LOS ANGELES, CA – Today, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors approved a motion authored by Chair Hilda L. Solis, Supervisor to the First District, and co-authored by Supervisor Sheila Kuehl on Supporting the California Plastic Waste Reduction Regulations Initiative (2022).
“Our communities are counting on us, now more than ever, to realize the goals of the OurCounty Sustainability Plan,” shared Chair Solis. “Historically, we know that low income neighborhoods and communities of color have suffered the most from pollution and environmental hazards. Representatives of these same communities made sure that the County’s plan is centered around equity and environmental justice. Now, it is our turn to deliver on the plan’s multifaceted approach. By eliminating single use plastics, we can make our communities’ vision a reality.”
“It is critically important to reduce the amounts of single-use plastic that ends up in our landfills, slowly degrading over hundreds of years,” said Supervisor Kuehl. “I am proud that the Supervisors chose to endorse this important November 2022 ballot measure. If passed next year, the California Plastic Waste Reduction Regulations initiative will bring us one step closer to responsible and sustainable stewardship of the planet.”
The California Plastic Waste Reduction Regulations Initiative is currently eligible for the ballot in California for the November 8, 2022 election. If passed by voters, it would reduce single-use plastic and create a “pollution reduction fee” that would be distributed to State agencies and local governments for recycling/composting programs and plastic pollution mitigation. This ballot measure would require the California Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery (CalRecycle) to adopt regulations to reduce plastic waste by: 1. Requiring single-use plastic packaging, containers, and utensils be reusable, recyclable, or compostable, and to reduce such waste by 25 percent, by 2030; 2. Prohibiting polystyrene container use by food vendors; and 3. Taxing producers of single-use plastic packaging, containers, or utensils by January 1, 2022, and allocate revenues for recycling and environmental programs, including local water supply protection.
The motion approved today directs the Board of Supervisors to take an official position to support the California Plastic Waste Reduction Regulations Initiative to further reduce plastic pollution and its impacts on the State’s ocean, coastal and freshwater environments, and further protect the communities of Los Angeles County by providing funding for local recycling and composting infrastructure, as well as environmental programs, that will create new jobs and promote economic recovery in the County.
To view the full motion, click here.
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