A debate is unfolding in Sacramento concerning whether beverage cartons-those used for milk, juice, broth, wine, and even egg whites-should be granted the widely recognized chasing arrows recycling label.

Earlier this year, CalRecycle, the state agency responsible for recycling, initially determined that the cartons were likely ineligible for the label. This was based on the fact that the vast majority of the state’s waste haulers were not sorting and recycling them, a requirement under California’s “Truth in recycling” law, also known as Senate Bill 54.

Though, just three months later, the agency reversed its decision.

The recycling label is crucial for product and packaging companies to continue selling their goods in California, especially as the state’s single-use packaging law approaches full implementation. This law mandates that all single-use packaging products must be recyclable or compostable by 2032. Failure to meet this requirement would prohibit their sale or distribution within the state.

According to internal agency emails, documents, and industry news releases, the shift in position was influenced by data provided by the Carton Council of North America, the carton packaging industry’s trade group.The council had also announced an investment in a carton recycling facility located in Lodi.

This reversal by the waste agency has angered several waste experts, anti-plastic activists, and environmentalists, who argue that cartons have limited value or potential for recycling. They contend that the new industry-backed facility in Lodi is merely a facade, similar to other failed operations across the nation. They also claim that CalRecycle’s revised assessment of the material’s recyclability is based on flawed and easily manipulated methods.

“What we’ve got here is this Kingdom of California that wants to tell the world that ‘we’re the best in recycling…'”
– Jan Dell,Last Beach Cleanup

Some critics suggest that this situation is another instance of Gov. Gavin Newsom and CalRecycle backing away from the state’s groundbreaking single-use plastic law, as well as other enterprising anti-waste and anti-plastic measures that they once championed.

“The big picture here is that the governor and CalRecycle are creating loopholes,” stated Jan Dell, a chemical engineer and founder of last Beach Cleanup, an organization dedicated to combating plastic pollution.

“What we’ve got here is this Kingdom of california that wants to tell the world that ‘we’re the best in recycling, that recycling works, that we’re going to lead the way in recycling and build a circular economy.’ But, the reality on the ground is that this stuff’s not recyclable. It just isn’t.”

Conversely, others argue that the developments surrounding carton material align with the intended purpose of the laws: to incentivize plastic and packaging companies to make their packaging recyclable or to develop the necessary technologies and markets.

“We are gratified to see the Carton Council making these investments and demonstrating that recycling can work with a sincere commitment from industry,” saeid Sen. Ben Allen (D-Santa Monica), the author of both California’s truth in labeling and single-use plastic laws.

“for decades,Californians have been misled into believing that the tons of packaging we consume can be cleanly and effectively recycled if only we put it into the blue bin. Sadly, that is too frequently enough untrue.”