On September 9th, California bipartisan Senate Bill 343 was passed. SB 343 prohibits use of the “chasing arrows” symbol or any other recyclability claim on packaging unless it was approved through a detailed state-led process.
“It’s a basic truth-in-advertising concept,” said California State Senator Ben Allen, a Democrat and the bill’s lead sponsor. “We have a lot of people who are dutifully putting materials into the recycling bins that have the recycling symbols on them, thinking that they’re going to be recycled, but actually, they’re heading straight to the landfill,” he said.
For those of us who’ve run transparent recycling programs, in which we secured markets, BEFORE accepting items, this law, which will have national ramifications, is music to our ears.
For two decades communities have allowed dirty, sham, non transparent, recycling. Hopefully, elected officials now see the need for serious due diligence before signing on to the next latest, greatest, recycling scheme.
All this mess could have been avoided with recycling transparency laws. Please, recycle like you care: 1. about the safety of all recycling workers, 2. about providing end users with good quality feedstock, and, 3. about transparency/accountability in your community recycling program.
Louise Mann