementing reusable or refillable alternatives — 10% required by 2032 — plus a mix of eliminating unnecessary plastic, swapping in materials as alternatives to plastics, or rightsizing or lightweighting packaging. Additionally, up to 8% of the source reduction requirements in any year can come from use of postconsumer recycled plastic.
CalRecycle’s SB 54 advisory board will meet again Friday to discuss CAA’s revised program plan for packaging EPR in California. CalRecycle had 75 calendar days from CAA’s Oct. 13 submission to come to a decision regarding approval.
