SANTA CRUZ — After a bill that aimed to phase out some single-use plastics died on the California State Assembly floor last year, lawmakers are back with a new iteration of the legislation.
Assembly Bill 2026, authored by Assemblymember Laura Friedman (D-Glendale) and introduced Monday, would force the ecommerce industry to phase out some single-use plastic packaging such as plastic mailing envelopes, bubble wrap and air pillows. If amended into law, it would also require brick and mortar stores to keep records of single use plastic products such as bags and document how such products are disposed of, as well as offer recycling bins on-site.
Online superstores, such as Amazon, would be required to phase out such plastics by January 2024. Smaller ecommerce retailers would have until January 2026 more time to find replacement products.
Mark Stone, D-Scotts Valley, co-authored the bill and its predecessor, AB-1371, which did not collect the required 41 state assembly votes — but just by a hair. At one point during the voting session 39 lawmakers had shown support for the legislation.
Like AB-2026, AB-1371 would have mandated online retailers who ship or deliver goods wrapped in single-use plastic packaging to shift to reusable, or recyclable or compostable materials.
Stone told the Sentinel in an interview at the time that the bill was “the low hanging fruit” in terms of plastic legislation.
“Plastic policy, since I have been a legislator, has been a real struggle,” Stone said then.
As compared to the first version of the bill, AB 2026 explicitly exempts fresh produce, raw meat and medical devices, according to Ashley Blacow-Draeger a spokesperson with environmental nonprofit Oceana. Those concessions were made to strengthen the chances that this bill is adopted into law, said Blacow-Draeger.
“It is clear that the unnecessary amount of single-use plastic that proliferates online orders is of serious concern to Californians,” Blacow-Draeger wrote in an email. “I anticipate that California residents will be making their voices more loudly heard this session.”
