As awareness of single-use plastic’s impact to the alarming amount of trash in the world’s oceans and waterways, individuals, companies, and governments are looking for ways to reduce the amount of plastic used, and the state of California is poised to pass one of the most aggressive laws addressing the plastic crisis to date.

Bills in the Bear Republic’s legislative chambers, SB54 in the Senate and AB1080 in the Assembly, known as The California Circular Economy and Pollution Reduction Act, failed to gather enough votes last year and were reintroduced in January. A group of environmental advocacy groups that support the bill also filed a similar ballot measure for the November 2020 election.

If enacted, the new laws would mandate that the state reduce the waste generated from single-use packaging and foodware by 75% through avoidance, recycling, and composting. Unlike previous efforts, it will not be enough to make products that are recyclable or compostable alone, as the flow of such packaging and utensils into the Golden State will get regulated by the 75% target reduction.