To the editor: I learn with curiosity concerning the plastics business’s makes an attempt to delay or defeat Senate Invoice 54, the Plastic Air pollution Prevention and Packaging Producer Accountability Act (“Who’s behind the secretive multimillion-dollar campaign to crush California’s landmark plastics law?,” Sept. 3).
When measured by weight, plastics make up 14% of what’s dumped in California landfills. When measured by quantity, they make up 50%. Californians are sending 12,000 tons of plastic per day to landfills. Plastic manufacturing is projected to double or triple by 2050.
Californians appear to imagine that each one the plastics stamped with chasing arrows go to a recycling heart and are “reborn.” Lower than 9% of plastics are recycled in California and the remainder of the U.S.
State economists put the price of the plastics legislation to the buyer at $100 yearly per family — hardly a draconian expense, and hardly the $1,000 per 12 months touted by the plastics business as a scare tactic. Municipalities will profit below SB 54, as recycling will scale back future landfill wants. If landfill plastic had been decreased by half, it will scale back landfill house necessities by 25%.
SB 54 will encourage the substitution of plastic in favor of different extra simply recycled supplies resembling paper, aluminum or glass. The legislation is probably not good, however it’s a begin to handle the issue. In case you stroll Laguna’s seashores, plastic is in every single place. The plastics business loves the established order through which disposal continues as the shoppers’ drawback and the business can proceed to make use of landfills as a plastics bathroom.
Help SB 54’s fast enactment and enforcement.
George Orff, Laguna Seashore
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To the editor: I’ve been listening to concerning the plastics state legislation Senate Invoice 54 since 2022. There is no such thing as a query that producers should settle for duty for the environmental impression they’re passing on to shoppers and taxpayers by persevering with to make use of plastic packaging and utensils which can be poisoning the earth and general environmental well being. At this level, we don’t even know the overall impression that plastic air pollution has on the well being of people.
My hope is that this seven-month-old coalition, Californians for Reasonably priced Packaging, can cease the authorized assaults and that producers settle for duty for his or her half within the well being of our surroundings. The change must occur for our earth and for the long run well being of all dwelling issues.
Christina Koch, Pasadena
