On August 31, 2020, the California Legislature failed to vote on the California Circular Economy and Plastic Pollution Reduction Act before the 2019-20 legislative session ended. Ocean Conservancy had urged its supporters in California to advocate for the bill, and partnered with a coalition of NGOs in the state to do the same. Doug Cress, Vice President of Conservation at Ocean Conservancy, issued the following statement:

Ocean Conservancy and its partners are disappointed the California Legislature failed to vote on the California Circular Economy and Plastic Pollution Reduction Act before the session ended Monday. As a result, the state has missed an important opportunity to become a leader on one of the most pressing challenges facing the ocean today: plastic pollution.

The Circular Economy and Plastic Pollution Reduction Act would have set the stage for a vital paradigm shift in how we produce, consume, and dispose of trillions of plastic items every single day. Ocean Conservancy research has shown that increasing collection and recycling rates and enforcing not only recyclability standards but recycled content standards are all critical to stemming the flow of plastic into the ocean, and the bill would have implemented all of these measures.

This is a setback for every Californian who cares about the state’s beautiful waterways and coastline, and for our ocean, which is already choking with plastics to the tune of 11 million metric tons a year.

We look forward to working to ensure that this critical legislation is passed into law next legislative session.

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About Ocean Conservancy

Ocean Conservancy is working with you to protect the ocean from today’s greatest global challenges. Together, we create science-based solutions for a healthy ocean and the wildlife and communities that depend on it. For more information, visit www.oceanconservancy.org, or follow us on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.