Sacramento – A first-in-the-nation recycling reform bill was signed into law by Governor Newsom on Tuesday. Senate Bill 343, by Senator Ben Allen (D – Santa Monica), expands the existing Truth in Environmental Advertising law, which prohibits use of the word “recyclable” on unrecyclable products, to say manufacturers cannot use the chasing-arrows symbol (also known as the recycling symbol) or any other suggestion that a material is easily recyclable if it is not.

“Consumers are being misled by the placement of the recycling symbol on items that aren’t actually recyclable under real world conditions,” said Senator Allen, who chairs the Senate Committee on Environmental Quality. “By enforcing truth in labelling and empowering consumers to make informed decisions, this measure will reduce contamination in the recycling stream and improve the sorting process, which incidentally translates to big savings for ratepayers and local governments.”

 

SB 343 was supported by environmental groups, waste haulers, and city and county officials across the state. It will go into effect January 1, 2022.

#  #  # 

Ben Allen represents the 26th State Senate District, which consists of the Hollywood, Westside, and South Bay communities of Los Angeles County. He chairs the Senate Environmental Quality Committee and the Joint Committee on the Arts.