EPR is Coming to California- Are we Ready?

About this episode

Justin Riney discusses California SB 54 and its implications for the packaging industry regarding plastic waste and recycling.

In the first Redefining Plastics Podcast episode for 2026, host Justin Riney delves into California SB 54, a legislative bill aimed at reducing plastic waste and implementing Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR). He discusses the bill’s requirements, including a 30% recycling rate for plastic-covered materials by 2028, and the potential challenges it poses to the packaging industry. Riney examines the complexities and ambiguities of the bill, highlighting the lack of clear regulations and the unrealistic expectations given the current recycling infrastructure. He also emphasizes the importance of industry engagement and collaboration with policymakers to create practical and effective environmental regulations. If you are in packaging or government affairs, you will want to check this out. https://www.packagingdive.com/news/calrecycle-packaging-covered-materials-recycling-rates-sb54/808884/ https://cascadiaconsulting.com/project/sb-54-waste-characterization-study/ https://calrecycle.ca.gov/packaging/packaging-epr/ Redefining Plastics https://www.redefiningplastics.com/ https://www.brvind.com/redefining-plastics https://rss.com/podcasts/redefining-plastics-with-justin-riney…

People in this episode

Host: Justin Riney

Topics covered

• Extended Producer Responsibility
• plastic waste reduction
• California legislation
• packaging industry challenges
• recycling infrastructure
• environmental regulations

Keywords

• EPR
• California SB 54
• plastic waste
• recycling rate
• packaging
• environmental regulations
• legislation

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: California SB 54, packaging industry, Cascadia Consulting, CalRecycle

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