Ben Allen, Senator (Los Angeles, CA)

Cracking Down on Plastic Pollution

NewDEAL Leader California Ben Allen scored a victory for a cleaner environment, as Governor Gavin Newsom signed his bill to reduce plastic packaging and foodware last Thursday. Requiring a 25 percent reduction by both weight and number of items within the next 10 years, the bill is the toughest plastic reduction bill in the nation thus far. The bill also mandates a 65 percent recycling rate for plastics, requires all packaging and foodware be made recyclable or compostable even if not plastic, and requires plastic companies to contribute to a pollution mitigation fund to benefit disadvantaged or low-income communities. Read more in Grist about Senator Allen’s bill, which one expert says will prevent nearly 23 million tons of plastic waste in just 10 years.