April 28, 2022 - California’s leading environmental, public health, and community organizations thank Attorney General Rob Bonta for his pursuit of accountability for the industries fueling the exponential and harmful growth of plastics. For decades these industries have misled the public to avoid addressing a mounting plastic crisis. The Department of Justice’s effort is aligned with the goals of the California Plastic Pollution Reduction and Recycling Act, which will require meaningful reduction of single-use plastics. California voters will weigh in on this initiative in November.

“Poll after poll shows that Californians are fed up with plastic pollution and the damage being done to our communities. And scientific studies from as early as the 1970s have shown massive amounts of plastic polluting our oceans and threatening wildlife,” said Dr. Alexis Jackson, Ocean Policy and Plastics Lead  for The Nature Conservancy. “More recent research paints an even grimmer picture of the impacts of plastic pollution to humans, with small plastic fragments ending up in our lungs and even flowing through our veins. And the problem is only getting worse. We can no longer let this stand.”

“After years of legislative inaction, this ballot measure takes aim at harmful single-use plastic packaging and foodware, while also generating the funding necessary to pivot away from single-use plastics, to clean up our parks and communities, restore our beaches and rivers, and protect our health,” said Marce Gutiérrez-Graudiņš, founder and executive director of Azul.