SB 54 Statewide Needs Assessment

Plastic Pollution Prevention and Packaging Producer Responsibility Act

SB 54 (Allen, 2022) requires CalRecycle to collaboratively develop a statewide needs assessment to evaluate the actions and investments needed to meet the goals of SB 54.

This needs assessment will guide the Producer Responsibility Organization’s budget and plan detailing how California will meet the packaging and plastic pollution reduction goals of SB 54.

First Needs Assessment Published for California’s Packaging Producer Responsibility Law

Important findings include:

The potential for covered material design changes to:
- Support successful, cost-effective implementation of the law
- Play a significant role in source-reduction
- Remove barriers to collection, processing and recycling
- Reduce existing costs for local governments and material handlers
That comprehensive reporting will significantly improve understanding of material flows and handling in the state.

Program News

CalRecycle has published the needs assessment reports:

Studies to Support the Needs Assessment

CalRecycle has identified what California needs to implement SB 54 successfully through the following detailed needs assessment studies:

Source Reduction Baseline Study and Reports

Identify producers of plastic single-use packaging and plastic single-use food ware.
Estimate the weight and number of plastic components of plastic single-use packaging and plastic single-use food service ware that was sold, offered for sale, or distributed in the state in 2023.
Publish the Source Reduction Baseline Report.

Collection, Processing, and End Markets Study

Current and needed recycling and composting infrastructure.
Current causes and levels of contamination, and how to minimize recycling contamination.
Actions needed to improve packaging design to ensure materials are recyclable or compostable.
Market development and financial incentives needed to improve California’s circular economy.
CalRecycle published the following:

Source Reduction and Material Design Study

Actions and investments needed to reduce waste at the source.
Product redesign to use less material or be reusable or refillable.
How to create accessible reuse and refill systems.
CalRecycle published the following:
- Evaluation of Reuse and Refill Systems and Covered Materials that Utilize Other Source Reduction Strategies
- Analysis of Actions & Investments Needed to Achieve Source Reduction Goal

Consumer Education and Access Study

How to improve access communities have to reuse/refill, recycling, and composting infrastructure.
How to provide the education communities need to recycle and compost correctly under a changing system.
CalRecycle published the Consumer Education and Access Report

Current and Needed Statutory Funding Provisions Study

Current and needed state programmatic resources related to recycling, reuse, and source reduction of covered material.
CalRecycle published the findings from this study in the Appendices for the SB 54 Needs Assessment Synthesis Report.

Icons depicting source reduce and reuse, consumer ed and collection, recycling, processing, end markets, and product design.

Collaborators of the Needs Assessment

CalRecycle and third-party contractors have conducted the data collection and analyses required for the needs assessment.

To address the diverse needs of California’s urban, suburban, and rural communities, and various socioeconomic perspectives, CalRecycle collaborated with: