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.

 

Plastic Pollution Prevention and Packaging Producer Responsibility Act page

CalRecycle Welcomes Your Feedback on the Needs Assessment.

Provide feedback on:

  • How to best serve California’s diverse communities.
  • How to ensure the law is implemented effectively while minimizing and mitigating the impact on communities already disproportionately affected by pollution.
  • Any other considerations, concerns, or helpful information relevant to creating a strong circular economy plan for California under the new law.

Studies to Support the Needs Assessment

CalRecycle will identify what California needs to implement SB 54 successfully through the following detailed Needs Assessment studies:

Source Reduction Baseline Study

  • 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 the 2023.

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.

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.

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.

Current and Needed Statutory Funding Provisions Study

  • Current and needed state programmatic resources related to recycling, reuse, and source reduction of covered material.

Collaborators of the Needs Assessment

CalRecycle and third-party contractors will conduct 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 will also collaborate with:

  • Producer Responsibility Organization
  • Advisory Board
  • Local Governments
  • Recycling and Composting Service Providers
  • Processors
  • Communities
  • Haulers and Other Transporters 
  • And Other Interested Parties

Current Contract Solicitations

*None at this time.

For questions related to contract solicitations, contact contracts@calrecycle.ca.gov.

Needs Assessment Timeline

2024

Needs Assessment Developed
2023 – Late 2025

2025

First Findings of the Needs Assessment Published: Source Reduction Baseline
January 1, 2025

2026

Needs Assessment Published
January 1, 2026

Ongoing

Needs Assessment Updates
Every 5 years or as needed

For updates on the needs assessment, re-visit this page. Updates also will be sent out via the SB 54 listserv.  

Submit questions about this program to Packaging@CalRecycle.ca.gov.