Sacramento, Calif. — California Gov. Jerry Brown on Sept. 20 signed three bills aimed at reducing plastic pollution, including the first statewide law restricting plastic straws.
"It is a very small step to make a customer who wants a plastic straw ask for it. And it might make them pause and think again about an alternative," Brown wrote in a letter to the state Assembly. "But one thing is clear, we must find ways to reduce and eventually eliminate single-use plastic products."
The bills that Brown signed included:
• AB 1884, which requires restaurants to offer straws only upon request.
• SB 1335, which prohibits non-recyclable and non-compostable takeout food packaging at state facilities, including parks, beaches, colleges, and fairgrounds.
• SB 1263, which directs the California Ocean protection Council to develop a Statewide Microplastics Strategy.
Californians Against Waste called the move Brown's "boldest statement to date on the public health and environmental threat posed by plastic pollution and waste."
"California is continuing to fill the vacuum of federal leadership by tackling our plastic pollution crisis and the throw-away culture that causes it, said CAW Executive Director Mark Murray.
