Our California legislature is poised to pass the strongest plastic pollution mitigation measure in the country, acknowledging that plastic litter and the amount of plastics entering our ocean has reached crisis stage. In fact, according to a recent study released by the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute, the amount of plastics, in various stages of fragmentation, that is swirling in our beloved Monterey Bay rivals the amount of plastic in the Great Pacific Garbage patch, at some depths.

Senate Bill 54 (Allen) and Assembly Bill 1080 (Gonzalez), together known as the California Circular Economy and Plastic Pollution Reduction Act will establish a comprehensive framework by which manufacturers of single-use packaging and products will be required to reduce resulting waste by 75% by 2030 through source reduction, redesign, increased recovery for reuse or repurposing, and effective recycling. Specifically, these bills will require CalRecycle to conduct a robust stakeholder process to develop regulations that 1) require all single-use packaging to be effectively reusable, recyclable or compostable, 2) require the top ten most littered single-use plastic products to be manufactured with only recyclable or compostable material, and 3) develop incentives and policies to encourage in-state manufacturing using recycled material generated in California.

According to U.S. Census Bureau data, California accounts for around 30 percent of total U.S. plastic waste exports — 503,000 tons in 2017. Until recently, much of this went to China and other southeast Asian countries. Reprocessing that material in state is expected to double the existing 125,000 recycling jobs.

Environmental groups across the state, including Save Our Shores, are in strong support of these bills because unlike natural materials that decompose, nearly every piece of plastic ever produced still exists in our landfills or in our environment. As plastic items fragment into smaller particles known as microplastics, they concentrate toxic chemicals and contaminate our food ranging from fish to table salt as well as our drinking water – both tap and bottled. Exposure to toxins associated with plastic materials, has been linked to cancers, birth defects, impaired immunity, endocrine disruption, and other serious health problems. Further, plastic products contribute to climate change by emitting greenhouse gasses at every stage of their life cycle from fossil fuel extraction to resin production, product manufacture, product distribution, disposable and breakdown.

With the support of our state Assemblymember, Mark Stone and our Senator, Bill Monning, these identical measures have passed out of their respective branches of the legislature and are currently in Appropriations. They are expected to go to the floor for a joint vote in late August and then on to the governor for signature or veto.

If approved and implemented, these measures would significantly reduce the $420 million that local governments, ratepayers and ultimately taxpayers spend each year to clean up litter in our communities and green spaces, and they would provide a waste-reduction model for other states and countries.

While there is reason to be hopeful that these measures will become law this fall, industry opposition is heating up. So, your voice urging passage is still needed. Tell our legislatures and Gov. Gavin Newsom that as the world’s fifth-largest economy, California has a responsibility to lead on solutions to the growing plastic pollution crisis. As citizens of this great state, we also have a right to and deserve a clean and healthy environment free of plastic litter and pollution. It is time to stop prioritizing convenience over health and stop living disposable lifestyles.

Katherine O’Dea is the executive director of Save Our Shores.