California To Implement Nation’s 1st Recycled Content Standards For Plastic Beverage Bottles

California is making strides in reducing plastic pollution with the nation’s first legislation on recycled content standards in plastic bottles. Effective January 1, all plastic California Refund Value drink containers in the state must be made with at least 15 percent recycled materials. Ultimately, California’s goal is to require all plastic bottles to be made of 50 percent recycled materials by 2030, which would surpass the European Union’s 30 percent mandate as the highest percentage requirement in the world. Assemblymembers Phil Ting, D-San Francisco, and Jacqui Irwin, D-Thousand Oaks, authored Assembly Bill 793, initially signed off by Gov. Gavin Newsom in September 2020.