SB54: Plastic Pollution Prevention & Packaging Producer Responsibility Act
California’s landmark law holding producers accountable for plastic waste — protecting our ocean at the source.
What Is SB54?
California’s SB54 — the Plastic Pollution Prevention and Packaging Producer Responsibility Act — is one of the most comprehensive plastic pollution laws ever enacted. Signed in 2022, it establishes a producer responsibility program requiring manufacturers and brand owners to manage the end-of-life costs of single-use packaging and plastic food service ware sold in California.
Rather than placing the burden of plastic waste on taxpayers and local governments, SB54 shifts that responsibility directly to the producers who create and profit from these products — driving systemic change across the entire supply chain.
Only 5% of U.S. plastic waste was actually recycled as of 2021. SB54 is California’s answer to that failure.
By the Numbers
Of U.S. plastic waste was recycled as of 2021 — the crisis SB54 was designed to fix
Recycling rate required for all covered plastic by January 1, 2032
Required reduction in plastic packaging by weight through source reduction by 2032
Annual surcharge collected 2027–2037 for the California Plastic Pollution Mitigation Fund
Maximum daily fine per violation for producers who fail to comply
Deadline by which producers were required to form or join a Producer Responsibility Organization
What SB54 Requires
Recyclability & Compostability: All covered single-use packaging and plastic food service ware must be recyclable or compostable by January 1, 2032.
Recycling Rate Milestones: Producers must achieve 30% recycling by 2028, 40% by 2030, and 65% by 2032.
Source Reduction: A 25% reduction in plastic by weight is required by 2032, achieved through product elimination, redesign, lightweighting, or shifting to reusable and refillable alternatives.
Producer Responsibility Organizations (PROs): Producers must join nonprofit PROs that submit compliance plans to CalRecycle and the Producer Responsibility Advisory Board, with annual reporting and independent financial audits.
Retailer Accountability: Retailers and wholesalers must verify that covered materials sold in California meet SB54 requirements, creating a compliance checkpoint across the supply chain.
Key Milestones
Producers must form or join a Producer Responsibility Organization (PRO)
PRO compliance plans must be approved by CalRecycle; annual $500M Plastic Pollution Mitigation Fund surcharge begins (runs through 2037)
First recycling rate threshold: 30% of covered plastic must be recycled
Second recycling rate threshold: 40% recycling rate required
All covered material must be recyclable or compostable; 65% recycling rate achieved; 25% source reduction target met
Who Does SB54 Affect?
Producers & Brand Owners
Any company manufacturing products with covered single-use packaging, or owning or licensing brands sold in California, must join a PRO, meet recycling and reduction targets, and fund program costs. Exemptions apply to medical and pharmaceutical packaging and products already achieving 65%+ recycling rates.
Retailers & Wholesalers
Must verify that covered materials sold in California meet SB54 requirements before sale. Retailers serve as a critical enforcement checkpoint throughout the supply chain.
Local Governments
Cities and counties must include covered materials in their collection and recycling programs. Costs are reimbursed by PROs, fundamentally shifting the financial burden away from taxpayers and municipalities.
Disadvantaged Communities
PRO implementation plans must avoid or minimize negative environmental and health impacts on disadvantaged and low-income communities, ensuring equitable outcomes as the law is rolled out across California.
Why This Matters for Our Ocean
Plastic pollution is one of the most urgent threats facing our oceans. Millions of tons of plastic enter marine environments every year, endangering marine life, contaminating food chains, and breaking down into microplastics that spread to every corner of our seas.
SB54 attacks the problem at its source — the producers who put plastic into circulation in the first place. By mandating recyclability, reducing plastic production, and funding environmental mitigation, this law gives California’s coastlines, marine ecosystems, and the broader Pacific a real fighting chance.
Blue Harmony is committed to supporting the full and effective implementation of SB54 as a cornerstone of ocean protection policy in California and beyond.
Learn More & Get Involved
Whether you’re a business navigating compliance, an advocate pushing for stronger enforcement, or a community member who wants cleaner oceans — SB54 matters to you. Read the full legislation and explore how you can support its success.