California sets nation’s toughest plastics reduction rules
KATHLEEN RONAYNEThe Associated PressSACRAMENTO (AP) – Companies selling shampoo, food and other products wrapped in plastic have a decade to cut down on their use of the polluting material if they want their wares on California store shelves.Major legislation passed and signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom Thursday, June 30, aims to significantly reduce single-use plastic packaging in the state and drastically boost recycling rates for what remains. It sets the nation’s most stringent requirements for the use of plastic packaging, with lawmakers saying they hope it sets a precedent for other states to follow.“We’re ruining the planet and we’ve got to change it,” Sen. Bob Hertzberg, a Democrat, said before voting on the bill.Under the bill, plastic producers would hav