Group opposes California plastic packaging tax bill

Testifying for the alliance before the Senate Committee on Appropriations, Kristin A. Power, director of state affairs, Grocery Manufacturers of America, called the recycling requirements “onerous and unrealistic.” Under the proposal, the California Integrated Waste Management Board would be required to determine the recycling rates of seven resin types, establish a “pollution prevention fee” for each resin type, determine which products packaged in plastic would be assessed the fee, and decide how the fees would be collected. Power said the new requirements and the fee on business are unnecessary and are bad public policy. Manufacturers have made “environmentally responsible packaging decisions” in recent years by reducing and reusing content, she said. She urged the committee to seek ways to encourage such voluntary efforts.