Plastic Pollution Prevention and Packaging Producer Responsibility Act Permanent Regulations Published for 45-Day Public Comment Period

Last Friday, August 22, the California Department of Resources and Recycling (CalRecycle) published in the California Regulatory Notice Register the permanent regulations for SB 54 (Allen), the state’s landmark Plastic Pollution Prevention and Packaging Producer Responsibility Act. Passed in 2022 and hailed by the Newsom Administration as “the most significant overhaul of the state’s plastic and packaging policy in history”, SB 54 was designed to reduce single-use plastic and shift the cost of managing single-use packaging waste from local governments and garbage ratepayers to the producers and consumers of covered materials. The new rulemaking action is a result of an unusual delay in the adoption of regulations in March 2025.  

Publication of the permanent regulations initiated a 45-day public comment period, which closes on October 7 in conjunction with a hybrid public hearing hosted by CalRecycle at 10am. To attend this hearing via Zoom, participants must register in advance. Attendees who wish to participate in person may do so at the CalRecycle Headquarters located at 1001 I St in Sacramento. 

If you have any questions, please contact Jordan Wells, CSAC Legislative Advocate, at jwells@counties.org.